How to open a recording studio in Novosibirsk? The story of Ivan Knol. How do I open a recording studio? Recording studio business plan

Today, computer technology has gone so far that it is no longer difficult to create and equip a home music studio. We will use these opportunities so that the question of how to make money no longer bothers musicians.

Earlier, 10 years ago, when computer components were expensive, buying a computer was an expensive pleasure. Today, thanks to scientific and technological progress, people have enormous opportunities, both for creativity and for earning money.

So, a musician who decides to follow the path I suggested must first equip a home studio. To do this, he will need a computer, a microphone for voice recording, an audio card for digitizing sound.

He will also have to learn the techniques of sound recording, learn to work with sound editors.

You cannot do without training at the initial stage, as well as investing money to buy technical equipment.

If we talk about the parameters of a computer system, then it is desirable to have a hard disk of at least 500 megabytes, and at least 2 gigabytes of RAM. A priori, the higher the parameters of the computer system, the better, but, believe me, you can use a less powerful system for work.

The idea of \u200b\u200bmaking money, its essence lies in the fact that you, as a musician, need to start recording your own musical works, if any, or recording young performers.

Many musicians have hands-on experience in arranging and composing music. You just need to translate it into the plane of technical, that is, computer processing and thus earn money with the help of a computer and your musical abilities.

You will need to learn how to record, how to handle sound processing plugins, how to apply a compressor and an EQ, how to process vocals, how to mix and master.

There is a lot to learn, but comfort yourself that you are expanding your possibilities as a musician by combining basic musical notation and arrangement fundamentals with modern music editing capabilities.

Once you are comfortable with the music editor, the next step is to create demo recordings. You must have your own portfolio.

Show yourself as an arranger, sound engineer. Show your unique sound.

You can burn your works to disk, put them on the Internet, on Youtube. Sign up also on music social networks, show off your skills, start advertising.

Your task is to attract customers.

Of course, the easiest way is to use your environment. Tell your friends, acquaintances, what you do. Offer them your services for creating phonograms, recording beginner vocalists, creating musical backgrounds for children's matinees.

Any work related to sound is your bread. Someone needs a phonogram, get to work. Someone wants to register their voice, take the order.

While you are just starting, do not overcharge, do not go overboard with orders. You need a job now not only to make money, but in order to gain experience and connections. Raise your authority. Let people say, "He does a good job and takes inexpensively."

Learn, raise your level. Learn from books, watch video tutorials, chat with fellow sound engineers, learn by doing real work.

Once you start making money, spend some of it on advertising your services. Another part for updating the studio, if necessary.

When you start to notice that you have a lot of customers, that there is already a queue for you, then start gradually increasing prices. This process will allow you to weed out casual customers from regular customers. This way you will have your own clientele.

The next stage of development, when you already have a lot of work, give some parts of it to novice sound engineers who, like you, are also starting their way.

How can this work be organized? For example, do the mixing and mastering yourself, and the recording of some tracks can be given to other musicians.

You can also create a team of remote workers and give them a technical task to create one part or an entire arrangement.

Sure, it can be troublesome to find conscientious remote workers who work in a style similar to yours, but it's possible.

Another stage in the development of the studio is to expand the range of its services. If you previously specialized only in arrangement, add another service such as dubbing for videos and books.

KHOBIZ.RU proposes to use remote workers here as well. If you have a developed base, you can give them a technical assignment, receive the audio recorded by them on the Internet, and work only on the final stage of the order.

At this stage, the idea of \u200b\u200bearning money can develop into a business idea.

Its further development depends on your organizational skills. I have shown how you can make money. You need to start with the simplest thing, namely, with the creation of your home music studio.

This is a good business idea that musicians can use when they retrain to computer arrangers.

The article was written specifically for the site HOBIZ.RU

It is possible to open your own recording studio with an initial cost of 600,000 rubles. This amount is optimal for the studio to have the functionality that allows you to produce various types of sound recording at a professional level. More than half of the initial investment can be covered by taking a bank loan, and the rest of the "finish off" from the entrepreneur's personal funds.

Brief description of the concept

The business of organizing a music studio, an example of which is presented here, is best registered in the form of an individual entrepreneur. The optimal form of taxation is the simplified tax system (simplified taxation system) with a tax rate of 15% of the difference between income and expenses. One of the main advantages of this taxation system is the simple registration of tax returns, which a businessman can handle without the help of a professional accountant. As a last resort, you can use the services of a third-party accountant, but it is completely optional to hire him as a permanent studio employee.

To register a recording studio, you should select the following OKVED codes:

  • 59.20 "Activities in the field of sound recording and publishing of musical works."
  • 59.20.1 "Publication of audiovisual works on magnetic, electronic and digital media".
  • 59.20.2 "Activities of recording studios".

The range of services that a recording studio can provide is quite diverse. Here are some of them:

  • Recording and mixing of individual songs and entire music albums.
  • Soundtrack recording for commercials.
  • Creation of musical mixes.
  • Mastering and remastering of music tracks.
  • Arrangement of musical compositions.
  • Scoring of various audio and video clips.

Subsequently, it will be possible to improve the quality of the above services by purchasing new, more advanced equipment. However, in a provincial city, this need is unlikely to arise in the foreseeable future.

How much to invest in opening

The main question that interests any businessman: how much will the costs pour out at the very beginning of the business? The answer from the recording studio is below:

As can be seen from the above calculations, the main expense item for opening a recording studio will be the purchase of professional equipment. Its cost "eats up" exactly half of the initial budget. This is quite normal, since the level of services provided and, accordingly, the number of potential customers largely depends on the quality of the equipment. Moreover, the limit is far from being indicated: large studios purchase equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Marketing plan

The marketing plan aimed at promoting the services of a recording studio in a provincial city is extremely simple and not demanding on the financial resources of an entrepreneur. It looks like this:

  • Text and modular advertising in popular local newspapers and magazines.
  • Development of a business card site with a list of studio services and prices.
  • Business promotion on social networks by creating specialized groups.
  • Personal offers of cooperation to advertising agencies and popular musicians of the city.
  • Video and audio advertising in shopping centers of the city.

Recording studio income will depend on the number of hours rented by clients. The optimal average cost of one hour of renting a studio is 2000 rubles. In a city with a population of up to 500 thousand people, its workload will be at least 100 hours per month. Accordingly, the monthly income from the work of a music studio will be about 200,000 rubles.

Production plan

The optimal area of \u200b\u200ba recording studio is 50 sq. meters. It should be divided into three parts:

  • Sound engineer room - 20 sq. meters.
  • Premises for singers and musicians - 20 sq. meters.
  • Rest room - 10 sq. meters.

Close attention should be paid to high-quality soundproofing of the studio. The walls need to be finished with special materials so that extraneous sounds cannot "interfere" with the recording process. The sound engineer room should be separated from the microphone room with durable triplex glass. And, of course, the norms of SanPiN and fire safety must be impeccably observed.

As for the work schedule of the music studio, it will be flexible and directly depend on contracts with specific clients. The professionals who need to be hired in a recording studio and their approximate salaries are listed in the following table:

Position Number of people Salary, rub. Monthly payment fund, rub. Payment per year, rub.
1 Studio administrator 1 20 000 20 000 240 000
2 Sound engineer 1 30 000 30 000 360 000
3 Account Manager 1 15 000 15 000 180 000
TOTAL 65 000 780 000

The equipment required to equip a recording studio is presented in the table (prices in 2017):

Name amount Price, rub.) Amount (RUB)
A computer equipped with a professional sound card 1 60 000 60 000
Quality studio microphones 3 10 000 30 000
Microphone stands 3 5000 15 000
Studio monitors 2 25 000 50 000
Professional software for recording 30 000 30 000
Sound engineer console 1 70 000 70 000
Headphones 5 7000 35 000
Additional devices 10 000 10 000
TOTAL 300 000

Calculations of income and expenses

Here we will calculate the financial costs and profit from the operation of a recording studio in a city with a population of 500 thousand people. The first table calculates the running costs that must be taken into account after opening a recording studio.

The profitability of a recording studio in a provincial city is made up of the indicators presented in this table:

The annual profit from the work of the recording studio will be about 800,000 rubles. The studio's monthly net income will be around 65,000 rubles. The profitability of the work will be at the level of 32%, and the initial investment in its organization will pay off in less than one year.

Potential risks

Setting up your own music studio in a small town is a risky business. Before making a final decision to open a studio, an entrepreneur should carefully weigh the pros and cons, having analyzed the level of demand for such services in their region. The main risk factors that can negatively affect business development are as follows:

  • Decrease in the cultural level of the region's population due to the action of unfavorable social factors.
  • Insufficient development of the advertising industry in the region and, as a result, a small number of orders for scoring commercials.
  • Difficulties associated with the selection of highly qualified studio staff.
  • The emergence of competing recording studios with more professional equipment and, accordingly, a wider range of services.

The success of a recording studio depends on many obvious and non-obvious factors, but if a businessman loves his job and gives himself completely to it, then high profit rates and an excellent reputation will sooner or later be provided to him.


At the same time, it will be good if it is not there, but in some small studio at home. Back to the table of contents How to open your own recording studio?

Those musicians who are still thinking about how to open their own studio will need to draw up a detailed business plan.

First of all, you need to understand that the most acceptable option would be to open a studio at home.

It became quite easy with the advent of digital technology.

What to consider when developing a business plan for a recording studio

Business plan for interior design: practicality and creativity. Organizational stage. Business plan of a web studio: planning a successful and modern business. Equipment It is not profitable to buy special musical equipment. Therefore, a list of necessary equipment should be developed, which may include: A powerful computer with a sound card.

How to open a recording studio

Only those who are associated with music can open a recording studio and develop their own business, so this type of business is rather undeveloped.

You need to figure out whether such a business is profitable and where it is better to start in order to create your own studio. It is worth starting with a business plan for creating a studio, keep in mind that nowadays those who set up a so-called "studio at home" earn more.

Business ideas from scratch

There are no brand preferences.

This will cost from 5 to 15 thousand rubles.

3. Printer with color printing - from 3 thousand rubles. 4. Scanner - from 2.5 thousand rubles. 5. Software - from 0 rubles.

There is plenty of free software on the Internet. 6. Patch cords (the shorter the better). 7. Advertising budget from 2 thousand.

rubles. 8. DVD discs - from 300 rubles.

According to this business plan, an audio recording studio is a profitable business that allows you to recoup all the initial costs of buying new and used equipment in the first nine months of operation.

Download Western Recording Studio Business Plan

How to win tenders with a Guarantee? Choose a franchise with a result guarantee, which is spelled out in the contract!

Is this business profitable?

Choice of premises The recording business plan should provide for rent.

Such a room does not have to be located in the city center.

The range of services that a recording studio can provide is quite diverse. Here are some of them: Subsequently, it will be possible to improve the quality of the above services by purchasing new, more advanced equipment. However, in a provincial city, this need is unlikely to arise in the foreseeable future.

How much should be invested in the opening The main question that interests any businessman: how much will the costs pour out at the very beginning of the formation of a business?

The answer for the record label is below: Marketing plan A marketing plan aimed at promoting the services of a recording studio in a provincial city is extremely simple and does not require financial resources of an entrepreneur.

This is primarily due to finances: an investment of about $ 10 million is required. The main orders come from novice musicians and corporate clients who need to record music or text for advertising.

The turnover in this market segment is small - from $ 60 thousand to $ 250 thousand per year. The annual turnover of the house of their recording studios in the best case reaches $ 50 thousand, and it is not possible to count their real number.

Business idea: how to open a recording studio - what are the costs and what are the benefits

For all this, you will have to spend about 200 thousand rubles.

You don't need to hire a professional sound engineer.

After all, it will be enough to hire a person who is well versed in music and professional equipment.

The cost of his services ranges from 400 to 1100 rubles per hour.

It is also important to choose the genre that you will be recording, whether it be rock, blues, jazz, rap, house or regular chanson.

The studio business is a rather narrow niche in the modern market, and the whole point is that only those whose life is closely connected with creativity and music can develop in this direction. Let's try to figure out how profitable business recording studio and where to start to create a profitable and successful record company.

In times of crisis, an expensive recording studio can be unprofitable from a business point of view. Of course, any self-respecting connoisseur of quality music would like to open his own “ Real World by P. Gabriel "or" Abbey Road". But, thinking over a business plan for a recording studio, immediately get ready for the fact that in modern reality the winner is the one who can afford dumping. Basically, these are the so-called " home studios". Those who, possessing large areas and expensive equipment, provide really high-quality services, are forced to stand idle and suffer losses.

The problem is that the tastes of Russian music consumers are not particularly demanding. And if the target audience does not make high demands on sound quality, then why overpay? In addition, many modern musicians, bypassing the stage of recording a disc, immediately upload their work to the Internet, because they know that one way or another they will end up there, but this time "thanks" to the pirates. And the World Wide Web and high-quality music are incompatible concepts. Of course, many performers and bands are willing to pay for a "CD", but they are recorded directly during rehearsals. At best, in a small home studio. Sadly, but in Russia CDs often serve as advertising leaflets, which should attract as many people as possible to a concert or attract the attention of a wealthy sponsor who is ready to splurge on a corporate event. When consumers choose to download music online for free, the sale of discs becomes unprofitable. Therefore, it is not surprising that in such conditions, few people care about the quality of sound recording.

How to open a recording studio

Today, opening your own recording studio has become much easier than it was decades ago. And all thanks to the advent of digital technology. Plus, in the case of a home studio, you don't need to pay rent for the space. The necessary technical equipment requires a good powerful computer with a high-quality sound card, studio monitors, microphones, a midi keyboard, and closed headphones.

From software you will need, for example, Pro Tools ... Do not repeat the mistake of many aspiring entrepreneurs: having saved on premises for a recording studio, do not save on licensed software! In order for your artist's recordings to get to the serious western market, it is better even to install a licensed microsoft office. If you don't want to buy, look for free legal software on the Internet, but don't download pirates. With this software, your performer will be able to sing in a restaurant at best.

How much is it?

The purchase of equipment will take you about 150 thousand rubles... It is not necessary to look for individual specialists for the position of a composer and arranger; a talented sound engineer can easily cope with this. An hour of work costs 500-1000 rubles. If you can find clients, you can count on a steady, albeit small, income. When you want to open your own recording studio business, remember such a secret of success as “specializing in genres”.

Each studio should have its own musical focus, don't try to grab onto everything at once. Decide what you will write: live music or electronic. The technical equipment of the studio, its capacity and even decoration depend on this. Look for a specific music contingent, build up your clientele, and if you're lucky, your studio will turn into a club get-together. The recording studio does not pay for itself - it is closely tied to the rest of the show business. This means that a stream of musicians must constantly pass through your studio. Where to find them? Of course, running after them at musical parties, offering your services, is pretty silly. Make them find you themselves. You can offer an hourly rental of a studio as a rehearsal point, at the same time, the equipment will not be idle. Such a move can be quite profitable, since there are so many young talents that there are simply not enough special places for rehearsals for everyone. A recording studio and rehearsal room in the same space can be quite a lucrative combination! It is easy to find clients for entrepreneurs who make music themselves. It is much more difficult for those who want to buy a recording studio in order to establish ties with the musical get-together and move in these circles.

Do not be afraid of competition from a hundred sides of professional record labels and technical "pros", in Russia they simply do not exist yet. The Soviet recording school died long ago, and the new one has not yet emerged. Experts confirm that the vast majority of sound engineers working in our country are self-taught amateurs.

The studio business is a very specific type of activity, because only those who are connected with music and creativity in their lives can dynamically develop in this direction.

Nevertheless, with the right approach, small investments at the start can provide the owner with a stable income in the future. How do I open a recording studio? Let's consider the main problems that can arise when planning such a business.

Big record company is ineffective

Today, a large recording studio is just a waste of money. Such an undertaking will not only be unprofitable, but can also lead to serious losses. The fact is that in the modern world such expensive studios have to deal with dumping in order to survive in a competitive environment, because consumers of music content in modern Russia, for the most part, do not attach much importance to the quality of the recording, which means that it is absolutely pointless to overpay for it.

This trend is also facilitated by the fact that many novice performers independently upload their work to the network, without waiting for the pirates to do it, and the quality of products is even less important for Internet users. So the only studio format that can make a profit is the home studio. Of course, CDs have not yet given up their market position.

In addition to the information carrier, they perform another important function: it is a kind of showcase that advertises the artist. However, their profitability tends to zero. The only hope for the salvation of this business is the adoption of really working laws aimed at protecting copyright.

You can register your entrepreneurial idea as an LLC or individual entrepreneur. Both forms are easy to register and are perfect for a budding entrepreneur.

What equipment is required?

So how to open a recording studio and what do you need for this? Due to technological and informational progress, start-up investments will be required significantly less than they could have been several decades ago. What equipment for a recording studio might you need? These are the following devices:

  1. Powerful personal computer.
  2. Midi keyboard.
  3. Studio monitor.
  4. Closed headphones.
  5. Microphones.

Obviously, the software must be used exclusively licensed. Not only can there be problems with government agencies, which is definitely not necessary at the first stages of development, so the records made through any software can hardly compete with quality ones. If the cost of paid software seems to be too high, you can set a goal and find not too inferior in quality, but free software.

Sound will need to be carefully processed

When looking for an answer to the question of how to open a recording studio, you need to pay attention to the processing of compositions. There is a widespread myth that high-quality sound recording is prohibitive. Of course, if the goal is to participate and win in various competitions, the recording must be flawless. However, not everyone is ready and willing to do this, and today in everyday life the situation looks a little different. Regardless, a digital recording studio will be the best option.

There are two types of audio processing: software or hardware. Today's computers have high power and performance, and this in most cases allows you to abandon expensive hardware equipment, which also occupies a considerable area, in favor of their virtual counterparts.

Nevertheless, experts argue that sound recorded exclusively using plug-ins is inferior to hardware in some details, inaudible to the average consumer. A compromise between quality and cheapness can be made by computing boards installed in the computer system unit. This must be taken into account if you want to understand how to open a recording studio.

Should choose a direction

Almost every recording studio has some kind of quirk. Usually this is the genre of the compositions with which the work is carried out. If you decide to open your own activity in this area, you will need to immediately determine the direction. For example, rock, jazz, chanson, etc. Or maybe you will work with electronic music? All this needs to be taken into account.

The power of the instruments will depend on all this, since they will be tuned to a certain musical direction. Most likely, the recording studio will not be able to cover all the styles, since it is simply unrealistic. It is unlikely that in this case, as a result of all the work done, something worthwhile and of high quality will turn out. And the trash will not interest anyone.

You need to constantly look for clients

Recording studio equipment shouldn't stand idle. In other words, you need to constantly look for clients. And where can you find them? You should try to make potential clients try to find you on their own. The most sensible option is to rent a rehearsal room.

It is necessary to understand that today there are a lot of talents. However, they have nowhere to rehearse. Therefore, your proposal will receive the maximum response from people. A rehearsal base and a recording studio, when working together, can bring popularity.

Advertising activity

Don't forget about advertising. It must be carried out at the highest level. That is why it will be necessary to constantly advertise in major newspapers and post various posters around the city. People can be hired to distribute leaflets in the most visited places in the village.

For advertisements, please contact bars that provide karaoke services. In this case, no one will remember competition, since it simply does not exist. But even if there is no karaoke in a restaurant or bar, you can still ask the administration about the service. Perhaps, using this method, potential customers will be found.

 

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