‘Midlevel’ recording studios are growing

It's no secret that since the rise of the GarageBand app and cheap recording software, the recording industry has changed. But Luke Tweedy, owner and operator of Flat Black Studios in Iowa City, is one professional who isn't too worried.

'When people ask me how I am still up and running while recording has gotten cheaper and anybody can make a record at home, my response is, ‘How do chefs survive when every home has a stove?'” he said in an email.

Tweedy's mind-set is not unlike others in the business.

Jerry Brown, who owns Blue Sky Audio in Marion, added he noted the business has changed and expanded, but that it's not necessarily a bad thing.

'Even though people can take a laptop or an iPod and can do a fair recording that way, they still need facilities like this to get that fleshed out, professional product,” he said. 'I don't see facilities like this going away.”

Daniel Dorman, who works at Blue Sky Audio, added that places such as Blue Sky are what will be leading the industry.

'I think probably the midlevel facilities are the future,” he said. 'I think the big budget of music is probably going away.”

And that midlevel model is what they are going for. Blue Sky is located in a revamped building in Brown's backyard - a cross between a storefront and home studio.

‘Recording resorts'

To remain competitive, Brown said he strives to make his studio feel more professional and unique than home-run.

'If they want to come out and have an atmosphere, be able to step out onto a porch and have a meal, a beer, kind of hang out and relax and maybe be inspired by the surroundings, you're going to get that right here. And in terms of quality, we can do many of the same things that a larger studio can do,” he said.

This midlevel model seems to be growing. Tweedy is currently in the process of renovating his studio to be more like what he calls a 'recording resort.”

'I wanted to make a place where artists and musicians could come, stay and make the record of their dreams, without the distractions of everyday life, a place where they could get in the zone until the record was done, instead of constantly going home every night,” he said.

This is a vision he has had for years, slowly coming up with the money to do so while running Flat Black out of his home, using a portion of his garage and basement.

Home studios are not uncommon, in fact Brown said he thinks those are the most common. And, he added, that's probably because of pricing.

'Equipment in the last I would say 10 to 15 years has really come down to the point where somebody who is interested and has the technical skill can, for rather a modest investment, I'd say a couple thousand dollars, can kind of get yourself going,” he said.

Some customers record part of their project in the studio, then take it somewhere else - a larger city or even a larger studio - to finish it.

Kevin Rife, who owns Rife Recording Studio in Marion, built his house from the ground up - with a professional recording studio in the basement as the main criteria.

Rife believes the idea that people will do projects in different spaces is to be expected.

'I think there's going to be more collaboration long-distance,” he said.

Dorman said this flexibility is why midrange studios will thrive.

'It's sort of a nice supplemental thing where you can kind of just use it for parts of the things you need,” he said