General Music Chat

I may be moving back to Jacksonville Florida in a week or so.

If that happens, my mother has a small studio in her house. Just one small room really, with the engineer desk not separated, but the room is a professional space. She paid alot of money to have high quality soundproofing WALLS installed, so it is professionally soundproofed, and it looks VERY professional inside. She uses ProTools LE with a hardware mixing board to go into the computer.

Besides starting up a BADASS band, from MY HOMETOWN and SKYNYRD'S HOMETOWN TOO....

My other goal is to utilize this space as a small studio for business.

Initially, I am thinking of soliciting songwriter/singers who maybe don't play instruments, or just play enough to write their stuff.

My idea, is that it may be hard for these people to form an entire band around them, to get their songs made into a reasonable demo, so they could then send them out to places to be heard and considered.

So, my idea is to charge maybe $200 per song, or $500 for a 3 song demo. I would create a full backing soundtrack for their song, and then record them singing it, and mix it down to WAV and MP3 for them.

I think this is cheap, but a reasonable price to get this going.

I estimate it may take me a full day to put a good soundtrack to their song, so maybe 3 days for 3 songs, then a single day hopefully, to record them singing all 3 songs, and it leaves me one extra day for mix down, and mastering if needed.

5 Days - $500 - One project a week. Still leaves me the weekends to pursue forming a new band, and playing gigs. If I do well, as I learn ProTools, and start getting a full calendar, I could then afford to increase rates for this.

But I imagine, there are ALOT of aongwriter/singers out there, who just don't have all the tools they need, to have their stuff recorded, so they can persue a career in it.

I'm thinking also, that I could record Karaoke songs for others who are just potential singers, or want to give a unique gift to their families, etc... Maybe just charge them $100 per song, or maybe even $50 per song for a 10-Song committment, where all I have to do is use a MIDI file, change the instruments so they are professional and have my keyboard play them, and then have them overdub a vocal track.

Much easier than creating an entire backing soundtrack to an original song. Probably be the same time period though, 4 to 5 days, but each thing nets me $500 per week, and I am keeping my income MUSIC based.

What is your opinion?

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As long as your pricing is competitive with the other studios in town I'd say go for it. I wish I could make a living just doing music. Maybe someday...

Might be pretty tough in today's economy, I have my own 3D animation company and play in 3 bands and can't afford my own car or have enough cash in my pocket to buy a coffee. We would love to re-record the Sainte Anthony's Fyre Album again since it's been reissued illegally 4 times in other countries and try selling it and going on tour, just don't have the cash to even record one song between all of us in the band.

But you might be more successful with doing soundtracks for video production companies for TV commercials and so forth. I know narrators get a LOT more money than the musicians do. Churches are also another good place to silicate for work, they always have money., but make sure you have a contract with them, I worked in a studio for a few years and the Christian bands always tried to talk their way out of paying, trying to get you to donate your time for the greater good and all that, so just make sure they have money upfront.

Here in upstate, NY, where the economy is probably the best in the country, even the studios charging $15 an hour are having a hard time bringing in customers.

Don't forget, over 50% of that $500 will probably go to taxes, I figure I pay about 75% of my income here in NY to taxes when you add in all the little taxes and fees for this and that.

The people that have money, have lots of it...and the people who don't have absolutely none, The recording studios that charge $15 an hour really mean nothing to me since I can't afford $15 an hour or $45, So undercutting everyone in town probably won't help you get a lot more customers...just ones that are cheap and a pain in the butt.

Your Mother has a recording studio in her house??!? That's awesome, man.

I think that I good studio is priceless. However, do make sure that you are not only competitively priced but also no your craft. Anyone can record but not everyone can record well. Any good musician wants a good recording technician. Are you musically inclined? I mean can you read music. Guitarists are always questionable Do you have the digital means to use various instrumental sections? If so, I do not see whya you could not be successful at that.

wow you are expensive!...Most studios in lou of the economy have dropped their rates and most dont charge in the mixdown. I have a friend that has an HD3 studio that will do the song for 30 dollars an hour/avg and free mixdown. Not to discourage you into doing it but i think your rates are a little high.

Your Mother has a recording studio in her house??!? That's awesome, man.

Yeah she does.

She's a world class vocalists who has sung professionally in 5 countries or so, and has been a guest with several symphonies.

She's also a very good vocal coach and songwriter.

She only really used her studio mostly for her students, because as she taught them, she would periodically record them professionally, so they could hear their improvement and what they still needed to work on.

I think she had other ideas for it originally, cause she took several months of engineering classes 5 years back or so, but she never really had time to develop the studio. So it kind of just sits there getting wasted.

She spent 10,000 or 15,000 dollars to renovate it, and put in 8" foam walls. These are not foam pieces, that were added to walls. They are complete walls of some special material made for professional studios. There is nice woodwork in there, inset lighting, special carpeting, etc...

The 10,000 or 15,000 (I forget where in there) that she spent is misleading, because she is very good friends with a professional contractor, and he used his company and employees to do the work for FREE. She only paid for materials.

I mean, I don't know if you were being sarcastic or not, but it is a professional space, and it is easier to get clients into a professional space. And this one is available and rent free. You can't really ask for a better start than that.

I've owned small busniesses before and had warehousing and employees in two states, and I know very well how quickly it all adds up... rent for space, utility bills, workman's comp, liability insurance, etc... - Overhead is a bitch!

I'm not being sarcastic, my Mom is a professional vocalist/ pianist from the big-band era and she still performs (not as much since she turned 81) . Once I dragged my tascam 8-track, mics and effects to her house and recorded her doing a song "Well, Hello There" which I'll post here if I can find where I put it..
Good luck to ya man! Movin's a bitch too! I know that song all too well!

I wish I could make a living just doing music. Maybe someday...

Yeah, well, $500 is not making a living. But with my wife working too, it would be enough to pay bills. My ultimate goal of course, is to either have a very successful regional band and/or see some famous artists recording some of my songs. So, paying the bills for awhile, keeps me in music, and buys me a little time to see if I can find a decent level of success at, which WOULD pay me enough, for my wife to not work anymore, and me to work doing what I love.

If something doesn't pan out soon, it may be it for me. I'll have to walk away for good, cause I don't know how to do music half assed. And I'm getting too old to pursue childhood dreams at my family's expense.

I'm not being sarcastic, my Mom is a professional vocalist/ pianist from the big-band era and she still performs (not as much since she turned 81) . Once I dragged my tascam 8-track, mics and effects to her house and recorded her doing a song "Well, Hello There" which I'll post here if I can find where I put it..
Good luck to ya man! Movin's a bitch too! I know that song all too well!

Holy crap!!!

81 and still performing!!!??? You come from good stock brother! When I went on the road from 12 to 18 with my mom's band, we did alot of big band stuff, and really, music from the 20's on up. We actually had a U.S.O show that we had on standby for special gigs or resorts and such. Dressed in old-timey attire, and did a sh*t load of Andrew Sisters, Bobby Darin, etc...

Music is partly genetic, cause I find alot of musicians and artists whose parents were in the biz, or performers themselves.

Can't wait to hear your mom!

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I'm not being sarcastic, my Mom is a professional vocalist/ pianist from the big-band era and she still performs (not as much since she turned 81) . Once I dragged my tascam 8-track, mics and effects to her house and recorded her doing a song "Well, Hello There" which I'll post here if I can find where I put it..
Good luck to ya man! Movin's a bitch too! I know that song all too well!

Holy crap!!!

81 and still performing!!!??? You come from good stock brother! When I went on the road from 12 to 18 with my mom's band, we did alot of big band stuff, and really, music from the 20's on up. We actually had a U.S.O show that we had on standby for special gigs or resorts and such. Dressed in old-timey attire, and did a sh*t load of Andrew Sisters, Bobby Darin, etc...

Music is partly genetic, cause I find alot of musicians and artists whose parents were in the biz, or performers themselves.

Can't wait to hear your mom!

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That being said, Craig, I believe that my dad had some sort of musical talent and never had the opportunity to learn music. I wonder where that road would have lead him had he had the opportunity.

I agree, you're expensive but I can tell you one thing. If you are good, you are worth your weight in gold. I would use you.

Yeh, hope you make it in your future endeavors, big-time!

Can't wait to hear your mom!

Well, I guess I'll go digging around in the archives.. and post the song up soon..

I don't think you're asking too much craig. You're only talking about making $100 a day. I had a vocal coach for about 2-months that charged $70 per hour. She was booked with students for about 6-hours a day monday through friday.

Just test the waters a little. Scope out what people around the Jacksonville area are asking, and maybe creatively find a way to offer something the others don't.

Good luck man. I'm envious. I wish I could live in a city with an NFL team. And here you are going from one to another.

Craig

Theres a guy in my area who does what you are talking about. Im not sure his current rate but in 2002 I went over and did some songs with him. He charged $100 a song. I would imagine you will have to size up the market. Our bassist has a home studio. His specialty is rappers. Why cause they bring in canned music and he just lays the vocals on top. He does bands and has been doing 3 songs for $400. Ive helped him do what you are talking about building up songs for people with limited instrument skills. Hes been getting $100 doing this. Of course I went in just for fun on the guitar stuff.

Good Luck on the move and your new studio. Just try to find a niche and fill it.

Thanks very much everyone, for the advice and comments and for the well wishes!

On the prices,

I think it is very reasonable considering I am performing several different functions here. Both recording their vocals and mastering their tracks, but more time intensive, is them giving me a recording of SINGING their original song, and I have to take that vocal example, and then create an ENTIRE ARRANGEMENT for it, finding the proper chord structures, and then laying down anywhere from 5 to 20 or more separate parts... drums, bass, piano, guitars, saxophone or whatever is necessary to provide an entire soundtrack for their original song. Then I have to record them singing over it, maybe some harmonies as well, and them mix it all down, into a finished demo.

And I was discouraged a little about our New York friend, telling me how bad studios have it there, chargin $15 an hour or less, but I'm not sure that fate would apply to me, because I am offering a ONE-STOP service that is quite different, than merely charging for studio time. I am creating an entire arrangement, a band, for their original songs, as well as recording it all, and their vocals, and mixing it into a professional demo.

In fact, my mom just suggested to me, that I wouldn't even have to limit this service to the LOCAL artists coming into a studio, but I could charge, maybe $100 or $125 or something, JUST TO DO THE BACKING TRACKS, and then email the completed song to them, ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY, and they could then go into their local studio, and lay their vocals over it all. I could send only part of the song for approval, and establish a PayPal account for them to pay, on it's acceptance, and then email them the full song arrangement.

If I did this, I could be serving clientele ALL OVER THE COUNTRY or even the world for that matter.

So, in other words, I may have a larger potential clientele doing that, and may avoid the difficulty of studio oversaturation or a limited clientele within driving distance to the studio.

I know that recording in a professional studio, I could expect to pay almost $500 per song, between recording all the band members, and then paying for the mix down time. And that is with providing the band members FOR FREE, since it was our own project. It would cost someone quite a bit, if they had to not only pay that $500 for studio time and mix down, but also pay 5 musicians for their time to come in a record the various parts.

I just can't see $100 or $125 for backing arrangement or $200 for the complete song and vocals and harmonies, as being too much.

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