Are studios good investments?

[wiz_ozland]

I have found, that running the studio for clients, a great way to get dollars to buy gear.

 

My studio has been completely self funding for a few years now, and I only buy gear, after making the money in the studio.

 

Mind you I run it out of my home, so my overheads are very low.

 

What is annoying, is actually the clients. I go through periods where I dont have clients for a while, then do etc....

 

The most lucrative thing was doing demo's over midi backing tracks for singers.

 

But, I like my studio as a hobby, I dont think i could,....or would...make my living doing it.

 

 

Wiz

[MarkGifford-1]

OK, we've got 2, maybe 3 folks who actually own a studio and make a living solely from that.

The rest are guys w/day jobs and project studios, some of which fund themselves, but don't have to actually pay the rent/food/etc.

The original poster's question for them would be: If you had to make a living JUST owning your studio and doing recording, could you?

MG

[Kid Klash]

Originally posted by MarkGifford-1 The original poster's question for them would be: If you had to make a living JUST owning your studio and doing recording, could you? MG

Probably, but I'd be taking a big cut in pay!

[Lee Knight]

I've been reading this thread as it's grown and I find it interesting. I think the thing that makes a studio not very solid financially is...

Gear Lust

If you read interviews with hotshots, you'll frequently hear phrases like, "If I had to, I could record an album with 8 sm57's and my old Onkyo cassette deck and a Radio Shack mixer.

It's true you know. Great gear is such a wonderful thing and makes the whole process easier and more enjoyable. But great gear does not a great album make. I'm not going to re-state all the rhetoric we've read ad nauseum on boards like this.

My point however, is you can do wonderful things with very respectable results with workhorse gear.

It's your ability you sell now a days. If someone wants the best gear, don't come to me. If someone wants to create what's inside their head for a modest amount of coin... I.. am... your... man.

I work my balls off to get the quality where it needs to be and it would be easier using better gear, but then I couldn't afford to do what I do.

Just another side of the story.

[scarecrowbob]

Originally posted by MarkGifford-1 OK, we've got 2, maybe 3 folks who actually own a studio and make a living solely from that. The rest are guys w/day jobs and project studios, some of which fund themselves, but don't have to actually pay the rent/food/etc. The original poster's question for them would be: If you had to make a living JUST owning your studio and doing recording, could you? MG

 

 

I really believe I could.

 

...but I'd have to move to a viable and then work 80 hours a week to feed my kids. Right now, I've got a cushy job that gives me time for my kids and my wife and for studying the things I want to learn about. At some point, they are all going to grow up (I'll be 42 when my youngest graduates HS), and maybe then I'll give it a go.

[Perfessor]

Originally posted by MarkGifford-1 OK, we've got 2, maybe 3 folks who actually own a studio and make a living solely from that. The rest are guys w/day jobs and project studios, some of which fund themselves, but don't have to actually pay the rent/food/etc. The original poster's question for them would be: If you had to make a living JUST owning your studio and doing recording, could you? MG

 

 

No No No. I just wondered if investing in one is profitable. I believe after reading this you'd have to start at the bottom, buy some gear you'd use anyway, do a few demos, buy some more gear and work up from nothing. It's either a good retirement/semi-retirement gig or for someone who hasn't started their working life. Or so it seems.

[Kid Klash]

Originally posted by Perfessor No No No. I just wondered if investing in one is profitable. I believe after reading this you'd have to start at the bottom, buy some gear you'd use anyway, do a few demos, buy some more gear and work up from nothing. It's either a good retirement/semi-retirement gig or for someone who hasn't started their working life. Or so it seems.

With all joking aside, I think a studio is an absolute necessity for most serious musicians today. And by "studio", I mean the hardware/software and knowledge to capture the musician's music. It doesn't need to be a full-blown commercial studio costing hundreds of thousands of dollars; a standalone multitrack recorder or computor with software and interface, along with some mics, can take a musician a LONG way. So, in this example, I'd have to say "investing in a studio" IS a good investment.

[Perfessor]

Phil, we're still waitin' on ya.

[Kendrix]

Originally posted by MarkGifford-1 OK, we've got 2, maybe 3 folks who actually own a studio and make a living solely from that. The rest are guys w/day jobs and project studios, some of which fund themselves, but don't have to actually pay the rent/food/etc. The original poster's question for them would be: If you had to make a living JUST owning your studio and doing recording, could you? MG

 

 

I tend to thiink the answer is NO. I could not make a living at it if I were starting out now.

 

I suppose I alway s felt that way. thats why this is a serious hobby for me- not a source of income.

 

However, I believe one factor is being overlooked in the "is it worth it" equation. With all the studio's going down you have the potential to find some real bargains on fully equiped studios.

However, while this lowers the bar on the up-front investment, it doesn't create any revenue.