Recording - November 2014 - 34

By Sean Shannon
If you have a studio, how can you use it to help you generate
money, while building your body of work, skills, and client base?
What are some creative ways to promote and use your talents
for profit?
Audio services are required for a wide variety of activities. Seek
projects in and around your comfort zone and range of capability, and bend your concept of value a bit, and you'll find interesting work and make a few bucks helping others get what they
need. The more you help others, the more you'll help yourself.
Let's look at a few creative ways people are making money
with their home studios and audio skills. You'll have to determine
what works for you-since your situation is unique, use these
ideas as a spark for your own.
Place a value on your work
First, you must learn to put a value on each project. Come up with
a number, whether it's for the whole project or by the booking. The
service you provide has a value, and you can negotiate equal value
in return, whether it's $10/hour, $500/day, or 3 songs for $199.
That's what the project is worth, and represents a starting point for
negotiation. Now you can negotiate a win/win for everybody.
Using the value system, you can easily find ways to work with
people who need audio work performed. The client may have
more to offer than money. Their products and services also have
a value, and you can barter for it rather than working for free.
You could trade studio time for web design, yard service,
repairs, a motorcycle, or whatever you might need and would
otherwise have to pay for. For example, a band needs a 3-song
demo from you. You figure it will take 3 nights at $200 per
night. The band only has $200, but offers to build you a drum
booth. If that works for you, it's a win/win. Do a good job so
you can use it as another example of your work!
Another artist might be able to replace your carpeting, fix
your car, or give your kids piano lessons. Maybe the guitar player has a lawn service company, or is a heating/air conditioning
34

RECORDING November 2014

tech, or a lawyer. Maybe they have a rack processor, mic, or
instrument they can offer for value when they need more studio
time, or can work for you fixing cables and stuff.
Once you know your project value, you can trade for equal
value in money, services, gear, or any combination. Come up with
new packages, like the "5-Song EP", or the "Singer/Songwriter 2for-1 special", and go sell 'em.
Work the deals, expand your network, and build this concept
into your overall approach, all while making music. The goal is
to build a quality library of your work, develop a reputation,
and make a few bucks in the process. Let people do things for
you while you do things for them. The more you help others get
what they want, the more you'll get what you want. Five years
from now, your work will stand on its own, and you'll have long
forgotten the extra hours.
Fill a niche
Barter is fun, but there are many ways to get busier in the studio and make a few extra bucks. There are paying clients hidden
all over the place-be creative in your approach to finding them.
Editing skills alone can get you work. One example is forensic
audio, where you work with recordings associated with court cases
or police investigations. Other examples of low-impact studio work
include voiceover narration, music for stories, sleep tapes, meditation and massage therapy tapes, and similar projects.
Game audio (and commercial-use audio) is a hungry yet competitive market. Build a library of snippets, stingers, jingles, and
full pieces of music for sale or licensing, and fill out your work
history portfolio. Many voice artists need music to write or perform to, and if you can play instruments and/or program music
with a sequencer, you can make and sell music.
If you have some room, use it for photography or rehearsal
space. Many groups practice at lower volume, may have electronic drums, and just need a space and a few mics for the
vocals. If you have a small PA, a lighting kit with backdrops,



Recording - November 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2014

Contents
Recording - November 2014 - Cover1
Recording - November 2014 - Cover2
Recording - November 2014 - 1
Recording - November 2014 - 2
Recording - November 2014 - 3
Recording - November 2014 - 4
Recording - November 2014 - 5
Recording - November 2014 - Contents
Recording - November 2014 - 7
Recording - November 2014 - 8
Recording - November 2014 - 9
Recording - November 2014 - 10
Recording - November 2014 - 11
Recording - November 2014 - 12
Recording - November 2014 - 13
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Recording - November 2014 - 15
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Recording - November 2014 - 17
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Recording - November 2014 - Cover3
Recording - November 2014 - Cover4
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