The Studio Business Book

Contents......Page 7
Introduction......Page 11
Members of the Team......Page 12
Typecasting......Page 15
ProFile 1: Return to the Top......Page 19
Dividing the Plan into Sections......Page 22
Taking Your Time......Page 23
The Elements of a Business Plan......Page 24
The Logic in Writing It Out......Page 26
Signing the Deal......Page 29
ProFile 2: From Home Studio to Commercial Facility......Page 30
Buying into Raging Technology......Page 33
A Buyer’s Primer......Page 34
Trends in the Marketplace......Page 36
A Low-end, High-quality Setup......Page 37
The Next Level......Page 38
A Professional Midrange Studio......Page 39
The Business Expense Breakdown......Page 42
Adding Video......Page 43
The Room of Dreams......Page 44
ProFile 3: Basking in the Digital Tropical Domain......Page 51
CHAPTER 4 Making It Happen......Page 53
Leasing......Page 54
Partnership......Page 56
ProFile 4: Finding Your Niche......Page 60
Other Ways to Find Money......Page 62
ProFile 5: Carving a Creative Niche in a Small Town......Page 65
CHAPTER 5 The Project Studio......Page 68
Home Studios and the All-in Deal......Page 69
The Current Balance......Page 70
Home Studios and the Law......Page 71
Independent Contractors......Page 75
ProFile 6: World-class in Suburbia......Page 78
Finding a Break-even Point......Page 82
Finding Space......Page 85
Phone Systems......Page 90
Turning on the Lights......Page 93
Legal and Accounting Services......Page 94
The Insurance Maze......Page 95
Medical Plans......Page 98
Support Services......Page 100
Studio Support Pros......Page 101
Other Office Expenses......Page 105
ProFile 7: Cooking Up a Studio......Page 108
Location......Page 111
ProFile 8: Fine Arts in Fargo......Page 113
Square Footage......Page 115
Considering the Equipment......Page 117
ProFile 9: Choosing Vintage Gear to Create a Unique Facility......Page 119
The People Connection......Page 121
Creature Comforts......Page 122
The Care and Feeding of Your Reputation......Page 123
Setting Rates......Page 124
ProFile 10: A Tree Grows In Georgia......Page 128
Bidding on Projects......Page 130
Bidding on Films......Page 133
ProFile 11: Destination: Studio......Page 135
Getting Paid......Page 138
ProFile 12: Multiple Income Streams......Page 142
The Lesson of the Nine Dots......Page 145
Getting into Production......Page 146
Speculating on Success......Page 154
Gig Band Album Packages......Page 155
Scoring to Picture......Page 156
ProFile 13: Navigating the Television Jungle......Page 159
CD Transfers......Page 162
Music and Dialog Editing......Page 163
Renting Out Equipment......Page 164
Renting Out the Room......Page 166
Teaching School......Page 167
Art for Art's Sake......Page 168
The Puzzle Solution......Page 169
ProFile 14: Diversity and Uncompromising Quality......Page 170
CHAPTER 9 Developing Contacts......Page 173
Making New Connections......Page 174
The Cold Call......Page 176
ProFile 15: Recording the Fine Arts......Page 180
Telemarketing and Commission Sales......Page 182
Schmoozing Your Way to Success......Page 183
ProFile 16: Jammin' Down the Digital Highway......Page 185
Using Direct Mail......Page 188
Print Ads......Page 192
The Web......Page 195
Getting Publicity......Page 197
ProFile 17: Rising from the Ashes......Page 199
CHAPTER 11 The Art of Scheduling......Page 203
Scheduling Guidelines......Page 204
Problems and Conflicts in Scheduling......Page 209
Trying to Please Everyone, All the Time: A Recurring Story......Page 212
The Schedule Book......Page 216
ProFile 18: Nashville Surround Sound......Page 218
Booking and Work Orders......Page 220
Internal Scheduling......Page 223
Planning for a Marathon Session......Page 225
Projects from Mars......Page 227
CHAPTER 12 Keeping Track of Things......Page 230
The Media Vault......Page 231
Numbering Systems......Page 234
Minding the Store......Page 235
Setting the Scene......Page 238
Dealing with Personalities......Page 241
Post-session Politics......Page 247
When You Lose a Client......Page 248
ProFile 19: The UK Alternative......Page 250
Choosing the Right Equipment......Page 252
Buying Intelligently......Page 255
ProFile 20: Composer Collective......Page 259
Finessing Sizable Sums......Page 260
Beta Testing a Weighty Alternative......Page 267
ProFile 21: Hitting the Jackpot......Page 268
How to Play Fair and Stay in Chicago......Page 272
Payroll Etiquette......Page 274
Company Meetings......Page 275
Some Personal Philosophy......Page 280
ProFile 22: High-End Recording on the Prairie......Page 284
Hiring a Receptionist......Page 287
Hiring an Engineer......Page 289
Learning the Rules......Page 291
Interviewing......Page 294
ProFile 23: Analog Style......Page 298
Interns......Page 299
People Problems......Page 300
Salaries and Egos......Page 302
ProFile 24: Creativity and Five-Star Service......Page 303
When to Fire an Employee......Page 306
Dealing with Substance Abuse......Page 307
CHAPTER 17 The Employee Manual......Page 310
The Employee Handbook......Page 311
The Interlok Employee Handbook......Page 313
ProFile 25: The New Music Industry......Page 334
The Client Spills His Drink on the Console......Page 338
A Fistfight Breaks Out in the Control Room......Page 339
The Entire 30-minute Master Gets Accidentally Erased......Page 340
The Producer Decides the Monitoring System Is Unacceptable......Page 341
The Superstar Books a Session and Then Has His Own Disaster......Page 342
A Plumbing Problem Gives "Surf 's Up" a Whole New Meaning......Page 343
Equipping Yourself for Change......Page 345
Trends That Look Like They Aren't About to Disappear......Page 346
The Writing on the Wall......Page 347
Finding Your Own Way......Page 348
APPENDIX: The Manager's Quick Reference Guide......Page 350
Pro and Home Recording Formats......Page 355
Professional Organizations......Page 358
Web Resources......Page 359
Recommended Reading......Page 360
B......Page 363
C......Page 364
D......Page 365
E......Page 366
G......Page 367
J......Page 368
M......Page 369
P......Page 370
R......Page 371
S......Page 372
T......Page 373
Z......Page 374