The light looks to be appearing upon the horizon. Finally, a glimmer of light is shining to signal the end of lockdown is soon to come, but this doesn’t mean it’s going away entirely.
It also doesn’t mean us audio engineers get to resume our normality within our studios (respectfully), and so as a next installment we decided to help with the preparedness tools to allow you to apply countermeasures to continue to make relationships, keep in touch with new and current clients, and more than else make sure you’re ready for when the normality returns.
Keep In Touch
Communication is key in any business, but right now it’s paramount to actually maintaining your business and successfully keeping clients and being able to work with them remotely.
Just make a few phone calls; get in touch with your existing clients; ask if there's anything how you can help them remotely etc.
There’s a few tools that we here at JZ use which we feel would work in any situation:
Zoom
Zoom is a handy tool to video call and conference with bands or artists and their managers, etc. and can also be used to live stream to a social platform of your choice, record the audio and video to use for later video purposes and content for the band, and loads more.
We use it for our Facebook LIVE videos with major production guru’s and artists every Monday at 5pm. The free version will give you limited access to the features mentioned above, but their pricing is minimal and there are several plans that should accommodate you for whatever level you’re at and your individual purposes.
Website
For a studio, the website is usually a quote service, or similar, but you can go one step further here.
Many companies and businesses are shutting down and are unable to reopen, and thus clients are stuck in limbo if they’re midway through a project or they are looking to get in with you but don’t know if you’ll be reopening.
By staying active, uploading new content you’re making in the background, marketing content, or simply a live chat service allowing customers to contact you far easier will give clients a facility to plan ahead and reassurance that their producer is still working away.
Wix is my preferred host, and you can find my personal website below to see how you can layout yours to best serve a client navigating through to contact you!
Keep Making Music
Challenge Yourself
During lockdown I’ve been learning how to maintain an income with artists unattainable in person.
It seems, no matter how much mother nature tries to stop us, we as humans have a need for being creative, and none more so than pop and rap artists looking for the next new beat to purchase and use in their new single.
With this in mind, I signed up for Cymatics FM’s mailing list and there have been countless free packs of loops, melodies, and even midi arrangements given out for free to work with and use to create new tracks to sell on, my preferred medium, Beatstarz.com - or via my direct clientele and my website!
This will not only give you a new skill set, and a new base to connect with, but you'll hopefully be able to make a static income even after the lockdown ends entirely as those tracks will remain online and available to purchase a lease and the track or outright in some cases.
Stay Relevant
I’ve also been adding more and more songs I’ve recorded and written myself to help bolster my current portfolio, and in turn keep my examples fresh and engaging for potential clients. I’ve also been challenging myself with this in mind, to write in new ways and new styles to keep my mind active and reach out to a larger base clientele in turn.
This allows you to continue reaching out to new clients and keep a list of those still active and likely to come in once the studio is available to resume normal business.
Invest Whilst Prices Are Low
Prices around the world in all sectors are lower than they’ve been in decades for the most part, not out of choice I might add. Unfortunately, this is due to the struggle and onslaught of COVID-19 weakening almost every sector and forcing people to lower their prices in order to survive.
But with this in mind, it’s a prime opportunity to capitalize on the lower prices and invest in your studio while you have to think about what you really need, not what you like the idea of. If you find yourself lacking in strings on a regular basis for example, then bulk buy a set you feel comfortable with to keep your guitars sounding the best they can.
Or if you find your vocals are lacking, maybe invest in a new handcrafted mic like V11 or BH2 to give you a pristine sound across the board, and double on any acoustic instrument you put it in front of!
Just send US an email if you're looking for a so-called "better deal".
If you’re struggling to find a solid mix you are happy with, forever changing your settings, maybe look at the Plugin Alliance console strips, which have regularly been on sale and provide everything you need to mix in one simple channel strip, either in SSL, Neve, Focusrite, and more.
Or, as many people are stuck at home, maybe allow yourself to practice your guitar in silence with guitar amp sims like Neural DSP’s range - giving you not only some of the most advanced amp software available but also a new tool and sound to offer to new prospective clients in the future.
Right now is the time that while measures are in place to help you keep costs down if you have the chance and the funds, it’s going to allow you to increase production quality and thus, increase your client base.