Business models in today's music business that work?

[Ermz]

1) Run with very low overheads. Don't rent a very expensive space, and don't fill it full of world class gear. Set up a project studio instead on your own property, and freelance all bigger jobs like real drum tracking.

2) Keep your rates feasible for your core client base. If you're dealing mostly with unsigned bands you likely won't be able to swing $1k USD per song mixed. Keeping your mix and day rates in the $300 to $500 per day/song ballpark will keep your services accessible, while at the same time displaying that you don't work for peanuts, hence strengthening the view others have of your professionalism.

3) Make it happen. There will eventually be a backlash against all the low quality bedroom productions hitting the scene. Be the guy who holds the torch and puts the industry back on the right rails. Don't cry foul and leave the scene just because you have a few tough months/years. Work your ass off and create business for yourself.

4) Always do the best possible product you can. Doesn't matter what the project is, it needs to exceed everyone's expectations and most importantly the band must be ecstatic. This is how you ensure repeat business even in economically trying circumstances.

5) If in doubt, LEAVE. If you're already having doubts about job security and wondering whether to keep AE a hobby - just give up while you're ahead. You've already shown you don't have the necessary dedication to make a lasting career in the business. You either have the passion to do it or you don't.

 

[joelplagues]

1) Run with very low overheads. Don't rent a very expensive space, and don't fill it full of world class gear. Set up a project studio instead on your own property, and freelance all bigger jobs like real drum tracking.

2) Keep your rates feasible for your core client base. If you're dealing mostly with unsigned bands you likely won't be able to swing $1k USD per song mixed. Keeping your mix and day rates in the $300 to $500 per day/song ballpark will keep your services accessible, while at the same time displaying that you don't work for peanuts, hence strengthening the view others have of your professionalism.

3) Make it happen. There will eventually be a backlash against all the low quality bedroom productions hitting the scene. Be the guy who holds the torch and puts the industry back on the right rails. Don't cry foul and leave the scene just because you have a few tough months/years. Work your ass off and create business for yourself.

4) Always do the best possible product you can. Doesn't matter what the project is, it needs to exceed everyone's expectations and most importantly the band must be ecstatic. This is how you ensure repeat business even in economically trying circumstances.

5) If in doubt, LEAVE. If you're already having doubts about job security and wondering whether to keep AE a hobby - just give up while you're ahead. You've already shown you don't have the necessary dedication to make a lasting career in the business. You either have the passion to do it or you don't.

+100

It's how I'm operating atm and I do enjoy it.

Although because I use other studios to record drums, it does make my fees higher than I and my clients would like. But hopefully the product I put out can enable future clients to look past that.

 

[Eschatologist]

4. sell drugs, use money as front to keep studio afloat. record lots of stoner bands, and watch the $$ roll in...

Whores. Don't forget about pimping whores...

 

[egan.]

5) If in doubt, LEAVE. If you're already having doubts about job security and wondering whether to keep AE a hobby - just give up while you're ahead. You've already shown you don't have the necessary dedication to make a lasting career in the business. You either have the passion to do it or you don't.

Eh, this is kind of ridiculous. I don't know anyone in any career that hasn't had moments of doubt and that includes a lot of successful AE's and musicians. That sort of absolutism is for teenagers. Passion and perseverance don't preclude doubt. They just provide the tools and the reasons to work through it.

 

[Ermz]

I'd hesitate to call anyone with such weak resolve a success, in any shape or form. If you're truly committed to a course of action, there is no time to look back. It's a waste of energy.

Both feet - let the historians sort throgh the rest.

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

I'd hesitate to call anyone with such weak resolve a success, in any shape or form. If you're truly committed to a course of action, there is no time to look back. It's a waste of energy.

Both feet - let the historians sort throgh the rest.

I don't know man, you've never once worried about what you would do if you failed? or if you couldn't move past a certain point in your career? never worried that someone younger, smarter, faster, etc than you could put you out of business?

if not then I envy you for sure

 

[MetalSound]

sell sampled drum packs.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

If you want to keep your overheads low and make some money, why not try to organisemore clients to record at the existing studios which have all the equipment you require, then mix at home or at the studio if funds allow it?

I see that being the only way these studios will keep afloat- freelance engineers bringing them work.
There's no point opening another studio and saturating the market untill the clients realise the importance of them again IMHO.

Umm... Isn't that pretty much exactly what I just said?

 

[HeadCrusher]

Well the problem is you can't just record bands if you want to make money. You should get a great vocal room so you can do voice-over work for commercials or videos or even video games. There's a lot more money in that if you can get hooked up with it. You need to make your studio a fully capable post-production house.

That's highly region specific! Won't work if there is no gaming industry or Radio/TV-station in your area.

 

[Star Ark]

Music tuition

Someone before said otherwise but I pull in $1300ish a week from full time instrumental teaching, and about 2/3s of those hours are for another company taking a large cut.

Once I totally nail the piano I could earn $100 per hour working for a company and more privately.

Australia has a plan to double its population over the coming years too, the work is going to be everywhere.

When I think about a guy I know who spent around $300,000 all up buying the building and designing the room for a studio who charges $45 per hour I feel extremely fortunate I had realistic ideas.

Plus even running the studio, you're gonna end up recording some terrible bands.....no fun in my book

 

[HeadCrusher]

Australia has a plan to double its population over the coming years too, the work is going to be everywhere.

OT: No shit? Some government programme or what?

 

[Ermz]

Australia is very economically driven, so the government is cranking immigration at the expense of our quality of life. Even with our current population most services are barely adequate, and the transport infrastructure is already buckling. Ironic to think this influx of cheap workers from overseas will create jobs for australians.

 

[Mago]

Well, IF I were to do it it would be in Graz but as I said above it's most likely not going to happen.
Been toying with the idea of moving to a bigger city to record more serious bands there but then again: The bigger the City the more studios it has... And there's already at least 15-20 Studios in this small town that I could name from the top of my head.

Well if it ever happens, I'll swing by, haven't been to Graz for a while
Really? From the top of my head I only know about 3 studios I'd consider really good or delivered work that impressed me in this whole country...One of them is in styria as far as I remember.
Focusing on metal productions though, havent looked too much into the pop/rock scene so far, so theres more good studios for sure.

Oh and about Songwriting: I actually don't mind doing commercial Pop music. Well, the Bohlen stuff sucks hard but for example there's nothing wrong with Katy Perry tunes or something of that sort. Still it's anything but easy getting to the point where an established artist will sing your songs...

Yeah Bohlen is a bad example, but he turns shit into gold + all of his songs sound/are the same.
Writing music or even "just" lyrics for artists like Katy Perry is a profitable work I think, but as you said it isnt exactly easy to get to that point.

 

[Star Ark]

Australia is very economically driven, so the government is cranking immigration at the expense of our quality of life. Even with our current population most services are barely adequate, and the transport infrastructure is already buckling. Ironic to think this influx of cheap workers from overseas will create jobs for australians.

It won't hurt the music tuition though, it will go through the roof.

Lots of imigrants will be familes or soon to be familes, music is universal and tuition is here to stay. The established Aussie music teachers will cleanup I'm hoping. The AEs will have a hard time maybe

Lots of other industries won't like it and I've had to except buying a house without a working wife is gonna be a bitch. I was living in Box Hill, a friend of mine inherited an absolute dump of a house/property, just sold it for 1.2 million and is moving to Europe. Her old house is gone now and about 30 flats in a 3 story complex are going up where she her mum and her sister onced lived. About 100 immigrants living where 3 people used to.

And the traffic is nasty, I've felt the change over the last 8 years of driving.

 

[egan.]

I'd hesitate to call anyone with such weak resolve a success, in any shape or form. If you're truly committed to a course of action, there is no time to look back. It's a waste of energy.

Both feet - let the historians sort throgh the rest.

From that statement it sounds like you possess the sort of arrogance necessary to meet your own standards. To everyone else I would recommend having the confidence to do what you really want to do even if it's a harder path.

 

[Ermz]

I don't know man, you've never once worried about what you would do if you failed? or if you couldn't move past a certain point in your career? never worried that someone younger, smarter, faster, etc than you could put you out of business?

The cool thing about creative industries is that even if there is someone out there who is younger, smarter & faster than you, they will still never be you. All you really need to focus on is developing an identity, a standard level of work and establishing the sort of ties you need to sustain clients, and you can sustain a career. This isn't an industry where 'Mike' from Bangladesh, oh I mean Minnesota, can one day render you redundant because he does your job for 1/5th of the pay. You aren't making spreadsheets - your output has a worth rooted in its individuality.

Sure there will be kids who come along and devalue the service - but as long as you can sustain a higher quality output (as far as such things can be measured objectively) you will be entitled to your sustained share of work.

To answer your question though, no, I've never allowed myself the luxury to worry. As I was finishing high school I thought quite hard about which way to go, and once my mind was made up, that was it. There was no contingency, no back-up plan, no 'safe alternative'. My ultimatum to myself was to either focus on becoming one of the best in the country/world at whatever I chose, or live as a bum for the rest of my life.

 

[Revson]

That's highly region specific! Won't work if there is no gaming industry or Radio/TV-station in your area.

That's a valid point, but if you're doing simple voice-over work you don't need to be in the same area. Have the client email you a script and specifications for what they need. You hire a voice talent, which they'll pay for, work your magic, send them their audio files and you profit.

 

[Soundlurker]

I agree you have to be absolutely sure you want to do this. Honestly, I've been undetermined for a million things in my life but working with recording/mixing is probably the first thing I was 100% sure I want to pursue at all cost because it makes perfect sense for me - I like being creative, I love balancing all kinds of stuff, tweaking settings on everything, listening to music all the time and so on...

Basically what I wanted to say is that before you start figuring out a business model you should figure out what your priorities are. Money? Creativity? Helping people out? Realising an epic project (say building an awesome studio)? There are a bunch of choices that are good and bad in different ways, you need to be clear what's important for you and also what doesn't bother you.

 

[MetalSound]

This isn't an industry where 'Mike' from Bangladesh, oh I mean Minnesota, can one day render you redundant because he does your job for 1/5th of the pay.

I DO think so. That is why a lot of the big (and expensive) studios struggle to be alive. Most of the things done in big studios with 10 meter long SSL consoles can now be done with a small PC setup (you have to have knowledge and abilities to do so of course - but that´s another story )

 

[HeadCrusher]

That's a valid point, but if you're doing simple voice-over work you don't need to be in the same area. Have the client email you a script and specifications for what they need. You hire a voice talent, which they'll pay for, work your magic, send them their audio files and you profit.

Well, in theory, yes.
In reality however things are a little different. It would be very hard to get the job in the first place if you are not located where everything is happening. However for the moment let's just assume you'd get a voice-over job. Now the client wants you to record a well known voice talent for his commercial, TV ad or whatever. Where's that person going to be? Right, Big city...
One more thing: I know for a fact that a lot of "professional" voice recordings are done on simple home setups. I've done stuff for the Radio with nothing more than an SM57 and a FirePod. I doubt that anybody apart from the big state-funded networks is renting a Studio to record their voice-overs. And the big networks mostly have their own Studios.

Sure, up to a semi-pro level the distant working thing can work very well. After all it's basically what a lot of us are doing on the forum here. Sending files back and forth all over the world in order to get a professional sounding product that doesn't break the bank. More established businesses rely on other networks though.