Building a successful music studio

Guest writer Gavin Hyatt ponders the do's and don'ts of setting up a music rehearsal space. He runs the 6-room hourly Green Room Studios in the UK set up in 2013.

Compared to a recording studio, a music rehearsal facility has a much higher throughput of musicians using its rooms and equipment. This demands greater vigilance from those running the space to ensure it is used safely and efficiently.

Building a successful music studio has evolved from a simple idea or hobby into becoming a legitimate and sustainable business. Many of us set up a room for our own needs and it spiralled into something else (that’s how things began at our place). However, there is a bit more to it than making back some of your hard invested money.

Below are a few pointers to keep in mind, whatever stage of the journey of the studio build you are on. I have worked in many different industries and learned lots which apply to any business environment. You may do some or all of them already.

1. Plan

One piece of advice I always give to people is ‘failing to plan is planning to fail!’ Always have a plan. A business advisor or accountant can help you to plan your business or there are templates available with a bit of googling. Your plan can be as simple as ‘Where am I now? Where do I want to be? How will I get there?’

Your plan can change regularly, and it is always good to revisit it. Don’t be afraid to move your goal posts nearer or further away depending on how you are doing. I keep a business plan folder on my laptop and each time I update it, I save it as a different file name by increasing the number at the end. This way, I can always look back and see what worked, what didn’t work and what I have learned along the way.

Banks, accountants and grant funding organisations appreciate a business plan. If you keep it up to date, you only need to print or attach it to your relevant documents or application.

2. Policy

If you are anything like me, you will have started with a concept, some half decent kit and an hourly rate. As time goes on, you find your customers may have different expectations how your space should be used.

At this point it would be a good idea to write a set of rules or policies to inform your clients what is expected of them. They will also offer you legal protection in the event things don’t turn out the way you had hoped. For example, it would be handy to have published your cancellation policy. Yes, it can be a hassle having to write a guide, but it should be something you only need write once.

You can also ask new clients to read and sign, so straight away they know the rules. You can also print off the studio rules and post them in your rooms. Things like:

If your booking is 7pm - 9pm, these times you will have access to the room and this includes set up and break down. You must have vacated the room the latter time so the next booking can enter.
Do not place drinks, food, tobacco or anything else on top of amps and equipment. Please use tables and shelves provided.
Please use bins provided. If cans and bottles still have drinks left in them, please dispose of these down the sink in the kitchen prior to putting them in the recycling.

Have a look how other studios have worded their terms and conditions. Imagine the problems they have had in the past resulting in such rules. How easier life must be with these policies implemented.

Use social media to reach out to customers

3. Peers

Reach out to your neighbouring studios. There is enough work out there for all of us. Sometimes we have too much to do and could easily pass the excess work on to them. They will return the favour if they get busy. It’s also good to share information about troublesome clients who no-show, don’t pay, pilfer or damage kit and move on to the next studio thinking we don’t talk to each other. We are all in this together.

4. Process

Have a routine. Write the routine down so that if you aren’t there, someone else can easily do it on your behalf. List things that need to be checked every day/week/month and record this in a dedicated book or diary. Look in each room to see if everything is there including:

room is clean and tidy
bins emptied
emergency lights working
fire extinguishers / alarms in order

Keep communal areas clear of clutter. Corridors and emergency exits should be clear and operational. Keep a record each time you conduct a cleaning regime for toilets, kitchen areas and rooms. If you don’t record it, it did not happen.

5. Progress

You can think about how you might reduce the time you spend on upgrading kit or facilities, or streamlining a process such as equipment maintenance.

Professional drum kit hardware costs three- or four-times more than the low end stuff, but it will outlast it and drummers will appreciate it.

In the same vein, a 200w PA amp will probably turn your speakers to shredded paper with a single shouty band. Whereas a 1000w amp with matched speakers will destroy ear drums, melt spleens and leave a band in a crumpled heap before it breaks into a sweat.

6. Promote Get business cards, get flyers, get plectrums, get in anywhere musicians frequent. Many corner shops and fast-food outlets have notice boards.

Take pins with you.

Get on social media, get your bands to add and share.

Maybe offer a discount or free hour to those that do.

7. PAT Test Portable electrical appliances such as amps in your rooms need to be tested regularly. There are companies who will come in, test every portable item and mains cable annually. Or you can do a PAT test course yourself and buy a PAT Test machine. You will then be competent to check your own equipment.

If you chose to do the course, you can also offer this as a chargeable service to musicians who bring their own equipment in to your space. You can even go as far as taking their contact details and sending them annual reminders that their retests are due. Brand new equipment will not require testing but should be visually inspected before use and periodically, then PAT tested annually.

8. Public Liability Insurance

This is one which can end up on the back burner but is essential from day one. Without it, you can be exposed to being sued for accidents and incidents occurring on your premises.

You can get specialist studio insurance to cover all your gear, your building and contents, as well as the public liability aspect.

If you have employees, you should also have Employers Liability Insurance.

9. Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused our entire industry to grind to a halt. Many of our brothers and sisters have thrown in the towel and permanently closed their spaces. It has disrupted all our other P’s to the extent we have had to revisit, reassess and rewrite them.

Reopening under covid restrictions has also been a minefield. Applying common sense, a change to our cleaning regimes and a 50 litre drum of hand gel, we appear to be returning to a new normal.

Many spaces had business interruption insurance which required test cases to go to court in order to get the the insurance companies to pay out. So how do we plan for such curve balls? Well, we can either live in a paranoid bubble, worried that flood, fire, war, lightning strikes and plagues of locusts could attack at any time. My preferred option is to get back in to business, come back stronger with our clients returning to gigs and festivals and think about taking out business interruption insurance.

Another solution could be to accrue a savings pot which would pay the rent, bills and wages for a few months. Unfortunately we had none of these options in place. Moving forward, we intend to have a contingency of a few thousand pounds put by just in case.

10. Perseverance

Keep at it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Talk to your clients and find out what they want and need. Are there any other services you could offer. Keep an eye on Bandspace for more handy hints and tips. You exist because of your customers and you need to keep them happy.