A word on Recording Studio Websites
It’s now very easy to
- sound like you can sing when you can’t and
- make your basement studio look pretty spectacular on the web
I have nothing against basement studios – I ran one for years and it was quite profitable and a lot of fun. I found the advertising part of the studio world to be a challenge, so I am going to spend a post or two on the vagaries of running this kind of enterprise from the bowels of your abode.
Give Them Info They Can Use
Most musicians don’t care about your individual drums and drum heads, your Peavey Classic 30, or your selection of prosumer microphones. While studio gear is an important part of choosing a studio to some, I’d suggest that you don’t waste too much space telling them about it on the homepage. If you’ve got a U47, a C12, etc, then great. Spend a bit of time telling them about your difficult choice of whether to buy a new BMW or three microphones on a “Gear” page, but don’t do it on the homepage. That’s not primarily why most people are there.
In this business, they’re most likely there because they heard about you from someone they know. Musicians usually want to work with certain producers or engineers for three reasons:
- They know you, or they know people who know you
- They have heard a piece of music you’ve worked on, know your studio name, or they know people who have heard about you
- They are completely ill-informed and go to the first studio website they see
Some of the most important pages seem to be focused on how the studio creates a warm atmosphere for clients, an explanation of the Coke/Beer machine availability, a client list, and directions (for commercial studios).
