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What Is World Class?
A world class studio operator is someone who appreciates his or her market position and takes advantage of every available business opportunity. As someone who helped in the building, maintenance, and operation of a number of studios for a few decades, I welcome this opportunity to share some hard-earned insights about survival in the high end of the world of professional audio recording. Believe me, the headaches never end, but neither do the new chances for success—on whatever business level you wish to operate.
Many studio owners of both large and small operations bristle at the words “world class.” The categorization seems to suggest a “hipper than thou” attitude in this era of global excellence. When I talk about world class, my intention is to use the term as it designates certain characteristics of the best international recording studios I have seen, operating at their highest levels of professional competence and personal performance. While the attributes of what is described as a world class facility are subjective and may not apply to your specific facility, many of the attitudes that create this level of operation will. A key to success in this business is understanding the need to strive for excellence, no matter what the size or location of your studio. As you know, only the strong survive.
The question of what constitutes a world class studio today is a subject of much debate. The APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services) in the U.K. tackled the “world class” question a few years ago by forming the “UK Studio Accord” as a separate division. Originally, the Accord was a group of nine “cells” representing studios operating at similar levels of quality and offering similar services—that is, music, post, advertising, project, and the like—with a high, medium, or low volume of business. As with most new ideas, it was resisted at first, and just about everyone felt left out of something. After a few monthly meetings of the cell groups, and several meetings of the Accord's board of directors, the studio owners reacted favorably, and even the clients were getting involved in the proper British definition of superlative facilities. Now, several years later, the Accord has established the proven model of excellence for anyone who cares to examine their entrance requirements.
In the U.S., SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Services) and MPGA (Music Producers Guild of the Americas) have been studying the same topic in a different way by attempting to define “ideal professional guidelines.” The intent is to help members determine ways in which to improve their facilities and creative requirements, to be certain that they are providing/demanding “the most bang for the buck.” It is hoped that studios want to learn, through networking and debate, what is necessary to better their position within their marketplace, in the niche that is best for their business—and receive the proper recognition for their world class efforts.
In the application for membership in the APRS Accord, various requirements for excellence are clearly defined. The guide-lines deal with such requirements as: proper business permits, certain types of insurance, a professional rate card, an equipment list with rental rates for gear not included in the basic rate, at least one full-time maintenance technician, designated technical maintenance department work areas, suitable test equipment, alignment tapes and a preventive maintenance program, experienced studio personnel present at all sessions, proper air conditioning, acoustical studio-to-studio isolation of at least 75 dB, a documented tape library, a lounge with kitchen, safe equipment access, daily cleaning of the premises, and so forth.
These attributes are the basic foundation for comparison of facilities, but cannot include the intangibles of nuance and charisma, which I believe are the key to commercial success in the global professional studio business of today. We can all buy the same equipment and hire the same acoustical consultants. If that were all that mattered, the studio down the street would not be able to charge higher prices and remain busy, while nearby studios offer the same package at lower rates and, in spite of that, stay empty much of the time. Much of the success of a given facility, I believe, depends on the “look and feel” that clients get when they walk in the door, the local and national importance of the clients who have worked there, the recordings from that studio that have received substantial national/international attention, and, most important, the attitude of the employees who work there.
People make all the difference. Are they qualified? Do they receive on-the-job training? Do they act like happy winners, proud of their studio's reputation and eager to go to work at the start of the day? Are they willing to go that extra mile to be certain that the client is satisfied? Are they being properly managed and listened to, paid salaries based on the market and the competition, provided with competitive benefits, and treated fairly? Are they given the opportunity to learn more about their trade, earn more money, and otherwise improve the status of their working life?
In addition, don't overlook those ethereal characteristics such as environmental ambiance. Does it feel like a “winning” place in which to work? Are there amenities such as private lounges, secure parking for clients and employees, and off-hours reception and ease of entry? Are there up-to-date accounting services to assist in proper budget realization? And don't forget minimum downtime, on-time starts, competitive tape costs, facility location, free services, and quick reaction time to client requests. Any of these attributes can make the difference—and also allow you to charge more for the services your facility provides.
Many clients speak of the “cost/efficiency ratio.” This means the amount of work they are able to complete in a given period of time, versus how much it costs and the effort they have to expend (leaving artistic temperament aside). This may be measured in costs-per-minute of completed product, which is then compared to the total budget for the project versus the expected revenue from the final results. The obvious aim is to achieve profitability from the client's point of view. If this is not found, then the budget for the project will be reduced, and that means less studio time booked. That also means that you will get a lower negotiated price for your services, or that the client will go to a less expensive facility. Clients often use this ratio to determine which studio they will book and what price per hour or day they will accept as reasonable.
A friend of mine who is the Senior VP of A&R for a major record label explains that much more recording is being done in the smaller studio markets today. Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and New Orleans are just three he mentioned. During the past few years, he has authorized more than one million recording dollars per year to be spent in these and other regional markets. His explanation for not spending his budgets exclusively in the major markets: “The results were the same, and the costs were lower.” Something to think about.
The managing director of a major London studio reported to me that a substantial portion of his business today comes from Japanese clients, because his rates are lower than those of U.S. studios and the ones they use in Japan. New international resort studios are also competing for domestic U.S. studio dollars by having all the right equipment and services, and charging comparatively low prices for their exotic locations.
In reality, world class is no longer limited to a few major markets. Operators who build a single room in a secondary market may now compete with established, world-renowned, multiroom facilities in L.A., New York City, or Nashville. As professional audio equipment prices come down, software power goes up, and more bankruptcy auctions cause a glut of desired equipment to become available, it is less expensive to purchase the console, tape machines, microphones, and outboard equipment necessary to qualify as world class. What counts is the sound quality of the recorded product. Many clients pick a studio by carefully studying the recorded sounds from a particular facility that they admire. They go to a particular studio because it sounds world class to them.
Now that we've looked at the various aspects, qualifications, and attributes of the lofty world class category, let's focus on what is important, regardless of your location or market niche. As we used to say, “It's the vibe, man!” It's the feeling the clients get when they walk in the door for the first time. Given what they have heard and read, and the sounds they have listened to, they immediately feel just as if they are walking into the lobby of a five-star hotel—they know it is going to be a comfortable and pleasant place in which to accomplish the work they are there to complete. They are confident that everything will work all the time, and that any equipment they desire, with very few exceptions, will be on the premises or readily available to rent on very short notice. They find that the employees are well-trained, and they know that any reasonable task will be taken care of quickly and efficiently without endless follow-ups. The studio's demonstrated attitude is that the client is always right, even if it's questionable. The results are always better than expected. It will probably take less time than anticipated to accomplish the work they have projected to complete. Probably, therefore, the cost will be less than they had originally budgeted to spend. Those are the clients who will leave your studio content that the job was well done, and want to immediately tell their peers what a great place your facility is to work in. That's class—world class.