Members TBush Posted July 23, 2010 Members Share Posted July 23, 2010 Hi all- Has anyone had to tighten their respective studio belts due to the general economic slow-down? I've had more postponements (a few cancellations, too) in the last 6 months than I can remember in the last 10 years. I'll be promoting my studio a bit more this fall. Well, make that "I'll be starting to promote", as I never needed actual advertisement before- all word-of mouth. I do wear another vocational hat- I'm a piano tuner/tech- but for the last 6-7 years it's been around 70% studio income for me. I talked to some of my Nashville buds and they are feeling it, too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 23, 2010 Members Share Posted July 23, 2010 Last year, I got a lot of business. This year, it's fallen off quite a bit. I do mostly word of mouth as well, although I have a website, which does get me some business once in a while, although primarily for Akai tape transfers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 I'm in Riverside County California, where the unemployment rate is currently at about 15%. In other words, one of the worst counties in one of the bottom three states (only Michigan and Nevada are currently worse) in terms of unemployment rates. Economically, it's the worst I've ever seen it in California in my entire life. I think pretty much everyone out here is feeling it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nice keetee Posted July 24, 2010 Members Share Posted July 24, 2010 yes times are tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scapier Posted July 24, 2010 Members Share Posted July 24, 2010 Well, I'm working on my own project if that tells you anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Red Ant Posted July 24, 2010 Moderators Share Posted July 24, 2010 Economically, it's the worst I've ever seen it in California in my entire life. I think pretty much everyone out here is feeling it. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted July 24, 2010 Moderators Share Posted July 24, 2010 Money is always there, it just gets squeezed into different areas. Currently the companies experiencing the worst publicity due to huge public eff ups are the ones spending the most marketing dollars. I'm looking at my audio acumen as a single arrow in the quiver and concentrating on content more, and my media skills only as a way to realize the message more effectively. Constant reinvention of self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Care to elaborate a bit Lee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted July 24, 2010 Moderators Share Posted July 24, 2010 Well... After my music career, I moved into audio. But my eye was always on making a buck at it. So while my natural skills lend themselves to music production, the money, so we've noticed, doesn't always gravitate there. So... My thought 20 years ago, was to explore different means of audio and follow the $. So I first went into industrial, corporate and local tv production. Eventually I ended up doing telephony audio for phone systems. "Press 1 to hear you savings account" Currently I work on steaming web video for marketing portals. It's not the same rush as nailing a great room tone from a well played session group, or getting the guitarist to try something new and him becoming you best new friend, or really understanding what the writer is trying to say with his song and keeping everyone on track... But those skills, I use them everyday. Indirectly. In producing Training videos now for Toyota and GM Auto Dealerships to better use their very expensive enterprise reporting systems. So understanding human nature puts me in the unique position of actually being able to digest the subject and teach it with empathy. Through modern media. Think of those Digidesign marketing tutorials only more refined scream capture. They pay dearly for that stuff if you're good. Right now, marketing is where the $ is. Behind the scenes marketing in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TBush Posted July 24, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 24, 2010 Thanks for the comments, folks- I kinda figured it was nation-wide (especially the Michigan analysis- lotta friends there), and Scapier's "working on my own project" line- yeah, I get that one! Lee's right about the idea of reinventing- at least your skill sets and being able to adapt those skills to other applications. Hopefully some of those unrecorded rock bands out there will be dissatisfied with the mixes they're getting from their friend (who records them for free)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 25, 2010 Members Share Posted July 25, 2010 But will they be dissatisfied enough to pay for something better? There's always that tipping point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 25, 2010 Members Share Posted July 25, 2010 And my tipping point was, "Oh, dayaaam, that's expensive...I think I can do this better myself." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TBush Posted July 26, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 26, 2010 And my tipping point was, "Oh, dayaaam, that's expensive...I think I can do this better myself." Haha! So true. And it usually sounds pretty pathetic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted July 26, 2010 Members Share Posted July 26, 2010 It did at first!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TBush Posted July 26, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 26, 2010 It did at first!!! Oh yeah- I listened to some mixes I did back in '96- uh, I'd change this, and that, and maybe this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chris carter Posted July 29, 2010 Members Share Posted July 29, 2010 Business is actually going rather well for me right now (knock on wood...). That said, while business is up, people saying they are "going" to have me mix something is WAY up and a lot of them don't follow through - much more than in the past where almost nobody disappeared. I am also having a few more slow-payers primarily from unsigned artists due to (I assume) maxed out credit cards. They always come through though, but sometimes I wait a week or two for payment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted July 29, 2010 Members Share Posted July 29, 2010 I have a day job so I do most of my mixing nights. I dont actively seek jobs but bands seek me out and having an open weekend is rare. I had one last weekend because of a cancellation and I just sat around like a zombee for two days resting up. I know I could make decent money If I had to but I'm not going to make what I do as an electronic tech, and at my age I dont think I'd want to try. I'll probibly supplement my retirement in another 12 years recording though. I can say, in the past 6 months we've had 5 techs transfer from California to Houston because the economy is better here, and all my buddies bands are working full time playing out so I dont think things are bad like they are in other areas. People are scared though. Scared of loosing jobs and scared to spend their money. Things wont get better till that fear factor is gone. People just arent going to sacrifice their family security spending they're extra cash. Hopefully if things get better they'll spend that saved cash shooting for the brass ring in something recording related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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