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How to keep your studio business open by recognizing the client life cycle
If you have a studio business, doubtless you want it to continue for decades to come. But if you don't understand the client life cycle then you'll soon be in trouble.
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If you have a recording studio business, then congratulations to you! It's a hard trick to pull off successfully when everyone has a pro-quality DAW at home.
But there are some types of recording that you really do need a professional environment for, with soundproofing and acoustic treatment too.
Having a studio is not the same as keeping a studio. Many businesses, of all kinds, do not fully appreciate the client life cycle.
When your business is new, you will spend a lot of time attracting clients. Some of those clients will be one-offs, others will come to appreciate the quality of what you do and come back again and again.
Gradually you will acquire more and more regular clients and they will provide most of your income.
You might come to view one-off clients as a bit of a nuisance. They don't understand how you work, they ask for unusual things, you're not sure whether they will pay on time etc.
Eventually you might find yourself working only with your group of regular clients.
Now let's look at things from the client's point of view...
Every client is a new client at the beginning of their relationship with your business. This is the 'birth' end of the client life cycle.
Eventually the client will become mature and will use your services again and again. It's win-win because you get regular income and the client gets a service of known and repeatable quality.
But eventually the client will 'age'. They might outgrow the service you can provide and be forced to go elsewhere. They might find a cheaper solution. They might go broke or otherwise go out of business. They might actually retire. This is the 'death' part of the client life cycle.
So if your business relies on a group of regular clients in the mature phase of their life cycle, you cannot expect this to go on forever. One by one they will drop off and die.
And now you are faced with the unfamiliar situation of having to attract new clients - something you perhaps have not done for years.
The solution, for any business, is never to rely on regular custom. You have to attract new clients all the time. There should be a regular cycle of birth-maturity-death among clients and you should expect and welcome it.
Many studio businesses have failed over the last ten years or so. In many cases this could be because they haven't understood the client life cycle properly.
Publication date Tuesday March 09, 2010
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Discussion on this article's topic...
Dotchild, Lagos, Nigeria
Clients are more tuned to the studio environment than others. if your environment is cool and good, you are one-step ahead their conceptions.
Tuesday April 13, 2010
Chris Furner, Northampton, UK
To anyone running a commercial studio of any note will understand the client lifecycle. They will also understand that their very best clients will be the worst at spreading the word!!! They want you to themselves. That is not so cool for the owner. It is the occasional users that are the best. If you do a good job AND QUICKLY they sing your praises.
Thursday March 04, 2010
Rossoscar Tj, Abj, Nigeria
very true as I can bear witness to what you said from the home DAW setups and the need for certain professional touches like tracking, mixing and mastering from the home setups and some client needing a more professional service rendered by a professional studio set up. The client life circle is something I have experienced in my almost 2decades of business. To the fellow who asked how to attract new client, I would say the same way (though you may need one or two enhancements/fine tuning) you attracted the ones that are now mature/dying.
Wednesday March 03, 2010
Larry, Austin, USA
Great article. Now how about one on how to attract new clients?
Tuesday March 02, 2010
Yunus Parmar, Surat, India
Nice thing to learn- but different studios n different locations have their own pros n cons, So nobody can follow a particular pattern of business. What is true for one can be worse for another.
Monday March 01, 2010
Richard Mattos , Rio De Janeiro, Brasil
Hi, Drew,
I really appreciate your capacity of realize and share the secrets and the most important details of own a home studio. Thanks for your attitude.
Richard Mattos
I really appreciate your capacity of realize and share the secrets and the most important details of own a home studio. Thanks for your attitude.
Richard Mattos
Monday March 01, 2010
Big D, Halmstad, Sweden
Hey Drew, that´s one of the best biz setup I´ve ever heard of. Thx for sharing! :-)
Monday March 01, 2010
Laolu Akins, Lagos, Nigeria
Hi, i'm so happy to be in the mailing list to be receiving this, cos it really helps "sticklers for old but pro approach" people like me in a great way. What you said about the DAW's is particularly true in my own environment. So your advice concerning client's life cycle comes really handy and timely as our studio is more of the acoustically treated and with soubdproofing as well, and we're proud of the sound quality we're getting.I'm in total agreement with you. Thanks a bunch.
Monday March 01, 2010
Noah, Toronto, Ca
Thats's an amazing idea you have there. Sounds top notch. Great Article.
Monday March 01, 2010
Drew, Kc, Mo
I have been in business 5 years now and I think I've found a great way to attract a continous stream ofvnew clients.
I have a wonderful situation for my studio. It's in the basement under a live music night club downtown! There are several great things about it. First, and foremost, every time there's a show, twice a week usually, I have 3 or 4 bands come in for a tour and a listen, this brings in the vast majority of my business, 2 to 3 albums a month on average.
Second, I pay no rent or utilities. I own the PA system and lighting for the club, and am their contract sound and light company. I let them use the PA on non show nights for free, (Dj nights etc)in exchange for the space!
Thirdly, I do live multitrack! I have the FOH mixer cabled, via D-Sub / D25 cables, to the recording console, allowing me to live record any show on the stage, I offer a very inexpensive deal, $50 for the raw tracks from your 1 hr. show, burnt to a DVD the night of the show, a "take home and mix yourself" deal. Although the vast majority of the bands wind up having me mix the tracks for them, and a lot of those inspire full recording projects. As an extra plus, I can use the stage as a large room for recording drums, choirs, orchestras etc.
The only downside , if any, is you can't record while a show is going on, though I'm usually recording the show anyhow....
I'm sure most every town out there has a club with an empty basement, it's a great way to go.
I have a wonderful situation for my studio. It's in the basement under a live music night club downtown! There are several great things about it. First, and foremost, every time there's a show, twice a week usually, I have 3 or 4 bands come in for a tour and a listen, this brings in the vast majority of my business, 2 to 3 albums a month on average.
Second, I pay no rent or utilities. I own the PA system and lighting for the club, and am their contract sound and light company. I let them use the PA on non show nights for free, (Dj nights etc)in exchange for the space!
Thirdly, I do live multitrack! I have the FOH mixer cabled, via D-Sub / D25 cables, to the recording console, allowing me to live record any show on the stage, I offer a very inexpensive deal, $50 for the raw tracks from your 1 hr. show, burnt to a DVD the night of the show, a "take home and mix yourself" deal. Although the vast majority of the bands wind up having me mix the tracks for them, and a lot of those inspire full recording projects. As an extra plus, I can use the stage as a large room for recording drums, choirs, orchestras etc.
The only downside , if any, is you can't record while a show is going on, though I'm usually recording the show anyhow....
I'm sure most every town out there has a club with an empty basement, it's a great way to go.
Monday March 01, 2010
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