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The Global Recording Village Is Now
Having spent a great deal of time over the past several years operating in the international audio scene, I can state emphatically that the global recording village is a thriving reality. More and more successful music groups are including foreign cities in their tours and recording schedules. Television is now expected to be on location, reporting and recording live from wherever the action is, and film producers are choosing foreign locations for authenticity and the attraction of the world stage.
I've had the business opportunity to travel extensively throughout the major global audio markets, to attend major foreign and domestic professional audio conventions, and to visit top audio studios around the world. The revelation from this global trek is simple and inspiring: there is a thriving network of studios throughout the world, all of which have much the same equipment and the same problems associated with finding more and better business in different segments of our industry—and they all speak English! Yes, just as the language of airport control towers around the world is English, the universal language of professional audio recording also seems to be English. This fact alone indicates untapped international potential for the U.S. audio industry.
You can walk into a studio in Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Tokyo, or Munich and almost feel as if you never left home. Fifty-five percent of the vocals you hear on worldwide radio are sung in English, I've been told, and more artists, both foreign and domestic, like to record during their travels. Virtually every major city in the world has modern audio recording facilities available to satisfy the needs of the traveling musician and visual audio client. Most of those same cities also have high-speed Internet and satellite services available if the artist needs to get his recorded material delivered “back home.”
“How do I get a piece of that action?” the U.S. studio owner might ask. The answer, believe it or not, is getting simpler every year. There is an international network of studio referrals that reflects the word of mouth our industry lives by. It's typical of the recording artist to ask his friends who have traveled: “Where did you record when you went to X?” Almost every country has a studio trade association that refers inquiries to its members. There are also a number of international audio trade magazines that may publish news about your studio if you submit the appropriate press release to the editors. In addition, there are international audio directories that offer free listings for your studio and are the tourist travel brochures of our industry. Foreign artists who plan to record in the U.S. don't leave home without them.
The laws in many foreign countries require a certain percentage of film and TV content to be completed in their domestic audio and visual facilities in order to qualify for exhibition. As a result, new megafacilities costing $20 million and more are currently under construction or in the final planning stages in exotic global locations. These faraway countries want to get on the professional audio and visual production/postproduction map, and their governments are providing funding to help make a major statement to the world. The budgets are sizable, to ensure that these new endeavors are on a grand scale, and the facilities offer economic incentives to encourage foreign business. The justification for this activity is that expenditures for entertainment will greatly improve the quality of their domestic productions and, more importantly, increase international tourism. It is undeniably an expense that can be tied to increased employment and an improved balance of trade with the hard currency countries of the world.
In addition, it is becoming very apparent to all who utilize the major “mothership” recording studios that almost anywhere in the world they are encountering virtually the same equipment, the same market basket of services, communication conducted in English, and in many cases decidedly lower rates than their American counterparts. Therein lies a major danger to U.S. recording entrepreneurs and the future of our industry. Because foreign governments contribute heavily to the arts, including support of recording studios, it is now vitally important for our respective global studio organizations, such as MPGA, SPARS, the APRS (UK), the Japanese JAPRS, the French ASF, and the Spanish AEGS, among others, to help each other understand the need for common practices as the world shrinks through exchange of information. These organizations can band together to utilize the Internet to communicate freely and share general information in order to resolve their common problems. I feel certain that professional audio and visual equipment manufacturers would join in an endeavor such as this, from which all could benefit.
New associations are now being formed in Italy and Australia, as well as in other countries in various parts of the world, because of the need to “circle the wagons” and survive more profitably as a group. Australia's top studios, for example, have recently formed the AAPRS in order to have a united front with other musical organizations in approaching their government for additional funding. They believe that without monetary help and government assistance in the form of lower taxes and tariffs, there is a strong possibility that the Australian world-class studio will soon disappear.
As an example of international cooperation among various segments of the global recording village, I recently received a call from an American record producer who wanted to record a British group at a venue in Holland for MTV Unplugged. He was using a mobile recording truck booked through its German office, a UK film company, and a rental equipment company serving the entire European market. The producer requested that the second phase of the project include overdubbing and mixing at a - studio in Stockholm the day after the final shoot, and indicated that he would be flying in some American studio musicians. This “session booking” involved four different countries with different languages and currencies. All negotiations were conducted in English, currencies were converted to facilitate understanding for each of the decision makers involved, and the entire process was completed and confirmed within 3 days. The key to understanding the needs and wants of the various parties, and to being able to submit bids quickly, was a simple conference call. It is indicative of the changing world recording market that requests of this nature are becoming more and more common.
Increasing your business in the rest of the world calls for the same basic business principles as increasing business in your own market. Utilize the available domestic U.S. digital networks for recording local talent voice-overs or overdubs almost anywhere in the world. Explore ways of promoting reasons why an artist should record at your facility rather than any other, and the “extras” you provide, such as real-time digital services to other locations. Then spread the news everywhere about those who've recorded at your facility and why they liked the results. It is all about making the world smaller and more accessible to all studios, regardless of their geographical location. This is the backbone of the global recording village concept.
Keeping up with all of the technology that is offered to you by the cornucopia of pro audio companies and sensibly picking out what is best for you in your market for your clients is what keeps you ahead of the competition. Call the digital transmission companies, for example, and ask them to send you their promotional literature. They will be happy to do so, and you will be the winner if you find one that works for your client's needs, makes a profit for your company, and offers a new service that keeps your client assured that you are the best source for his or her recording requirements. Still another important factor in gaining international business is the fact that most artists are accustomed to recording, overdubbing, and mixing in several studios, rather than in a single location. Today's carefully scrutinized budgets require a variety of facilities with large acoustic spaces, smaller rooms for overdubs, big control rooms, and truckloads of outboard gear for the mix. A good example is a film-scoring date, where the 110-piece orchestra requires one venue, and the predub only requires a good control room with video. This reality now allows artists to pick their geographical location and change the predub/mixing experience into a working vacation!
The relatively low cost of travel and the sophistication of communications techniques (Internet, satellite, ISDN, fax, and low international telephone rates) allow an almost unlimited geographical choice at a relatively small difference in cost. From the record/visual production company's point of view, there is no concern about where the mission is accomplished, as long as the cost is comparable with that back home. Using the film-scoring example again, many scores are recorded in Europe rather than in the U.S., because the musician costs and studio rates are often lower, particularly in Prague and Warsaw, thereby saving a lot more than the cost of the incurred travel and living expenses.
By the same token, foreign artists are attracted to recording in the U.S. For example, did you know that Orlando, Florida, is considered one of the hippest places for a German heavy metal band to mix, because of the number of European hits that have been completed there? Or that in the middle of winter a European group can work in a U.S. Sun Belt location for a small amount more than it would cost them to work at home? Or that a great number of Japanese artists go to Hawaii to record because of the weather, lower recording costs, and (most importantly) the opportunity to play golf very inexpensively and get a decent tee-off time?
International audio networking is a fact of life, and the winners know it. The global village is here to stay and is becoming further simplified by better communication, common equipment requirements, and ease of travel. Trade magazines from foreign markets are an excellent start to a better understanding of how business is evolving abroad. The primary key to success in attracting international business is: Know Your Client! You might be surprised at how little effort it takes to attract artists from around the world by understanding their cultural wants and needs, in addition to the equipment and space they require. First, they have to know who you are and appreciate your reputation. Second, and equally important, they have to believe that the results will be the same or better than at home and that the difference in cost can be justified. Third, they must be convinced that they will have more fun! (Otherwise there is very little reason to leave home.) Figure it out and your studio will become known worldwide as world class.