Hello there!

I thought this would be a helpful thread for studio owners who want to find a way to attract new clients in this day and age. Please reply with any tips and tricks, social media practices and unique & interesting ways to get your studio's name to in the music community. I'd also love to hear from any musicians about what new artists looking for in a studio?

My studio was originally built just for my band, but after a year of recording a few local bands and interesting outside projects, I'm hoping to someday make it more of a steady thing. I'd love to hear about how you all got started. Cheers!



Golden Bear Records

In my personal experience, most musical acts are not so much looking for gear as they are looking for the right person who they trust can help them achieve their goal. No artist ever dreams of saying, "for my last album I worked with <insert list of popular studio gear here>", they say, "for my last album I worked with <insert name of known producer/engineer/songwriter here>"

In this case, reputation is everything. The proof is in the output.

Have lots of examples of your best work available on many platforms. Network, network, network. Find a way to get something bigger (name acts and well known accomplishments) on your musical resume, even if it requires some sacrifice to do it, as often this will do more for marketing you than anything else, and once you get those, don't be afraid to promote that like crazy.

Invest in oneself at least as much as you might invest in gear.

Don't be too narrow in focus. Make sure you know how to do audio for film for instance (surround/atmos etc perhaps?). Can you produce? Create backing tracks/"beats"? Mastering? Consulting? Teaching? There are many potential revenue streams other than just bringing a band into the studio to do an album.

Things like luck are also a factor. There is no right answer when it comes to this stuff.

My 2c.

Specifically for the OP this time:

I notice you say things on your website such as:

"We have a network of brilliant engineers and producers that have worked with the biggest names in the music business"

If this is the case, why not list WHO/WHAT? A list of well known clients would resonate 1000% better.


For instance, look at Serban Ghenea's website. Welcome - Mixed by SERBAN GHENEA The dude has mixed a boatload of #1 hits. His website doesn't even talk about gear at all. It's just a list of "here's what I've done, here's how to reach me". That's obviously at the extreme end of the spectrum, but is a useful reference.

Word of mouth! Networking and all that

Offer something that people can't (easily) do at home. For example, a large empty room, or a multi-track tape machine, or a grand piano...

These guys speak the truth. Gear Matters. But to only a select few. Most clients want to know WHO You recorded, Not WHAT gear you used to do it with persay. As someone who owns alot of stuff, sometimes the client that comes to your place just for the gear may have "high hopes" for an amazing record but have "average" skills and think your gear will somehow make up for what they lack..

I had a tracking studio for a few years. I would go out an run live sound. While running live sound, I do a good job, and hustle the band to record in the studio.

If you don't have clints booked. Go out and be with the bands by either running sound or be in the audience.

Being that it's summer time there's a bunch of music camps going on for teenagers and younger kids. Most are $200-$1000 for 1-2 weeks, so $50/hr to record an actual song isn't unreasonable. This June our Studio brought in about $5k of revenue from referrals we got out of these camps.

Donuts. Lots of donuts.

with everyone so weight and health conscious I find veggie trays go over better then donuts.. but it depends on the client..lol

Deli trays are great in the studio. Constant, relatively healthy, snacking is way better than a pizza break, after which everyone's too zoned out to do any good work.

Word of mouth. Try to work with some bands/artists that are out & about all the time, playing and interacting and socializing with other musicians. It helps to be out & visible, too. You don't have to schmooze everybody; just being a familiar face helps.
Of course, nowadays social media can be even more important than IRL interaction, but the same principle applies - work with folks who post a lot and they will spread your name around. Be supportive and helpful; don't just push your studio onto everyone or you'll drive them away.