Where's all the used gear? (stupid question)

[Richard Hyser]

Seems like some of the bigger studios are shutting down- I hear a lot of doom talk- so- where is all the equipment ending up? If there are really less and less studios, logically there should be a GLUT of 16 & 24 track tape machines, older microphones, big consoles etc. on the market or on the auction block. Hmmmm

[kslight]

I'm buying it all to hoard and I trickle it down to the masses for huge profit... If you saw my basement you'd think this was true. But alas...its only true for the vintage keyboards that show up for a fraction of their eBay value on Craigslist...


I imagine that the high dollar/easy to ship/desirable items like microphones and rack gear hit eBay, and consoles/multitracks probably go to other studios in the area.


But in reality unless they are in an oversaturated area I imagine that studios with the big rooms and equipment still can compete. I usually only see "project studio" level equipment for sale on Craigslist in my area which leads me to believe that they are faster to die.

[Nick Sevilla]

Allen Sides owns it all.

[TapeOpLarry]

Blackbird Studios. Duh.

[Dakota]

Seems like some of the bigger studios are shutting down- I hear a lot of doom talk- so- where is all the equipment ending up? If there are really less and less studios, logically there should be a GLUT of 16 & 24 track tape machines, older microphones, big consoles etc. on the market or on the auction block. Hmmmm

I have been seeing a lot of shakedown like this. Some of it never goes to ebay or craigslist if the studio had mature social networks - word goes out on local grapevine first, smoother buy/sell with people that are already known quantities. A musical chairs thing, some of the big items end up at studios that had lower day and hourly rates... and then later another round to even smaller studios...

It's not doom all around though - due to the way things have gone, I have a rig at home that's on par with dedicated studios I would have went to earlier in my life. It's a good time for lean and mean and flexible work with lower overhead.

[SafeandSoundMastering]

Thing is those closing probably don't/never did own a high quality multi-track tape machine or got rid of them a long time back. Those who do own them are obviously providing a niche service which their business works upon, therefore they are not closing their doors.

Cheers

SafeandSound Mastering
Mastering dance music

[fossiltooth]

Seems like some of the bigger studios are shutting down- I hear a lot of doom talk- so- where is all the equipment ending up? If there are really less and less studios, logically there should be a GLUT of 16 & 24 track tape machines, older microphones, big consoles etc. on the market or on the auction block. Hmmmm

If you look at the numbers, there are more recording studios and more engineers than ever before in any point in history. Even accounting for population growth, the profession has not shrunk, it's expanded significantly.

Here's an anecdote that may help put the numbers into context. When I interviewed the guys at Systems Two, they told me that when they started in the 70s, they were one of two commercial facilities in all of Brooklyn. Today, I've done tours of more than 3 dozen studios in that borough alone for my series on the best recording studios in Brooklyn. The number of studios in Manhattan has expanded dramatically too. Overall, the move has bee toward more and smaller studios -- not fewer.

On top of that, I'd bet that a lot of gear ends up in the personal collections of wealthy individuals where they become a form of investment, or social currency. The same thing happened with vintage guitars in the 80s and 90s. You may be surprised to find how many of the best instruments of that era are under the beds and in the storage closets of wealthy Japanese and American businessmen. Many of them (if not most) don't really play.