Recording studio business plan. How to open a recording studio

Is it profitable to have a recording studio in Russia nowadays?

In our country today, the winners are the studios that dump during the crisis. Those who have organized their own business at home have a basis for this.

Large recording studios with substantial space, expensive equipment and exorbitant prices for services (often really high-quality) suffer losses and are doomed to idle. This is due to the lack of high requirements for high-quality sound among our music lovers. Most of them simply do not know what it is and why they need to achieve it. Therefore, they see no point in overpaying under these circumstances.

One more point is important in this regard. Nowadays, musicians, knowing that they cannot avoid piracy, are storming the Internet themselves in an attempt to get ahead of the pirates. And, as you know, the global network and sound recording quality are absolutely incompatible.

Business benefits

The time when opening recording studios required huge premises and expensive equipment is over. Today the situation is such that you can open a studio at home, with a minimum of equipment.

This is due to the fact that modern consumers of music products are not too picky and picky. For many, sound quality does not matter; the main thing is accessibility and the opportunity to get a new musical product immediately, without waiting for it to be recorded in a studio and put up for sale.

Many musicians have long been posting the results of their creativity on the Internet, which increases their ratings and popularity, given the competition in the music market.

There is no denying that performers use the services of recording studios to create CDs and music tracks with “clean” sound. This is required more for concert programs than for sales, since, given modern technology, listeners rarely buy discs, because it is easier for them to download their favorite composition via the Internet. Thus, selling CDs and maintaining large recording studios will only bring losses.

Developing a plan is the initial stage of opening any enterprise, allowing you to determine the main points in the work, development prospects, approaches to finding potential investors, and the approximate amount of profit. A business plan for a recording studio must become a realistic basis to bring your plans to life, so you will need to consider quite a lot of specific nuances.

What could be your main starting advantage – your own professionalism. Russian musicians believe that 90 percent of recording services in the country are provided at the amateur level, so for a diligent and talented person there is enormous scope for development and reputation.

What points should you pay attention to before opening a recording studio?

The studio must have its own distinctive features in order to stand out in a serious competitive environment.

One of these moments is genre specialization. Before opening, you need to know exactly the genre of music that will be recorded:

• jazz;
• rap;
• electronic composition;
• rock;
• live instrument;
• chanson.

You will need to configure the equipment for the chosen genre. It is almost impossible to record all styles in parallel, unless, of course, you completely forget about any quality.

When opening a studio, you need to focus on the fact that production costs should be minimal. This is explained by the fact that CDs mostly serve as advertising glossy flyers, which are handed out to random passers-by by teenagers on noisy avenues. This is done in order to attract listeners to their concerts or the attention of corporate event organizers. Selling CDs does not bring profit. In such a situation, thinking about sound quality is, as they say, at your loss.

Business from scratch - how to write a business plan: Video

It is worth knowing that during the crisis, the recording studios that won without concealment were dumping. Those studios that are located in their own home have grounds for dumping. Recording studios, which are located in large areas, have serious expensive equipment and high prices for the services provided (which are most often really high-quality), are doomed to losses and downtime.

This is due to the fact that the Russian music lover’s claims to sound quality are not at all high. He simply does not know what real high-quality sound is and why it is needed. In such cases, there is no point in paying more. There are also some rare music lovers who dream of recording in England and are thinking about how to open a recording studio, but they will not make a difference in the domestic market.

There is another circumstance that is important. Today, musicians themselves strive to get on the Internet, because they know for sure that sooner or later they will find themselves there with the help of pirates. It should be understood that the Internet and the quality of a musical recording are incompatible things.

Today, musicians still spend money on a CD, but they burn it right in the rehearsal room. At the same time, it will be good if not there, but in some small studio at home.

In the Russian Federation, costs for CDs should be minimal. This is due to the fact that here music on various media serves as advertising glossy flyers that are handed out by girls and boys to passers-by on the street. The goal in this case is quite simple: to attract the maximum number of audiences to a performance as part of a tour around the country or to receive an invitation to a corporate event. It is worth knowing that the sale of discs not only brings absolutely no profit, but it is even unprofitable and can only be compensated by concerts. And now we need to ask the question: who in such conditions will think about high-quality recording sound?

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Room

A more acceptable option for those who are just starting a business is a minimum area. Ideally, 2 rooms (one for singers and musicians, the second for a sound engineer), or even better, 3 (the latter should be decorated as a living room, where musicians can invite their admirers and friends). The total area must be at least 60 square meters. m. The control room and the music room should be separated by a window.

It is best to organize a studio at home. Modern digital technologies make it possible to realize the idea of ​​​​creating a home recording studio without any problems. Among the advantages is that you will not have to pay for renting the premises.

If for some reason it is not possible to organize a business in your apartment, then the solution may be to either purchase the premises or rent it. It is not necessary to choose the center or a busy part of the city for this type of activity. A room located in a residential area is quite suitable. The rental price here will be much lower than in the central part. The main thing is that the room meets all requirements.

It is imperative to take care of sound insulation, which is especially important when organizing a studio at home. Otherwise, your neighbors will be doomed to constantly suffer from noise, which means that complaints against you are guaranteed. You can create insulation at a minimum level (sound of 80 dB, which corresponds to the average speed of a bike with a muffler), for example, using mineral wool.

Advertising activity

Don't forget about advertising activities. It must be carried out at the highest level. That is why you will need to constantly advertise in major newspapers and put up various posters around the city. You can hire people who will distribute leaflets in the most visited places in the village.

You can apply for advertising to bars that provide karaoke services. In this case, no one will remember competition, since it simply does not exist. But even if the restaurant or bar does not have karaoke, you can still ask the administration for a favor. Perhaps, using this method, potential clients will be found.

Those who are involved in the music industry and have a certain weight in it should take on the task of creating their own recording studio. Otherwise, finding clients will be difficult.

Equipping a studio for professional recording of classical music or top pop artists costs several tens of millions of dollars. You can open a mid-range studio with one or three control rooms for several million rubles. It is suitable for working with musical groups, for recording advertisements, congratulations, audio books, etc. Some of the premises can be rented out as a rehearsal base.

An hour of work in such a studio for musicians usually costs from 600 to 1,000 rubles; mixing will cost more, 2,500-5,000 rubles. Recording audiobooks is an even more profitable activity: you can earn from 8,000 rubles per hour. Additional services such as restoration of old records can increase turnover. If the workload is good, a recording studio with one control room can have revenue in the amount of 300,000-500,000 rubles per month.

Room

It is better to place a recording studio in a brick rather than a reinforced concrete building: brick reflects sound better. Houses located near railways, above subway lines, near fire stations, police stations and cell towers should be avoided: these objects create noise and interference that may be noticeable in the recording. A studio can be located on any floor of a building; often basements and semi-basements are chosen for studios so that there are fewer neighbors. You should pay attention to the ceiling height: acoustics experts believe that the minimum ceiling height in a studio should be three meters.

Musicians often come to recording sessions with their bulky equipment in cars, so it is advisable to have parking near the studio. To work, you will need two adjacent rooms: a control room (equipment room) - here a sound engineer monitors the recording process - and a tone room where the artists are located. The size of the first room is from 20 m2 to 50 m2, the size of the room for musicians depends on which groups will become clients of the studio. It would also be worth making a small rest room. Since the location of the studio is not so important, you can save on rent by renting a room not in the city center. It can cost from 50,000 to 150,000 rubles per month.

Repair

The recording studio will require serious renovation. Firstly, due to the many electrical appliances, you will have to install reliable wiring. Secondly, you will need to seriously consider soundproofing so as not to disturb your neighbors and so that your neighbors do not disturb you. It is believed that the optimal level of sound insulation is 80-90 decibels.

For sound insulation, cement bonded particle board, mineral wool, and plasterboard are used. For 20 m2, you will need to purchase material for 100,000-150,000 rubles, excluding labor. You will need to cut a window in the wall separating the control room from the recording room so that the sound engineer and artists can see each other and exchange lines.

Documentation

All changes to the structure of the building, including the creation of a hole in the wall, will have to be approved by the BTI. In fact, to start activities, you only need documents from the tax office about the registration of the enterprise. The fire inspectorate will check the materials used in the finishing for compliance with fire safety standards. The room will need to be treated with a fire-retardant coating.

Other expenses

Staff

You will need a good sound engineer who can help with the choice of equipment and will work with the musicians. We also need an administrator to record artists and maintain order in the studio, and a cleaning lady. Personnel costs can amount to approximately 200,000 rubles per month, most of which will go to the sound engineer.

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There are a huge number of business ideas for developing your own business. One of them is opening a recording studio. This case is quite unusual. To be successful, you must not only be passionate about it, but also have a good understanding of this area.

What equipment will be needed?

It is unlikely that purchasing special musical equipment will be profitable. First you need to purchase the most necessary equipment. A list should be made that should include the following devices:

• a computer with modern capabilities that has a sound card;
• studio monitors;
• midi keyboard;
• headphones (closed type);
• microphones;
• stands for microphones.

The purchase of musical equipment will cost an average of 200 thousand rubles.

The next stage will be preparing the studio. To do this, you need to acquire special programs that will ensure high-quality sound recording. Pro Tools can serve as a sample. These programs are not free and require an investment. At the same time, they have a wide range of functions, allow you to create a competitive product and help win the trust of the most picky customers.

Studio owners who cannot afford to purchase a licensed product or are not very demanding of the software's potential can opt for free software. You can try to find absolutely free but legal programs.

It is strictly not recommended to use pirated versions of software.

Organizational stage

So, we decided that to open a studio you don’t need to look for a huge room. You can simply open a business at home or find a suitable premises and rent it. In the business plan of a recording studio, it is necessary to include clear parameters about what kind of premises will be needed, what the rent will cost and the costs of its re-equipment and maintenance: a prerequisite is excellent sound insulation.

Equipment

It is not profitable to purchase special musical equipment. Therefore, a list of necessary equipment should be developed, which may include:

• A powerful computer with a sound card.
• Monitors.
• Keyboards.
• Microphones with stands.
• Closed-back headphones.

It may take 150-200 thousand rubles to purchase such a kit. In addition to the equipment, you will need to purchase special licensed programs that allow you to record high-quality sound. The second approach is not to be demanding about the capabilities of the software product and use free software; The choice depends on the focus of your main services. What must be excluded immediately and unconditionally is the use of pirated programs.

Choosing a musical direction

You shouldn’t include all possible options for recording music in your business plan. It is best to focus on one thing, such as live or electronic music. Depending on the chosen musical direction, a business plan for a music studio should include options for technical equipment of the premises, equipment capacity, and search for a contingent.

To ensure that the purchased equipment does not stand idle, it is necessary to include in the business plan options for finding customers and methods for retaining them. For example, you can rent out a studio for vocal rehearsals. In this case, you should develop a business plan for a vocal studio as an integral part of the overall project, and provide for the procedure for renting out the studio: at what hours and at what cost.

List of services

The studio's services may include recording and processing of phonograms, production of videos and clips, voice-overs for commercials, or creation of radio advertisements. A service in demand by the population is the transfer of home archives from negatives, audio and video tapes to digital media.

Staff

At the initial stage, as a rule, the following specialists are involved in the recording studio:

• arranger;
• composer;
• sound engineer

If at the start financial capabilities are limited and there are no large orders, then with a minimum of costs in personnel selection, you can make certain adjustments to the staff. Thus, it will be enough to replace the duties of an arranger and composer with a professional sound engineer paid by the hour. In general terms, this will reduce the cost item by one salary.

Rates for 1 hour of work by an employee in this field of activity are approximately 1000 rubles. Under the same conditions (hourly payment), you can attract actors who will do voice-overs for videos.

If the studio makes big plans for development, investments can be much higher: from half a million to a million rubles. In this case, the staff will have a full complement of specialists without interchangeable positions.

Financial component of the project

Recording studio investment and running costs

The initial investment required to open a studio is formed from costs associated with the state registration procedure of an individual entrepreneur, limited liability company or open or closed joint stock company, as well as the search and rental of suitable premises, carrying out repair and design work, acquiring the necessary professional recording equipment, computer equipment and office furniture. In addition, startup costs include expenses associated with organizing and conducting a start-up advertising and marketing campaign. Depending on the region where the studio is located, the list of purchased equipment and other factors, the amount of initial investment reaches an average of 500-800 thousand rubles.

Operating expenses come from taxes, rent and utilities, employee salaries and costs associated with conducting regular marketing campaigns to attract new customers. On average, the monthly expenses of a recording studio range from 100 to 200 thousand rubles.

Income and calculation of profit and profitability

Taking into account the modest payback period of the business project, the net profit with a stable flow of clients is about 70 thousand rubles monthly. The profitability of the project is about 32%, the payback period for the business is about a year.

Promotion: brand selection, advertising, client search

A good brand and properly organized marketing, which does not require a large amount of funds, can ensure an influx of customers at the initial stage. There are many options - and it is better to use them in combination:

• create a website with a list of services;
• create groups on social networks, regularly fill and promote them;
• place advertisements in local media, including television (crawler);
• order posters and advertising on citylights;
• order an article in a popular magazine advertising the studio.

One of the effective ways to find clients for a start-up recording studio is to rent out a rehearsal room at the same time as the recording studio. There are many musical youth in the country, but there are practically no such bases, and this can open up good prospects for a recording studio. Rehearsals and recording are well complementary activities. When combining them in one room, it becomes possible not only to save money, but also to make a profit.

It is easier for a studio owner who is a musician himself to attract a regular clientele. But for someone who has not previously had a direct relationship with music, it will be more difficult to get promoted.

How to advertise a business

Ensuring a flow of customers from scratch is only possible with a good advertising campaign. There are many options for promoting a project; if possible, it is better to use them comprehensively:

• Business card website
• Social network
• Advertisements in local media
• Posters and outdoor advertising
• Article in a popular city magazine
• Cooperation with top bloggers and opinion leaders in the region

Offer cooperation directly to musicians in the region, creative studios, and radio stations. You can also rent out the studio for rehearsal or recording. These activities complement each other well. Taking into account the launch of a recording studio from scratch, budget about 100,000 rubles for advertising expenses at the start.

How much does it cost to open a recording studio?

To equip the studio, you need to budget at least 300 thousand rubles. This amount does not take into account the costs of premises, staff, and promotion.

For example, the cost of the most necessary equipment will be:

• computer – 50 thousand rubles;
• sound card – 15 thousand rubles;
• studio microphones (3 pcs.) – 30 thousand rubles;
• racks (3 pcs.) – 15 thousand rubles;
• studio monitors – 50 thousand rubles;
• software – 30 thousand rubles;
• remote control – 30 thousand rubles;
• headphones (4 pcs.) – 20 thousand rubles;
• other devices – 20 thousand rubles.

Registration of an enterprise and creation of a website will cost approximately 7 thousand rubles. You can spend as much as you like on advertising, but at a minimum: for example, for the production of leaflets in a small edition you will have to pay 1000 rubles. Plus, monthly maintenance costs, utility bills, property taxes and other expenses will cost 15 thousand rubles.

Personnel costs, if you plan to collaborate with professional arrangers or sound engineers, will also require a significant investment (prices for personnel services are indicated above).

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.

This has become very easy with the advent of digital technology. The first advantage is the fact that there is no need to pay rent.

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Recording studio space

As mentioned earlier, there is no point in opening a studio in huge areas with expensive professional equipment. All you need to do is open it at home. If there is no possibility or desire to open a studio in your apartment, it makes sense to think about finding the necessary premises and renting it.

It is worth noting that it is not at all necessary to choose a room that will be located in the central area of ​​the city and have high traffic. Accommodation in a residential area of ​​the city may be a good option. In addition, in such places the cost of renting premises will be much lower than in the city center.

The area for a sound recording studio will need to be small; approximately 20-30 square meters may be sufficient. meters. However, care must be taken to ensure that the room has good sound insulation. Otherwise, complaints may come from residents of the house.

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Recording studio equipment

A recording studio business plan must include equipment costs. You will need to purchase the following:

• studio monitors;
• a computer with good power and a modern sound card;
• midi keyboard;
• several microphones;
• microphone stands;
• closed type headphones.

After this equipment has been purchased, you should proceed to preparing the studio.

You will need to install special software on your computer. An example would be Pro Tools. It's important to note that most musicians who want to save money make a fairly common mistake. It should be understood that all software must be licensed, including standard MS Office. This is necessary in order to bring the artist with his recordings to a fairly serious competitive market.

It is worth noting that paid programs may require additional expenditures of money, but professional licensed software will allow you to earn the trust of even the most picky client. In addition, these computer programs have much greater functionality, which allows you to record higher quality sound at a high level.

However, those entrepreneurs who do not want to spend extra money on purchasing licensed software should know that there are a number of programs on the Internet that are completely free, but legal. However, under no circumstances should you use pirated versions.

In order to purchase all the necessary equipment, an entrepreneur will need to spend approximately 150,000 rubles. Regarding employees, it is worth saying that one person can combine the duties of a composer, sound engineer and arranger.

One hour of recording studio work can cost from 500 rubles to 1000 rubles. Therefore, if an entrepreneur manages to find a sufficient number of clients, he will be able to receive a completely stable, albeit small, income. It is worth noting that such an income may be enough to live on.

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Features of an unlockable recording studio

It is worth noting that each recording studio should have its own feature that will distinguish it from other possible competitors. In this case, it could be specialization by genre. Before starting work, the entrepreneur will need to decide what genre he plans to record in the studio he is opening: jazz, rock, chanson, rap, live instrument or electronic music. You will need to adjust your power to suit a certain style. It is impossible to record all styles at the same time, or the recording will be of very poor quality. Specialization must match the type of client. This can turn the newly opened recording studio into a kind of club hangout.

It is worth understanding that a recording studio is often not a separate independent business that can pay for itself, but an integral element of show business. In such a business, other elements cannot exist without it. However, he will not be able to feed himself. Therefore, if an entrepreneur has nothing to do with show business, there is no point in talking about any profitability of the sound recording studio he is opening.

At the same time, it will be good if not there, but in some small studio at home. Return to 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.

This has become very easy with the advent of digital technology.

How quickly will such a business pay off?

Calculating the payback of a relatively small recording studio is quite difficult: everything will depend on the presence of entrepreneurial spirit, the ability to properly organize advertising and the quality of processing of musical compositions. The experience of other enterprises in a similar direction shows that on average you can earn about 2,000 rubles for 1 hour of work.

It is necessary not to discount the fact that the profitability of a studio is directly dependent on both productivity and hours spent on providing services, and on the number of potential customers. With proper organization, it may take a year for the studio to fully pay for itself.

Is this business profitable?

Does it make sense to open a recording studio from scratch at this time? It is worth considering the fact that today the most profit is received by those who make sound recordings at home. Studios, equipped with expensive equipment and having large areas, are mostly idle and suffering losses. The majority of musicians do not require good sound, therefore, they are not going to overpay for quality, especially since most compositions and songs are posted directly on the Internet.

There are music groups who are willing to pay for CDs. However, they want to record only during their rehearsals in their home studio. Additionally, most consumers download music online. Selling discs only brings a loss, and therefore few people care about high-quality sound.

Legal registration of activities

To engage in the recording business legally, to be able to open a bank account, draw up contracts and work with serious clientele, the studio must be legalized. In other words, formalize the studio’s activities by registering an LLC with the tax service.

Individual entrepreneur or LLC?

If the studio has small production volumes, large costs for rent and personnel, and high income are not planned, then an individual entrepreneur is best suited. In this case, complex accounting reports will not be needed. For a well-thought-out business with solid capital and the prospect of expanding its activities, you need to register an LLC.

This article will tell you more about what is better to choose – an individual entrepreneur or an LLC.

Taxation

An individual entrepreneur can operate under a simplified tax scheme. In the absence of permanent employees and rental premises, as a rule, there will be no difficulties with regulatory authorities. You can report according to the 6% simplified tax system without involving an accountant. With the help of online services it will be convenient and simple.

When forming an LLC, you will already need a professional auditor.

Licensing

As a rule, you do not need to purchase a license to operate recording studios (OKVED 92.32). However, you will need a certificate from the police - an innovation in recent years - about the presence or absence of a criminal component in your biography. The fact is that this type of activity falls under the Federal Law of December 23, 2010 No. 387-FZ, according to the latest amendments. It takes no more than 30 days to request and receive it.

To avoid problems with reputable counterparties, you also need to make sure that the purchased software, programs, computers, and music libraries have licenses.

Small home recording studios are currently benefiting. For the most part, musicians are not very demanding on sound quality, and the bulk of musical works are posted directly on the Internet. With the right approach and knowledge of the topic, even with minimal costs, you can achieve success in the recording business.

Start of activity

The choice of business development strategy depends on several factors, and the most significant of them is the availability of initial capital. In addition, you must take into account:

• Place of residence . If in a large city any type of business will generate income, then a small town with a population of less than 100 thousand people will not provide the required number of clients.
• Experience . It will be easy for a professional, or a person who is closely connected with show business, to find clients. It is much more difficult for a beginner to attract musicians from an unfamiliar crowd, in which case it is advisable to first gain experience and make connections.
• Availability of premises . This is the first thing you need for a recording studio; renting space can be difficult. It is pointless to carry out soundproofing and reconstruction in a room from which they may be “requested” in a year.

So, if you are lucky enough to live in a big city, have significant funds and your own premises, if the word music is not an empty phrase for you, then you can open your own recording studio.

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. Connecting 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 type of business that allows you to recoup all initial costs for the purchase of new and used equipment in the first nine months of operation.

Download Western business plan for a recording studio

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Is this business profitable?

Choosing a Premises A recording business plan must include rent.

Such a premises does not necessarily 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 you invest in opening? The main question that interests any businessman: how much will the costs cost at the very beginning of the establishment of a business?

The answer for the recording studio is below: Marketing plan The marketing plan, focused on promoting the services of a recording studio in a provincial town, is extremely simple and does not require the financial resources of an entrepreneur.

This is primarily due to finances: investments of about $10 million are required. Their main orders come from aspiring 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 these recording studios reaches, in the best case, up to $50 thousand, and it is not possible to calculate their actual number.

Monitor locations

Before you start isolating your room, get it organized. It's best to start with an empty room.

The most important thing is to think about where the monitors will be located. This is what you will use as a starting point when you start arranging everything else around the work area of ​​the room.

#1: Move your monitors away from the wall

Many monitors have bass reflex ports at the back. If this is your case, then the monitors need to be moved away from the back wall - to the minimum distance indicated by the manufacturer in the manual.

The main point here is not to get smoother bass from monitors, but to reduce the effect of wave reflection. You may need to tighten the bottoms slightly on the monitors themselves.

#2: Distance from back and side walls

The distance of the monitors from the back wall and the side wall should not be the same, otherwise you will have to deal with standing waves. And standing waves, in turn, will lead to the fact that some frequencies of the lower register will begin to noticeably stick out from the overall picture and mixing something will become problematic.

#3: Place your monitors along the longest wall

This works for large rooms and is needed to reduce the volume of the first reflections. If the first reflections are loud enough, it may cause the wave from the speaker to interfere with the reflection from the side wall.

If you place the monitors against a long wall, the reflection location will be further away from the speaker. Well, as the distance increases, the volume will inevitably decrease.

To get a symmetrical stereo image, place your monitors in the middle of the wall.

Please note that reception will not work in a small room.

#4: The listening position should not be halfway across the length of the room.

This applies to the length of the room, as well as the distance from floor to ceiling. If you sit with yours in the middle, you risk automatically cutting off a significant portion of the bass.

#5: Listening point monitors should form an equilateral triangle

That is, the distance between the speakers should be equal to the distance from the head to each of them.

#6: Don't put monitors on their sides

Of course, this does not apply to monitors that are made specifically to be placed on their sides. If you arrange regular monitors this way, then the previous point will lose its meaning, and you will lose the undistorted sound image.

#7: Speakers should face your ears

Most monitors are designed to be viewed at an angle (forming that same equilateral triangle).

Don't forget to adjust the height of your monitors - the speakers should not be at ear level.

Be prepared for the fact that you will have to make some compromises and you will not be able to fulfill all the necessary conditions 100%.

Once you have positioned the monitors, move on to acoustically adjusting the room.

Production plan

The optimal area of ​​a recording studio is 50 square meters. meters. It should be divided into three parts:

• Sound engineer's room – 20 sq. meters.
• Room for singers and musicians – 20 sq.m. meters.
• Rest room – 10 sq.m. 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 sound recording process. The sound engineer's room should be separated from the room with microphones by durable triplex glass. And, of course, SanPiN and fire safety standards 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 specialists who need to be hired in a recording studio and their approximate salaries are listed in the following table:

The equipment necessary to equip a recording studio is presented in the table (2020 prices):

Where to begin?

Studio registration

To carry out activities, you will need state registration in the form of an individual entrepreneur without forming a legal entity, or in the form of a limited liability company or an open or closed joint stock company (for professional large studios with impressive initial costs). The optimal form of regular tax payments is a simplified taxation system, in which 6% of income or 15% of net monthly profit goes to the state budget. In addition, this form of taxation does not involve the regular need to prepare complex tax returns and financial statements, so at first you can do without the expensive services of a certified accountant or hire a third-party specialist.

Room

The best option is a room with an area of ​​about 50 square meters, divided into three zones: a room for direct recording of performers, groups and musicians, a separate room for recording equipment and a sound engineer, as well as a small rest room that acts as a reception area. You can organize premises for a recording studio at home, however, the solidity of the organization will be emphasized by renting a separate non-residential premises. The first option, however, will save significant amounts of money on the initial investment and ongoing expenses of the studio.

Calculations of income and expenses

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

The profitability of a recording studio in a provincial town is based on the indicators presented in this table:

The annual profit from the operation of a 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.