clients in a home studio

[chris harris]

I'm just doing alright with word-of-mouth....

but, I need to fill some gaps in my schedule, so, I'm thinking of advertising.

my wife is understandably concerned with having strangers pick us out of the phone book and come to our house.

we can't afford to move it outta the house yet.

any suggestions??

alarm system, shotgun, background checks, etc????

thanks
chris
http://www.subatomicpieces.com

[trashy]

DO NOT PLACE AN AD WITH YOUR HOME PHONE # OR ADDRESS!!!! Instead, get a business phone # and meet prospective clients someplace neutral: Denny's, a coffee shop, etc. After you talk with them and get a sense that they're okay guys and girls, get their home phone number(s) and address(es), and call them the next day to set up a time.

[dungeonsound615]

Thats pretty much how i do it I give them nothign but my email until i meet then and feel comfortable. You usually can tell what people are like from the first time you meet them.
good luck

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I do the same. Also ask around in the local scene (providied there is one). If they've got a bad track record with clubs, other bands, or if they're just ass-holes someone in your music scene will know.

[JASIII]

There was a great article on studio security in "electronic musician" 2 issues ago. They really spelled it out well, including not letting prospective clients know where you are until they HAVE to, and how to tell if you're being cased. Check it out.

[@?,*???&?]

Check your zoning ordinances too. Be sure it's cool to be operating a business out of your house for your particular location.

I worked at an SSL/Studer/Otari equipped home studio in Los Angeles that was under alot of scrutiny. The neighbors and other studio owners were trying to run this guy out of business using the zoning angle.

[trashy]

Also, you should think about getting enough theft insurance so that if anyone rips you off they'll be doing you a favor.

[thecongostudio]

I always contact clients via e-mail or through my cell phone number. I always request to hear any demo MP3's theyve done before, that way I can be sure that they are actually musicians. Most of the people I do record are reccomended to me from friends and it always works out well. But my studio has a regular door lock and double sided dead bolt so if they ever wanted to break in, they would have to break the door down. Normally, you can get a sense of a person just by speaking to them on the phone for 10 minutes or so. Vibes are generally the best way of determining whether to do something or not...

[Roman Sokal]

get a nice big dog like a doberman and never let it get friendly or be in contact at all with strangers that come to the house. keep it upstairs or wherever and be sure to let the clients know it exists and guards the house. makes anyone think twice about doing something like stealing/breaking in/etc. dogs like those also have a nice ability to pick up on someone's vibe as to whether they are sketchy and such.
might sounds like an odd suggestion but believe me, it works.
basically this applies to being a homeowner overall!

[SecondSon]

Also, you should think about getting enough theft insurance so that if anyone rips you off they'll be doing you a favor.

I got all my shit insured, and it's pretty cheap. There is a $500 deductible, but hey, if you get robbed and lose 20,000 (my case) worth of gear, it is worth it. As the marketer would say, "you are not buying insurance, you are buying piece of mind"

[skinnyemo77]

I agree with the insurance, but actually, if you own your home, you could modify your home insurance to apply to whatever amount of stolen gear you want covered.

My dad and I got about $7,000-$8,000 worth of gear snaked from our garage one night, and the insurance covered about $6,500 worth of it, and that was with regular home insurance, modified we would've gotten much more.

Make sure you have pictures and fair market value prices for everything you own. That will help in any situation where you'd have to replace stolen gear.

[I'm Painting Again]

if you get paid in personal checks and cash and take logical precautions..you can probably cover your gear under homeowners insurance as your "hobby gear" and watch your ass that way..

[markpar]

Yeah, make sure the insurance co. knows it's a "hobby." If you tell 'em you make money from it, they'll consider it a business and would probably refuse coverage. At least they did for me.

-mark

[junomat]

speaking of legalities

does anyone here have a small studio and is taking in cash that pays taxes and/or has an LLC with the state?

just wondering what the % is here,
mat

[greatmagnet]

I found that I could cover $30,000 worth of gear for $15/month with Farmer's Renter's Insurance. I mean, come on...how cheap is that? So worth it. I didn't think to mention it was a business...I guess that's good.