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Whether it's that noisy guitar pot or a major repair on your PA head, having easy access to a local Repair Shop can be a life saver. With fewer music stores on main streets compared to the past , it is increasingly difficult for musicians to know where to take their instrument when things go wrong. Repairing a snare drum Any kind of kit regularly used will need routine maintenance to keep it in a good working condition. Often this can be minor maintenance such as an electrical re-solder or simply a good clean. Grace Hayhurst at Sensible Music describes the most common repairs for musicians who use their rehearsal space: "We've been fixing and re-soldering a lot of cables and stage boxes that have been used and abused over the years. Connectors start to come loose fairly easily over time." Abbey Music Studios Many music rehearsal spaces maintain a whole host of equipment available to hire including guitar amps, PA systems and drum kits. Many also operate recording studios with computers, outboard and monitoring systems. Maintaining your kit for hire to customers inevitably means employing a regular or adhoc routine for maintenance and repair. This may simply be disposing or selling kit once it's reached it's end of useful life. But before reaching for the phone there are simple checks individual musicians can undertake to maintain their kit. If you're musician - things you can do yourself Things go wrong, kit gets broken, dropped or simply needs replacing. This becomes an imperative if you're a regular rehearsing and performing musician. Check over your gear every time before you plug it in - just a quick visual check will help. Regularly check the condition of cables - if you can see bare wires anywhere then it is unsafe. All wires should be shrouded in an insulation cover and secure in their fittings. Make sure you have the correct fuses fitted to the power cables you are running your gear off. Extension power cables are designed to be unwound before you use them. Leaving them coiled while in use can cause them to overheat. Often extension leads are rated to 10 amps not 13 amps. Ensure equipment is serviced and maintained as per the manufacturer’s instructions. If there is a problem with an instrument or piece of kit it is worth considering the following: Check the product manual for any information Does the problem relate to something else e.g cables, attached equipment etc. If recently purchased, check if the item is still in warranty. If so, contact the seller. If computer related, and the problem has just arisen, check whether there has been a software update Check the manufacturer's website and forum. If you are still experiencing difficulties, then the Repair Shop is the place to go. Regular maintenance to keep equipment in good order Well-run spaces will have some kind of routine to maintain their kit and access to someone to repair it. The list of kit maintained by a music rehearsal spaces is almost endless but could include: guitar guitar amp PA drum kit/percussion synthesisers/electronic instruments FX pedals Mixers interfaces/recording kit lighting keyboards cables Some music rehearsal spaces have taken a step further offering a repair facility to musicians using their space. Opening his Repair Shop in 2002, Steve Norman at London's Abbey Music Studios explained: "Being a rehearsal space we have a good turnover of musicians who need repairs and maintenance of their gear. We gained lots of expertise in re-wiring the studio. The skills we learned have come in useful in offering equipment repairs in-house." Having a repair shop can be a valuable source of income for a music rehearsal space. Engineering flowchart Having a repair facility onsite It makes sense that if a music rehearsal space is maintaining a heap of gear, the skills and knowledge gained are put to use as part of the ongoing business. Scot at New Cut Studios  said: "My business partner runs a guitar repair space at the studio for instrument setups, minor electrical repairs, rebuild of harnesses and pickup replacement." If this isn't possible, signposting musicians to a go-to guy qualified in fixing stuff can be helpful. A repair service however may not always be needed. There are a few things you can do yourself before reaching for the phone. Utilising existing skills - maintenance Workers at some music rehearsal spaces have acquired sufficient skills to repair in-house kit. This resource can be extended to customers for a fee. If you regularly use a rehearsal space you can ask if they are able to carry out a repair or modification. Absolute Music Bournemouth's Absolute Music has developed a dedicated Repair Centre offering repairs and routine maintenance to in- and out-of-warranty products, no matter when or where they were purchased. Qualified technicians and a fully equipped workshop caters for live gear such as guitar amps, mixing desks and PA speakers and pro audio gear, from interfaces to synths. Its links with national and international music suppliers gives a reliable supply of parts and resources, however obscure the product or fault. Playing Aloud Scott Nairn at Lincoln's Playing Aloud has too operated a Repair Shop since 2012. He found there was a demand from musicians using his rehearsal space for a repair service: "Between the two owners we undertake basic repairs. I do the drums and my partner looks after guitars and amps. We also make our own cables and able to do simple mods such as kick ports. Anything more complicated involving circuit boards and components we outsource to a local AV repair business." PAT Test machine Portable Appliance Testing PAT testing involves examining portable electrical equipment to ensure its safe use, encompassing both visual inspections and electrical tests. It helps prevent accidents and complies with legal obligations regarding electrical safety. It covers a wide range of equipment, including amps, keyboards, computers, kitchen appliances, anything that is electrically powered. Checks are usually carried out annually by a 'competent' trained person using a PAT testing machine,. Maintaining records of tests and their results is crucial for demonstrating compliance and tracking equipment safety. The test can be combined with a general service. PAT testing helps identify electrical faults and defects in equipment that could lead to accidents, fires, or equipment failure. The mains plug, flexible cable and terminals are likely to be subject to more wear and tear than equipment permanently fixed. By ensuring the safety of electrical equipment, PAT testing helps protect individuals who may be using or interacting with that equipment. While not legally required, PAT testing can help reduce the risk of electrical hazards and the potential for legal consequences if an accident occurs. Gary Chamberlain at Leicester's Rewind Rehearsal Rooms said: "We have a PAT test machine which I use to test any new 2nd hand gear and then I go around each room every month or so just to make sure everything is working properly. Service wise I had my amp guy go around about 6 months ago, I try to make it a yearly thing." Ben at Southampton's Pure Rehearsal Studios said: "We PAT test annually and our gear usually gets checked/serviced as and when required. Our PA hire gear gets checked each time before it goes out and once it has been returned." Conal Cunningham at London's Bush Studios said: "We PAT test every year though it's a hassle and as we have our own in house repair guy on tap generally we service gear when it needs it." Miltron Musical Electronics The Repair Shop Beyond a routine service, The Repair Shop can offer a range of more in-depth and specialist services including: PA head repairs Spare part sales Electronic repairs to amps Amp refurbishment Digital valve matching Valve replacement Portable Appliance Testing Speaker repairs Drum kit repair and servicing Darren Hasson-Davis at Master Rhythm Studios said: "We have a couple of stores near us that do musical instrument repairs. I also have other musicians and various people that repair bits and bobs." Repairing a mic stand The Repair Shop in a music rehearsal space Smaller rehearsal spaces may find it difficult to directly employ staff to repair gear. However, larger operations such as Manchester's Brunswick Mill Rehearsal Studios rents a room to a self-employed technician, Miltron Barton. He has rented a room at the space since 2019 repairing guitars, synths, FX pedals and sometimes carries out mods on amps. As a self-employed technician he says: "I've had to make my own way working for myself. It can be difficult to expand the service because there is a limited amount of work coming from bands using the space." Grace Hayhurst at Sensible Music said: "The Sensible Repairs department itself is fairly new, but the man behind it used to be a touring tech for Emerson, Lake and Palmer and repaired lots of equipment for them in the 70s to keep the tours going." Ben at Southampton's Pure Rehearsal Studios said: "We have in house repairs and we also offer a service for our customers with Valentine Instruments & Repairs who keep our kit maintained." Conal Cunningham at London's Bush Studios  said: "We have our own in house repair shop run by Jon at Gtek where we service and repair amps and guitars for ourselves, the general public, other studios and touring bands. Even other music studios use us from RMS to John Henry's send their broken gear to us. Conal continued: "International touring bands have their gear fixed here, usually by their techs, either because somethings broke or they're about to go on tour. We sometimes have the odd 'star' dropping something by. We keep it pretty quiet who uses us so let's say many 'well known' touring bands." Grace Hayhurst at Sensible Music said: "We have our own repairs department on site. We found it was very valuable for our clients to be able to have things fixed quickly on site when in mid-session using our recording and rehearsal spaces. The room where our repair is located is temperature & humidity-controlled to avoid any damp corrosion of sensitive capacitors and circuit boards. if you're replacing corroded parts with more corroded parts, the lifespan of the repair will be shortened." If you're unable to fix an instrument or a piece of kit in-house, then you may have to turn to a specialist repair shop. Repair Surgeons at Soundstage Studios David Croft at Soundstage Studios said: "We cater for pre-tour rehearsals and stage shows where, for instance, over a week or so of intense rehearsals we help scrutinise technical issues, iron out any snags and repair instrument failures to build a show that runs flawlessly from start to finish. We also have decades of experience running the Synthesiser Service Centre. Specialist repair guys Repair Specialists fix instruments for players from all walks of life, often using specialist tools and equipment. Some run repair courses for musicians and other repairers. Scot at New Cut Studios said: "We have a couple of repair guys that we outsource to if anyone comes to us with amp, PA or other equipment repairs such as pedals or anything else." Peter Lancaster at Airtight Studios said: "We have a local amp repairer who we recommend to our customers as long as the equipment does not involve surface-mount technology circuits. For guitar and bass repairs we also have a guy locally. If I can't fix bits of drums that get broken then they will need to be replaced." Conal Cunningham at London's Bush Studios  said: "We can sort keyboard and mixing repairs because we're linked with Puretech Solutions in Wiltshire conveniently located just off the M4 motorway a digital keyboard repair specialist. Puretech Solutions is a good example of a specialist electronic repairers. It is recognised as one of the UK’s best repair service centres as an Authorised Service Centre for several manufacturers. It has a small team working in its workshop facilities also able to carry out a repair onsite at your home, on stage or emergency callouts. It can carry out warranty and non warranty repairs on many makes and models of digital and stage pianos approved by several manufacturers including Yamaha, Roland, Nord, Korg, Casio & Kawai. It can also repair on Yamaha digital mixing consoles and Yamaha and Roland Electronic Drum kits. Puretech Solutions offers convenient pre-booked repair drop-off/collection points across the UK, including their main office/workshop in Wiltshire, and locations in West London, West Midlands,, East Midlands, and the South West. Synthesizer Service Centre at Soundstage Studios David Croft at Soundstage Studios said: "Our Synthesiser Service Centre are repair services with a wealth of experience repairing and servicing electronic equipment. We have been providing warranty support to many major brands used throughout the entertainment industry since the early 1980s including Akai, Moog, Roland, Yamaha and many more. Our trade counter is open to the public where we're pleased to help with out-of-warranty equipment repairs from walk-in customers." David continued: "Sometimes new parts are no longer available but at the Synthesiser Service Centre we have the mechanical and electronic engineering facilities to provide solutions to otherwise impossible problems. Some years ago, The Synthesiser Service Centre acquired a company that had been servicing and repairing keyboard instruments for more than 30 years. With access to service records and technical schematics dating back to the 1930s, we were then in a position to create “The Vintage Keyboard Company”. This was dedicated to continuing support for vintage pianos and organs such as Hammonds, Fender Rhodes, Mellotrons, Wurlitzers, ARPs and Moogs, as well as a wide range of valve amplifiers from Ampeg, Laney and Leslie (among many others)." Guitars Ackworth Guitar Setups in West Yorkshire has begun an initiative working directly with music rehearsal spaces. It has been established for 10 years and in 2021, it launched the UK's first chain of guitar repair shops in Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, Cambridge and Northampton. Tristan Johnson Tristan Johnson at Ackworth Guitar Setups said: "We work with Eiger Studios in Leeds and Brunswick Mill Studio’s new site at Salford offering both off-site and on-site services. Having worked at scale across the UK, we’ve become well versed in the art of managing repairs and working with our customers." The company offers guitar repairs, setups, fret levelling, rewiring, headstock repairs, neck resets and finished repairs on electric, acoustic and bass guitars. Its technicians are experts in working with Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and Rickenbacker guitars and worked with international touring bands. Tristan continued: "Guitar and amp repairs are a niche skill. We are able to offer repair courses to those interested in learning. We have introduced a membership scheme to offer people access to a great way of paying for work at reduced prices. It’s just making a difference to people and it’s our way of saying thanks to our customers." Electric guitar bridge Whether you’re a casual musician looking for a repairer near to where you live, or a professional on tour in need of an emergency repair, FindRepairers is a useful web-based directory of instrument repairers, makers, luthiers, ateliers and specialist instrument crafts people. A quick search on google will also reveal small businesses able to offer amplifier, drum repairs or the repair shop in a music rehearsal space. Hourly rehearsal spaces often have instruments and kit available to hire. If on occasion an amp fails or a drum skin breaks during rehearsal, the space can often hire a replacement so the rehearsal can continue with minimum disruption. At any stage of learning to play an instrument it is vital to know how to perform at least a few basic repairs and know some maintenance tips in order to get the best out of your kit. Only once you have exhausted your skills could you think about a specialist repairer.

London January 2009, and a group of music practitioners from the education, community and professional music sectors met at Morpeth School to consider what future music spaces in schools should look like. The meeting was part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, a UK Government funding scheme to transform secondary education in England. For some background context, the writer Christopher Small decades earlier said: " The very physical structure of the orthodox classroom, which so resembles that of the orthodox concert hall, with its rows of desks facing the blackboard and the teacher, making interaction possible only between teacher and pupil, never between pupil and pupil, makes clear, before a word has been uttered, the direction from which knowledge is to come" (p.184-185, Small, 1977). With this as the backdrop, the meeting more than 30 years later began in earnest amongst professional music educators. Led by Ian Sutton, from Arts Council England, the meeting explored the concepts for a music learning space based on their collective experience. music practice room Summary of the discussion The panel mapped out the range of issues and initiatives that have shaped the future direction of music in schools. The overall message was because developments such as the drive towards community use of school facilities, new designs and specifications were needed to reflect a growing interaction between ‘formal’ education and cultural learning/engagement with music in the community as a whole. Muzzle Music Rehearsal Studios In relation to the delivery of music learning in schools, it was agreed spaces need to be able to accommodate an ever-growing range of exciting new musical and learning styles ranging from ‘traditional’ instrumental tuition to informal peer learning. With these factors in mind, the discussion around design ultimately centred around the need for flexible spaces. The challenge, of course was being able to provide flexibility within a budget and in relation to practical considerations particularly around sound-proofing. Another big talking point was storage. Not only is it important to incorporate enough of it into your plans but that it needs to be based around a systematic design where ease of access is the defining element. The following is an outcome of these discussions, representing a series of ideas and concepts for schools. Key considerations for designing a music rehearsal space in a school could include: A music space needs to reflect the changing use of schools in general, with a growing emphasis on extended services, co-location of services and community use. Therefore, the design of music spaces needs to consider how it can respond to the needs of the community and the way people engage with music at a local level. If there is a lack of affordable rehearsal space or recording studios in the area, can the school provide these facilities? Spaces need to be a combination of ‘flexible’ and ‘fixed’. Adequate storage space is critical and should be positioned in such a way that teachers and learners can easily access what they need close to the space in which they are working. Storage also needs to be organised in such a way that instruments and equipment can be quickly and methodically packed up and returned to storage at the end of the session. Sound proofing is essential. Some teachers/practitioners felt that current regulations relating to the acoustic requirements in school spaces were inadequate for modern music making and needed to be revised. Morpeth School had been able to take advantage of the natural sound-proofing offered by adapting basement rooms as rehearsal spaces and hoped to recreate this feature in a new build. Any new build should be positioned so that sound is projected away from neighbouring buildings, including nearby housing. An architect or acoustic design consultant can prepare a design specification for your individual requirements. Heating and ventilation should not be secondary considerations, as heating and ventilation systems can be noisy, damaging to sensitive equipment, and unhealthy for students – especially in an environment in which acoustic considerations can result in windowless, enclosed spaces. Similarly, lack of natural light can be detrimental to performance, mood and ambience. Advances in technology make the use of glass in sound-proofed situations much more of a reality. Recording and playback facilities in every room. By using hand-held ‘field recorders’ and other portable devices, or by linking each room to a central recording studio teachers/practitioners and students would be able to utilise instant playback as part of their music learning progression. Access and Circulation. Doors need be wide enough and easy to open when you’re carrying for example a double bass or a guitar amp. Also, positioning your main entrance so that it’s accessible from the street makes it easier to use the space beyond the school day (thereby increasing access for students who may want to rehearse in their own time, or to promote access by the community). Making sure you have the right number of doors (properly labelled) is essential for public licensing. Personal safety, security and behaviour – whether related to students or visitors – are important issues. Clear lines of visibility including liberal use of window space and wide corridors will allow monitoring of activity and ease of access. The following outlines an evolving concept for how a music department might be structured into four ‘Zones’, and how they might be used: Zone 1 (flexible) A music department’s list of music activities can be extensive and varied, with greatly differing spatial requirements. Therefore ‘flexibility’ is the constant refrain in any discussion about space. The conceptual solution would be a single, large room intersected by a network of soundproof retractable walls that could be worked into any arrangement of smaller rooms at any time. A more practical option would be a room large enough for group instruction with a series of four or five smaller ‘break out’ rooms leading from it. Also, there is no particular need for any of these rooms to be square. A circle or oval space could work better in terms of students being able to face each other or focus on a group leader. Zone 2 (fixed) Despite a general call for flexibility, some spaces still need to remain ‘fixed’: a recording studio and space for the workforce (including rest space and administration space) for example. This ‘fixed’ zone may be best placed at the core of the space so that its functions can radiate into each of the ‘flexible’ spaces leading from it. Zone 3 (social) A music space in a school should not be a sanitised arts centre but a space that is designed by and for students. Having social spaces such as a seating area, informal performing area, possibly even a café, gives students a space in which they can interact. A public space of this kind could also provide opportunities to generate income by promoting community use of the space. Zone 4 (storage) It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of storage. In the model to the right, storage is designed in such a way as to be held centrally, like a carousel, and therefore accessible from any room with minimum effort. Failing this, making sure as many boxes, flight cases or pieces of equipment as possible are on wheels would be critical. The UK's Musical Futures programme which coincided with this scheme stated: "Music facilities vary greatly from school to school. In the least ideal situations there is one classroom, often surrounded by classes teaching other subjects. In schools with more space, practice rooms are often occupied by instrumental staff teaching individuals or small groups of students...It is not just about having lots of break-out spaces for students to work in, but also about ensuring that the overall environment and atmosphere of the music department is one in which students are able to be creative." music map of London musicians London Music Education Survey Following this initiative i n 2011 the UK's Institute of Education carried out a major survey of the state of music education in London. The city plays host to a wide range of professional musicians and music organisations representing a broad spectrum of musical genres and cultural traditions. The survey revealed a number challenges and suggestions needed to be addressed to increase the number of young people participating in music: A large drop in students taking part in extra-curricular music education activity when they moved to secondary school (11 years old) Rock, pop and contemporary music were by far the most common types of ensemble Music services reported inadequate accommodation as a fairly significant barrier There was a perceived need for strong links between schools and the music industry The lack of effective pathways for those wishing to study popular music were also raised Lessons, workshops and projects are taking place in studios, universities, theatres, churches, old people’s homes, community halls, prisons, young offenders institutions, museums and galleries, health centres, hospitals, concert halls, hostels, music colleges, outdoors and online A range of activities were available through community music providers, arts organisations, music colleges and universities, including jam sessions, DJ drop-in nights, family orchestras, sign-language choirs, big bands, flamenco groups, glee clubs, beatboxing, folk groups and junk bands The report recommended partnerships are vital to: Provide progression routes for learners whose skills and interests are not catered for by schools and Music Services Enrich the music education of existing learners, inspire them to progress in their learning and provide them with outstanding opportunities to listen, perform, and compose young musician Are schools good for young people to learn music? Given the challenges in attracting young people to continue to learn to play a music instrument and the financial constraints placed on state schools, it is perhaps unlikely the building of modern music spaces would emerge as a priority in schools. Anthony Everitt in his book Joining In looked into participatory music and concluded: “If resources of this kind are also open to use by the local community children will find it easier to make the imaginative and practical link between school work and music-making in the world at large: this may help to ensure that they maintain their musical interests after leaving school…what is needed is a kind of ‘one-stop shop’ for music-makers, a network of citizens’ music advice bureaux which would not only offer good counsel but identify the whereabouts of such resources as musical instruments and equipment, studios and rehearsal space” (p. 77/161, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1997). The following issues may conspire to restrict access to a music-making facility located on a school site: The school management structures that oversee school premises, quite rightly, act in the interests of young people, not necessarily the wider cultural community The opening times of a music facility is subject to the goodwill of the Headteacher possibly limiting wider public access in out of school hours Their design and construction are predicated on a formal learning environment and not a ‘real-life’ authentic music space experience Governance issues may hinder developing long-term partnerships with cultural and commercial organisations that would help with sustainability and development Access to the facility is likely to be free possibly putting it at odds with fostering a sense of entrepreneurialism Such a facility will be subject to education priorities rather than reflecting other government policies allied to the music industry What would be a more appropriate space? The Sports Centre or gym may provide an alternative model in offering a diverse range of musical opportunities supplying instruments, equipment, sound-proofed rooms, music technology and the professional leadership skills to support this work. There are no comparable music facilities comparable to the ubiquity of those in the sports world, where users can self-develop the skills needed for music participation, production and performance. Instead, would-be young musicians are reliant on the vagaries of the commercial music rehearsal space sector. Thus, the progression routes built in to the structures and networks of the sports world make reaching international competitions less of a lottery. music space layout If such a space is realised, a pipeline of competent musicians would feed in to the music industry having graduated from the informal music sector. Indeed, this may be something the music industry given the right encouragement may wish to support. Trends are already showing that in the coming decades more time and money will be spent by those over 40 years old on leisure and recreation – and not just on TV, radio and ‘resting’ activities. As a result, music will come to play a huge role in utilising the wisdom and potential of this older society in both creating and fulfilling the demand for more meaningful activities. References Anthony Everett - Joining In: An Investigation into participatory music, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1997) Christopher Small - Music, Education, Society 1977

Manic Rehearsal Studio Without a space, music scenes remain rootless, moving from one location to another with little time to explore, connect and create. Musicians need a place. Several studies have evidenced the importance of music in giving a sense of place when regenerating our towns and cities. In research conducted in 2011 as part of the Creative Economy Programme it found: "The things that contribute to a vibrant, creative local sector are part of the wider cultural assets of a city – its sense of identity, its record shops, its large and small venues, its libraries and book shops, its museums and galleries, its parks and open spaces, students and cafes" (p.44). A UK Government task force also found the benefits of participation in the arts display similar benefits to those reported in the areas of health, crime reduction, employment and education (p.21-22, PAT10, DCMS, 1999). Music-making as a social activity in all its forms brings benefits to our towns and cities. However, in 2018 the Live Music Exchange survey of UK musicians suggested a third found a lack of an affordable rehearsal space had a negative impact on their career development (p.73/74). So why doesn’t the planning to build music rehearsal spaces feature in regeneration programmes? Against The Fence Place not location Generally, public and commercial organisations take much interest in the physical regeneration of an area as the key to rejuvenating communities rather than social programmes. However, the notion that the future economic success of a city is founded on its creative base is increasingly accepted across the developed world. As a society how much we pay for a particular use of a building reflects the value we as a community place upon the activity taking place there. Musicians have played an important part in establishing the location of music scenes. Seattle had its sub-pop grunge, Chicago has electric blues, and Nashville country. Detroit was the birthplace of both Motown and the hard-edge distorted indie rock of The White Stripes. Austin has Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, and a host of legendary singer-songwriters. Then there's of course New Orleans jazz, brass, and funk; San Francisco’s psychedelic sound; and the reverb-soaked rockabilly that is inextricably associated with Memphis’s Sun Records. Punk emerged in late 1970's London. The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays came along in Manchester in the 1990s. Going back further, cabaret-style jazz in 1920s Paris and symphonic classical music in 18th century Vienna helped to create vibrant urban cultures. As well as the talent making a scene, buildings create the conditions in which it is fostered. Music scenes are places. Richard Florida in his paper Music for the Masses (2009) wrote how musicians cluster more in some places than others. Musicians are mobile, and do not require a lot of capital, access to raw materials, or even proximity to anchor institutions like universities. They come to some places because there are lots of venues, clubs, conservatories and recording studios, and they can make a living and stake out a career. Musicians create places. Guitar World If towns and cities increasingly look the same, offering similar experiences and similar world-wide brands, the quest for wider recognition will hot up. Increasingly city authorities are recognising their unique culture is a major asset to project their distinctiveness and specialness: “Culture plays the central role in establishing the identity of a place and that having a distinctive identity is crucial in a world in danger of becoming homogenous” (p.15, Landry, 2003). Cultural resources such as music rehearsal spaces are the raw materials, and the act of music-making the mechanism which bring places to life. Cultural opportunities such as easy access to a music rehearsal space can be an effective way of providing a spurt to wider regeneration of a neighbourhood or an estate (p.8-9, Smith, 1997). Alabama Shakes The Creative Economy Programme research concluded: "Place differs from location because it encapsulates a set of social, environmental and cultural factors in addition to locational factors such as distance to market and the availability of appropriate labour" (p.7). Although musicians can record and distribute their music from anywhere, they continue to cluster in city centre's to be closer to live music venues and alternative employment opportunities for additional income. Many studies have emphasised locational difficulties for visual artists, whereas the exploration of rehearsal space for independent musicians has yet to be investigated. It may therefore be problematic to suggest musicians experience the same challenges as visual artists, dancers or actors when assessing issues of displacement and affordability. Even though independent musicians face comparable struggles, they also face new and unique challenges when acquiring space. Earcandy These particular space requirements are not appropriate for residential and most commercial spaces. Although there may be plenty of commercial space available, sound proofing and acoustic treatment can be costly, requiring technical know-how often beyond the capabilities of the average person. Musicians may not necessarily rehearse and prepare for shows in their home. This is due to a sonic requirement for space and working with others. Loud volume will need to be tolerated by landlords, tenants and the building’s physical structure. Musicians accessing the space by car also means parking and traffic noise is a consideration. Access to good public transport aids musicians in getting to their rehearsals faster and cheaper from home. These particular space requirements have left a specialised niche market which has been filled by rehearsal space businesses. Given that live music now makes up the majority of income for independent musicians, having a centrally located rehearsal space comes at a great economic advantage for musicians. Of course, the downside to improving the quality of life in an area where the music scene becomes popular, attracts property developers, forcing up the cost for space, gentrifying the redundant buildings often used as rehearsal spaces, to convert in to homes and offices. Rehearsal Factory Case Study: Toronto (Money For Nothing) Independent musicians in Toronto are forced to continually negotiate between affordable space and separation from the central city’s employment opportunities and amenities. Research in to the cost of monthly rehearsal spaces for musicians in the City of Toronto, Canada in 2010 highlighted easily accessible rehearsal spaces in the central area of the city were the most costly, posing a serious concern in retaining emerging musical talent, forcing many to relocate to other affordable cities or suburban areas. They found centrally located rehearsal spaces were closest to the largest number of music venues in the city, best served by public transport, and the most costly to rent.  Musicians' finances Independent musicians face challenges that burden them financially adding to their difficulty in paying for their use of a rehearsal space. Since the advent of music streaming, the value of recorded music has plummeted. Although musicians can now distribute their music independently over the internet and record professionally for much less money than ever before, the combination of these factors has resulted in lower entry barriers into the music economy. This has led to an increase in the number of independent musicians competing for sources of income for their work. Other factors, such as the rise in divorce rates, an increase in the number of people living alone and lower incomes during a recession, have driven more people to downsize or live in flats and apartments – which in turn means increasingly musicians are looking for places outside the home to make music. Add to this the cost in soundproofing a room in your home and still the likelihood of the lower frequencies annoying your neighbours at unsociable hours, means many musicians resort to looking for a rehearsal space. Band room layout An international Statista survey in 2020 of the average size of homes in selected countries found Australia had the largest, closely followed by the U.S. and Canada. Houses in Europe, Mexico and Brazil were significantly smaller. This suggests the demand and use of homes for music rehearsals may differ from country to country depending on available space. For example, it may be more common in the US and Canada for musicians with larger houses to use their garage or basement to rehearse rather than hire a practice room. Music rehearsal spaces are reliant on the limited finances of musicians. For many musicians, hiring a professional rehearsal space is a direct cost to themselves. Those workers in the music industry who do not perform and whose focus is on maximising concert income, merchandise sales and streaming may not appreciate the value music rehearsal spaces play in supporting music artists. Space Rehearsal & Recording Scale and size The scale and purpose of music rehearsal spaces vary according to the size of the community they serve. Some must necessarily be for general purposes, whereas others may specialise. The cost of running music rehearsal spaces is such that their number can be supported by any given population is limited. With a smaller population it may be difficult to sustain this number: there may be only two practice rooms or even one, jeopardising its very survival (p.34, adapted from Alec Nisbett’s Sound Studios, 1995). In an evaluation of a new arts centre involving young people in Gateshead in the UK, the consultants found the benefits of having 26 practice rooms in one music rehearsal facility. They suggested how the scale of a music rehearsal facility might look: “Scale is important in two ways. First, scale involves the notion of critical mass. Only by being on a large scale, with the involvement of large numbers of schools and young people can some of the beneficial features of the whole system emerge. For example, scale enables progression, where talent can be taken to its limits. Scale offers variety, so that if a young person is not drawn to one genre, they can still flourish in another. Then there is the scale of the building itself and the facilities that come with an investment of that size – opportunities to perform, chances to listen to the world’s best musicians, rehearsal spaces of differing sizes and formats” (p.23, Hitting The Right Note, 2005). Richard Florida found the size of a town or city is not everything, as Nashville's dominance and the performance of other smaller cities show. Smaller places can develop significant clusters of musicians and the music industry: "Talented musicians are drawn to and cluster around other talented musicians. Doing so, they generate a human capital — competing against each other for new sounds and audiences, combining and recombining with each other into new bands — a Darwinian process out of which successful acts rise to the top and achieve broad success." In this way, through the clustering of talent and combination and recombination, cities with vibrant music scenes mimic the process of innovation more broadly. Helios Studios Engaging with the music scene Local talent once encouraged can promote an area on a worldwide basis. A major task is to engage meaningfully and on a level with the scenes that already exist. Providing a performance venue can help build the local scene, where perhaps bringing only internationally known musicians might be good for prestige, but does little to support what's already happening other than the occasional performance. The challenge is finding ways to play a role in supporting music rehearsal spaces, working with musicians to interweave the changing fabric of their work and influences. Providing space is just the starting point: what matters is what musicians do in a shared space. Not all music genres require the same pattern of organisation. For example, independent music colleges such as the UK's Guildford Academy of Contemporary Music and The Institute of Contemporary Music use their rehearsal spaces to host showcase evenings for students to perform in front of invited record label staff, artist managers and publishers. The rehearsal space is a route to being “signed”. Due to their size and production needs, orchestras and opera companies often need larger spaces and performance venues to rehearse. Paul Willis, in his book Common Culture, based on research into the cultural life of young people makes an important point about the demographic of musicians accessing popular music activity: "Even rock music, which was expected to be associated with working-class cultural creativity, was often found to be more accessible to those who had benefited from middle-class upbringings which offered the resources and positive attitudes to encourage musical and artistic involvement from an early age" (p. 50-51, Common Culture, 1990). New spaces can’t simply be built and then ignore what’s happening around them. As the monetary value of land and buildings grow, music rehearsal spaces can be increasingly scarce and expensive. Policies of access to facilities are of great importance in terms of cultural production, representation and identity. Performance spaces as a rehearsal space New venue initiatives will be more effective if they take on board the idea of developing a sense of local ownership from the beginning. Supporting low-rent music rehearsal spaces to encourage the involvement of the indigenous population can lead to the first glimmerings of a creative music scene. Widening engagement is about ensuring musicians have the opportunity to participate and create their own music. This becomes particularly important for musicians who see the social experience as of equal importance to the event. They may want to enjoy their time outside the performance venue in a rehearsal space collaborating with other musicians. The book A Creative Future argued: "It is clearly misguided to provide poor facilities for community-based work on the assumption that users do not expect high quality surroundings" (p.118, ACGB, 1993). Valuing Live Music When studies have looked at the use of performance spaces as music practice rooms, they found over three-quarters (77%) of venues have never used any part of their spaces for bands or musicians to rehearse. Church halls, community centres and student unions are more likely to have held rehearsals (p.34, A Survey of Live Music Staged in England & Wales in 2003/4, 2004). In 2018, the UK-based Live Music Exchange survey findings of UK musicians, venues, promoters and audiences also suggested only a quarter of performance venues offered tools and space for musicians to rehearse and record (p.32). Strong spaces of cultural consumption connecting spaces of production breed innovation and in turn lead to competitive creative businesses capable of attracting the highest quality creative knowledge workers (p.10, The Creative Economy Programme, 2011). iIlustration by Michael Hambouz Public funding There is little direct investment from the public sector in the building infrastructure for rehearsal spaces. There is no one policy, but various strategies, programmes and publications have stressed the importance of space for rehearsing as part of other activity. The writer Charles Landry has suggested government and local authority structures supporting culture should be rethought: "Cultural thinking needs to move away from an exclusive focus on art forms to an emphasis on culture as the lived experience or complex reality of a place. This has a significant implication in that ministries of culture or divisions in cities responsible for it should see themselves as ministries advocating for culture right across other ministries and departments rather than being the ministry or department of culture" (p.5, Landry, 2003). Local government authorities can play an important role in the provision of music rehearsal facilities. From the local parks to leisure centres, town and city councils enable a huge range of recreational activities to happen. They have an important leadership role to play, bringing schools, voluntary clubs, National Governing Bodies, health and the private sector together to forge partnerships, unblock barriers to participation and improve the local music scene. Yet despite local authorities duty to promote healthy lifestyles and economic development, there is no statutory or legal requirement for them to provide facilities for leisure, let alone music. With no statutory duty, it allows for an incentive to sell or close facilities. The challenge is finding appropriate ways to support music spaces. If more rehearsal spaces are to be developed and accessed by musicians, with the consequent benefits to the economy, new ways of financing development must be considered. The Live Music Exchange (2018) survey suggested local and national administrations [should] encourage more extensive funding for music rehearsal spaces (p.68). Printworks Diversifying revenue streams amongst a mix of public grants and earned income would suggest a route to consider when drawing up a sustainable business plan. Consideration needs to be given to placing new spaces in deprived areas only when consistent and long-term support from a public authority is guaranteed. London's Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone in his 2011 manifesto Protecting London’s Live Music asserted: “The preservation of particular venues alone will not secure the future of live music in London - it is just as important to ensure that support for venues is coupled with a strategy that supports the provision of rehearsal space and places for making and performing and studying music”. The Live Music Exchange argued for future live music censuses, other components of the ecology should also be mapped such as rehearsal spaces (p.10). If agencies are ignorant of how rehearsal spaces can connect musicians to their audiences, regenerating our towns and cities using music will be limited. References Alec Nisbett - Sound Studios, 1995, p. 34, Focal Press Paul Willis, Common Culture: Symbolic Work at Play in the Everyday Cultures of the Young 1990 Chris Smith - Creative Futures: Culture, Identity and National Renewal, Introduction, Fabian Society, 1997 Charles Landry - Imagination & Regeneration: Cultural policy and the future of cities, 2003 Council of Europe

It is likely more people are making music or playing an instrument for enjoyment than there are professional musicians. What's the evidence? It is from this pool, talent is plucked by managers, agents and promoters making amateurs integral to the music industry. One writer particularly concerned with musical creativity is anthropologist Ruth Finnegan. Professor Finnegan at the UK's Open University conducted extensive research among 'invisible' musicians in 1989. She surveyed amateur, semi-professional and relatively unknown musicians who play music week in, week out, in orchestras, choral societies, rock and jazz bands, folk groups and brass bands. These musicians mostly play music for the pleasure of the experience, rather than overtly attempting to 'make it' in the music business. However, most of their musical learning occurs in relation to existing music circulated by the recording industry. Hence, she argues, it would be misleading to think such musicians are 'outside' or independent of the music business. She argues they are connected through their purchase of instruments, amps and recordings to enable them to produce music similar to that they have heard. These musicians have been termed 'hidden' musicians or informal musicians. Crash Rehearsal Studios Little up-to-date research has quantified the extent to which informal music-making exists in our communities. Add to this, it has a transient and unstable nature. Alf Clarke at the UK's Musicians' Union suggested amateur rock and pop bands (at various stages of development) last no longer than three to four years. However, what studies do exist perhaps give some indication of the prevalence of music-making: A study of musical life in the UK town of Milton Keynes in the mid-1980s found 100 functioning rock and pop bands in a population of 120,000 (Finnegan, 1989). The Liverpool Echo newspaper had undertaken a survey of the Merseyside region which concluded Merseyside had more than 1,000 bands in a population of 1.48m (Cohen, 1990). In 1991 a survey in Leicestershire revealed that some 1,140 individuals were active in rock and pop, of which 96 per cent were semi-professional or amateur (Cummins, 1992). The National Music Council reported at least 600,000 people actively participate in amateur and voluntary music-making (Hutchinson et al, 1991, pp.200-210). In July 2005, The Observer newspaper published the results of a survey, What is Britain listening to? [6], undertaken by the ICM agency. It found more than one in four Britons play a musical instrument. Catalyst Studios The success pyramid It is perhaps not commonly appreciated the large part of being a musician involves rehearsing on your own and with others, not in front of an audience. To date, the provision of professional rehearsal spaces largely exist within the commercial sector, with very little insight in to their importance by other sectors of the music industry. The progression from music space to performing in a small venue in front of a paying audience is critical to a musician’s career. Access to a music rehearsal space prior to performance is obviously an important part of this ecology. Suitably equipped and affordable spaces play as significant a role as small venues in honing musicians’ skills. Access to such places equally represent a critical entry point for many interested in music as a leisure or professional pursuit. Access to a high quality music space is likely to sustain music-making across all social strata, where amateurs and professionals can exchange ideas and practice with potentially far reaching social, economic and artistic benefits. Anthropological evidence Two academics have suggested that perhaps we have lost what it is to make music amongst ourselves. Margaret Mead sums up a great deal of the position of music in traditional Balinese society in her book The strolling players in the mountains of Bali : "Nor is there any gap between rehearsal and performance. From the moment an orchestra begins to practise an old piece of music, there is a ring of spectators, aspiring players, substitute players, small boys and old men, all equally engrossed in the ever-fresh creation of a new way of playing an old piece of music” (p.43-44, Mead, 1939). Christopher Small in his book Music, Education, Society has also investigated how we have become divorced from making music for our own entertainment: "The separation of producer from consumer is confirmed by the ever greater and greater technical skills of performers… in setting standards of technical proficiency that non-professionals cannot begin to approach, they are removing the practice of music ever further from the ordinary citizen and confirming him even more completely in the role of consumer” (p.94-95, Small, 1977). Music Box Rehearsal Studio Groups who play together for any length of time find a group style and an empathy. They place little importance on technical prowess for its own sake. One plays as well as one can, and work’s harder at developing group awareness than individual virtuosity. As Cornelius Cardew said: "Training is substituted for rehearsal, and a certain moral discipline is an essential part of this training" (p. xviii, Cardew, 1971). Intangible musical heritage Important bodies have recognised the importance of music as an heritage asset. In 2016 the UNESCO Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage added Musical Traditions to its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the UK, the Heritage Lottery Fund has financially supported a number of projects including historic music venues, archives of legendary rock bands and exhibitions on how a genre has shaped a generation. Band On The Wall, Manchester In 2019, the Manchester venue Band on the Wall was granted £1.4million from The National Lottery to host a wider range of events and unveil the musical heritage of the city’s migrant communities. The venue is well known to music fans across the country for hosting some of the earliest shows from Manchester legends Joy Division, The Fall and The Buzzcocks. Whether it is telling the stories of grime in Walthamstow or early rock and roll, such bodies recognise the impact on people and places. Music shapes communities and defines cultures. Music spaces play a practical and often active role in supporting the development of talent. Without a network of local groups there will be no stadium-touring bands and musicians of tomorrow. References [1] www.4children.org.uk/information/show/ref/86 [2] www.ccskills.org.uk/industries/music.asp [3] www.mia.org.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=19 [4] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,13887,1528542,00.html [5] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,13887,1528542,00.html [6] http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,13887,1528542,00.html Ruth Finnegan - The Hidden Musicians: Music-Making in an English Town, 1989, Cambridge University Press Margaret Mead - The strolling players in the mountains of Bali, American Museum of Natural History, 1939 Christopher Small - Music, Education, Society 1977 Cornelius Cardew - Towards An Ethic of Improvisation, Treatise Handbook, 1971, p. xviii

City and Moon Backline Ever thought what Facebook posts you should make for your music rehearsal space? Bandspace followed hundreds of spaces on the web over 3 months and reports back... Focal Point There's simply no credit given to social entrepreneurs who have often invested small fortunes and worked hard to build a music rehearsal space. They are part of the local music ecology, along with recording studios and venues. They should therefore be acknowledged as an integral part of the music industry, in particular their critical role in developing new talent and providing pathways in to the live and recording sectors. The Octave Rooms Based on research following over 500 music rehearsal spaces in the UK, this article hopes to get those who manage music spaces and social media thinking about the sort of posts they can make to develop and maintain their customer base. We were not able to visit the spaces in person so we wholly relied on how well they presented themselves on Facebook. We can summarise our findings below. Aardvark Music Services Regular updates Making a variety of posts on different social media networks attracts the interest of a range of people. Regular status updates imparts the personality of your space such as offering a discount will encourage musicians to engage with your content. Including a picture along with your text attracts more attention. A short video works very well too (see the  Bandspace Youtube channel  for some examples). Facebook "page" Most spaces run a Facebook page, rather than maintaining their business presence on their personal account or a group page. Maintaining a Facebook page gives those managing them flexibility and looks professional. By selecting Artist, Band or Public Figure, then Musician/Band, gives you more options and can be managed from your personal page. Posting twice a day and no less than twice a week should help to maintain your presence. You can also allow colleagues to become admin users of the page. Content with media gains more notice. A well taken, bright photo accompanying an announcement will gain more views than just text. Arctic Monkeys rehearsing Think about your audiences Think about separating your social media accounts for your practice rooms from your other work. For example, some music rehearsal spaces also promote gigs so differentiate the audiences for your gigs (live music fans) from the musicians using your space by establishing separate pages. This means your posts will hit the right audience at the right time and will likely be more effective. By regularly visiting the Insights page on your Facebook page will give you an idea of which posts are more popular than others. If you also manage a recording studio, you may want to think about setting up separate pages for these because rehearsing musicians will be using your practice room more regularly than your recording studio. They are using your space for different reasons. Goodwill Don't underestimate the value you bring to the music world. You can generate much goodwill by offering information about the music scene based on your experience working with many bands and musicians. Goodwill will encourage those considering using your space to view your Facebook page, and hence your service, as a source of information, advice and guidance. Honesty in your posts about any challenges you may face will help to galvanise support and loyalty. For example, users will be more likely to accommodate increases in hire rates. Your goodwill may give you an edge over your competition. Activities Some spaces organise activities and events such as workshops, lessons, masterclasses, clinics and open days to attract new users. This promotes the idea you are accessible, friendly and helpful, wanting to encourage more music-making. You may want to work in partnership with others to enable you to deliver this. Positioning Make it easy for musicians to find where you are. Include a google map on your website and FB page so new users can easily find you. Also, list available parking and public transport links. Its not just about location either. You could write a description of your local live music scene, listing the major bands past & present, to provide a tipping point to those on the periphery or new to the local music scene to join. It will also give those located further afield a sense your scene is thriving and encourage them to visit. Maintaining and developing your audiences You should view your timelines as part of your service and not simply a means to promote your space. This means engaging your Facebook friends in your posts. And remember, social media is a two-way conversation. Always, always, press "Like" if you have read someone else's post even if you feel indifferent about its content. This credits the source, provides positive feedback and encourages similar posts. Even better, is to leave a comment. Video Photos, videos, blogs and social media are all things most media-savvy music makers are using already. Research suggests websites that contain video content are generally ranked higher in Google searches. It found 85% of customers are more likely to buy a product after seeing a demonstration video. Also, 50% of visitors to your site who watch a video remember the message, while only 10% who just hear it. Many spaces have a short and snappy video introducing their facility and offer. band rehearsal Online gigs For many years now, the way musicians interact with their audiences has undergone profound change. Nowadays, people watch music as much as they listen to it. Virtual gigs make use of streaming technology to broadcast live shows online from anywhere, including your home. Broadband internet and a webcam offers music rehearsal spaces an opportunity to provide musicians the facility to stream to their audiences all the stuff that happens during a rehearsal. It can make a record of the excitement of seeing a song being created and how the arrangements come together such as what the drummer's doing and how the guitar part works with the bass. A video recording can also act as a useful document for the band members. Traditionally, live performances have enabled musicians to attract new audiences. However, putting on gigs and tours has become more difficult, mostly due to the cost. Audience members find the convenience of attending cyber gigs easier than a real gig, reaching a worldwide audience instantly. They are, if not more, as personal as a traditional gig. The streaming platforms also host a chat facility to build a rapport with your listeners. Your cyber gig becomes a meeting place where viewers who like your music enjoy your show. Some artists have produced their own app. The app can give the viewer a 360-degree feed of a live rehearsal. The user rotates their viewpoint around the practice room while the band plays, taking in individual performances and equipment. It can also offer an interactive element giving access to a virtual mixer so the viewer can mix a song's stems. The app can bring together video footage of documentaries and interviews, rare photos and artwork, while charging hard cash. Using new technologies could ensure a music rehearsal space does not miss a huge aspect of what an artist is really about. Although not every artist perhaps warrants this level of content, the idea of sitting on your sofa, phone in hand, and watching a great rehearsal is an attractive one. In the rehearsal sphere, there's often simply no record of those who work hard for musicians to enable them to create the music. We found music rehearsal spaces most often make the following posts: AVC Band Rehearsal Studio Users 1. List current users of your space, particularly those bands you feel sound awesome with a pic or two eg. The Octave Rooms (Nottingham), Blue Line Studios (Bournemouth) and Big City Jacks Studios (Manchester). Spiral Studios (Guildford) posted an attractive picture with the caption: "Let your fans know you're here", encouraging bands to promote the rehearsal space on their own Facebook, Twitter and Instagram timelines. The AVC Band Rehearsal Studio in the Philippines has a small room with stickers plastered all over the walls used as a photographic booth. The photos are used as a record of its users. 2. List past users of your space, especially well known bands eg. Blueprint Studios (Manchester) and Bona Fide Studio (London). The Depot Outcomes and benefits 3. Describe the outcomes the bands using your space hope to achieve, for example, rehearsal before making a studio recording, preparing for local gigs, pre-tour production set, or for fun, etc. eg. Quay West Studios (Gosport). 4. Briefly list your services and benefits, including instrumental lessons & tuition, parking, ground floor access, storage, successes/achievements, etc with a link to your website eg. Mill Hill Music Complex (London). 5. Use photos of your space such as an external pic of your premises, your entrance area, individual rooms and equipment. 6. Photos of building, maintenance & decorating works eg. Yellow Arch Studios (Sheffield). 7. Promote available slots coming up over the next week and room availability. Don't forget to include your phone number or online calendar so you can respond to bookings quickly eg. Silver Lining Studios (Manchester), CMP Studios (Eastbourne) and Big Noise Studio (Northampton). 8. Post last minute cancellations including a discount if you mention the post eg.   Eiger Music Studios (Leeds), Lofi Studios (Glasgow), Silent Hill Studios (Guildford) and Riverside Rehearsal & Recording Studios (Kent). Hanking Rehearsal Studio Offers 9. Advertise special offers, concessions, gift vouchers, competitions, loyalty card & discounts for example block and last minute bookings eg. The Rock & Roll Circus (Leeds), First Avenue Studios (Newcastle), Oxygen Rooms (Birmingham), Robannas Studios (Birmingham),  The Pump House Recording & Rehearsal Studios (Lincolnshire) and Stage 2 Studios (Bath). 10. Post a big thank you to all your customers, perhaps at a time to celebrate the birthday of opening your space or a calendar event such as Halloween. eg. Studio City Rehearsal Rooms (Plymouth). 11. Advertise a special event in the space eg. Swap Shop at Plug Studios (Norwich) or an instrument / equipment showcase eg. the great North East Bass Bash at Ginger Music Company (Gateshead-on-Tyne). Some spaces post details of their masterclasses and drum clinics ( Absolute Music in Bournemouth) aimed at musicians. Two spaces hosted an intimate practice room gig ( Eiger Music Studios , Leeds) and  RiverCity (Hertford). Yellow Bean Studios (Leicester) held an open day to celebrate the opening of a new large live room. 12. Promote any work opportunities you may be offering eg. Studio 808 (Chelmsford). Such opportunities, even if they are voluntary are usually very popular. 13. Provide an introduction to your staff to give a personal and friendly touch to your online presence eg. C ream Room Sound Productions (Hertfordshire). Music Lab Extras 14. Include a ground floor plan of your music rehearsal space all in the right proportions, identifying each practice room, booths, storage, walkways, doors, WC, lounge, reception, etc e.g. Miloco Studios (London) and  Lofi Studios (Glasgow). 15. Posts of gear for sale or newly purchased items eg. amps, guitars, etc. Bally Studios (London) offered to purchase equipment for its customers such as mic stands, adding items to its regular bulk order, and passing on any discounts. 16. Repairs you regularly undertake to maintain your gear eg. London Road Studios (London) replace their practice rooms drum kit heads every two months. 17. Ask your users to pass on their honest comments on Facebook following a rehearsal. Perhaps they could use a star rating. Reviews are always the best way to get a feel for a place before you visit, so they're super important for the business. eg. Sound Inc Studios (Newcastle). Other posts include one from LS-Live making a new addition for the health & safety of clients - a defibrillator case - highlighting the organisation has a special in-house team trained to use this life saving equipment. We found posts of soundcloud/iTunes tracks and Youtube videos of bands who have used a space fairly common. The optimum times to post is probably at 5pm & 9pm on weekdays, and at weekends, also at 11am. An attractively designed logo and brand consistent across all your web, print and display platforms will help attract customers to your service. All these pointers were collected from music rehearsal spaces over three months in 2014. Good luck with posting.

Monster Studios Sick of visiting a practice room where the gear looks like it's been pulled from a skip? Tired of using a dingy practice room that smells like a cesspit? No longer want to wear three pairs of gloves and a parka coat in the winter? Well get a load of this. We followed hundreds of music rehearsal spaces' websites and Facebook pages to see what else was on offer. This article takes the best of the lot and distills our findings in an easy to follow summary. We didn't compare prices but rather grouped common offers to create three proposed levels to give an idea of the range of services available to a rehearsing musician. The more services you require the higher the cost. We were not able to visit the spaces in person so we wholly relied on how well they presented themselves on the internet. To start with we took the perspective of a rehearsing musician. Sensible Music Putting on a good performance comes down to good preparation. Hence, music rehearsal spaces play a major role in the preparation of live and recorded music. Of course, the equipment on offer can be a major factor in what makes a good music rehearsal space. However, there are big differences in how spaces operate, contributing to their survival: Many spaces offer a recording facility, a shop and cafe Some spaces put on gigs or rent PA to supplement their income Spaces with a small number of practice rooms often struggle to survive In the US, tenants of lockouts often sub-let their space to recoup their rent Also in the US, huge multi-site facilities with hundreds of practice rooms offer permanent lockouts The live event production industry publication, Total Production International, has held the  TPi awards  in London each February since 2002. The event attracts over 1,400 people from all corners of the live music and entertainment business, to acknowledge the achievements of those working within it. It hosts a sponsored category "Favourite Rehearsal Facility" with voting opening in November each year and any rehearsal spaces can be entered. Brixton Hill Studios Basic Level At the most basic level most musicians would be happy with a practice room that is: well lit warm and dry some soundproofing open till late in the evening basically clean (vacuumed regularly) near to a clean WC with running water safe and secure (fire escape, fire alarm light) easily bookable by phone, email and/or website full of accessible power sockets round the walls nearby to good public transport links and/or parking big enough to work in with ease - for a 4-5 piece band providing basic refreshments such as tea & coffee (some spaces may charge) reasonably priced - cheapest is not always the best, and you get what you pay for Yellow Bean Studios Often music rehearsal spaces advertise the dry hire cost of the practice room, meaning no amps, no drum kits, no mics, sometimes no PA. All these items can be chargeable extras. You may have your own mics, drum kit and amps to use, in which case a dry hire may be the most economical option. But if you want all the gear supplied as part of the deal, then what seems the best price can soon escalate. Spaces that rent gear in often require the hirer to collect and set it up. To unpack and set up a drum kit can take up to 20 minutes. Some spaces require it all broken down again. This process can lose you the best part of an hour. It is a good idea to check exactly what comes as part of the deal. East Valley Rocks Music Equipped Level At an equipped level most musicians would be happy with a practice room that has: seating such as chairs and/or a sofa a well maintained 5 piece drum kit (snare & cymbals cost extra) guitar amps rated at 50–100w and bass amps at 100w as a minimum basic recording facilities for reference purposes to help your development a PA system to hear a vocal clearly rated at 1000w or more with mic stands storage facilities to keep your music gear at the space to reduce loading times microphones such as the ubiquitous Shure SM58 or the Sennheisser Evolution series soundproofing on the walls/ceiling to reduce reverberation, reflections & flutter echoes Some spaces charge an extra hour if a hirer is one minute late leaving the room, or double time in 15-minute units. Some may charge for room cleaning. Whilst it is good manners to clear up your mess, it is always worth asking about the space’s get-in/out policy. Apache Road Studios Additional Features There are more features musicians may want according to their work, instruments and working methods. In addition to a basic workspace, they may wish to have some or all the following additional features (in no particular order): lighting rig air conditioning raised stage area floor wedge monitors access to wifi and/or broadband space to run education workshops car parking close to entrance of room a small shop to purchase consumables help to promote your gigs and releases reception, administration support and facilities ground floor room access to ease load in/out or has a lift attention to detail to make your rehearsal more pleasurable a larger performance or showcase space, perhaps with mirrors a space that encourages inter-band networking through its social media sites informal relaxation and social space to break out, take refreshments and chat resource base such as a noticeboard with information on opportunities, vacancies, etc A good rehearsal space should provide you exclusive access to your selected practice room and its facilities with no distractions such as people walking in and out interrupting your productivity. Ideally your practice room will not double up as a live room in a recording studio - the space will make more money from a recording session and may cancel your rehearsal booking. The Rooms Rehearsal Studios The Four Hates Those who run a music rehearsal space are responsible for the physical upkeep and day-to-day management of the premises which may include cleaning smoking, parking and storage areas. Insurances such as public liability and observing health & safety requirements all add to the cost in running a music rehearsal space. Before you book a practice room ask to have a look round while it is not in use to avoid the four hates: Members  hate  travelling - ensure the space is located centrally Hate  having a faulty or under-powered PA – check with a quick mic test Hate  hearing another band in the next room - check it has good soundproofing Musicians  hate  being roadies – find a space with ground floor access and no stairs Remember, professional bands pay extra for a larger room, good quality PA and extras such as foldback, fridge in room, whiteboard, chill out lounge etc. Many spaces provide additional services in developing their business. They can include: recording studio teaching gig promoter repair shop instrument and music gear retailer live music venue cafe video studio Stayfree Music Finally the attitude or culture of the place is crucial. Musicians want to feel they are dealing with people who are into music making on a professional level. They want to rub shoulders with other musicians, coming and going, who take their music just as seriously. They want to deal with a rehearsal space manager who smoothes the way and makes sure the toilets are reasonably clean. Oh, and they want tea and coffee making facilities with mugs on hand that are not cracked. And of course, they want the customary Persian rug strategically placed in the centre of the room to finish off the final look of the room. So, it's not just the equipment, but so many more things can make a good music rehearsal space. More information London Rehearsal Studios and what to look out for Deciding On A Rehearsal Studio

If you’re tired of hauling your gear from home to practice room and back, then a music lockout might be just the solution. What is a “lockout” or "lock-up" music practice room? They fill a very particular niche. A lockout music practice room is about having your own space for you and your band members to rehearse and gel as a performing group. You never know when inspiration strikes and a lockout room brings convenient access to your gear anytime day or night, safely and securely. ABC Rehearsal Studios Lockouts are usually rented monthly and available to hirers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Utilities such as electric, heat and WiFi are included in the rental, but no gear is provided. Pricing depends on the size of the room and the location. Added extras can include a weekly clean and access to a bar and refreshment area. They are often part of a complex of lockout rooms with 24-7 access to a bathroom. You'll have keys to the room after you’ve paid a deposit and signed a contract. The room becomes a workspace with your stuff, with your vibe, putting your commitment to music on a professional level. music lockout room Benefits Renting a lockout room can bring many benefits. Their attraction lies in no waiting time for the music rehearsal space to open its doors. You and your band members are able to leave gear set up permanently how you like it, so no more setting up and breaking down for each rehearsal. Attendance can become more consistent and productivity increased due to decreased setup time. You can also share or sublicense your room with other bands and musicians and store equipment between gigs. And you can decorate the room to make an awesome personal space that’s conducive to creating great music. Such facilities feel it is important tenants have a clean, secure, professional music rehearsal environment. Many major and independent record labels rent rooms for their clients. Well-known acts use lockout rooms for privacy away from public view. Facilities do not advertise their location address for these reasons. And they can come in all sorts of sizes... empty music lockout Size There are no standard sizes since each music space is housed in a building with its own character and configuration. However, we took a look at several spaces and room sizes. They are designed to accommodate different uses and loosely, but typically, fall into four categories: Individual: 8 X 8 ft (64 sq. ft.) or slightly larger - good for small drum room, music production, songwriting/recording and storage Small: 10 X 14 ft (140 sq. ft.) - can accommodate a 3-piece band Medium: 13 X 18 ft (234 sq. ft.) - very comfortable for a 4-piece band Large: 15 X 20 ft (300 sq. ft.) - spacious; two bands can easily share or a jam space Self-storage units Self storage facilities are an often over looked solution for rehearsal spaces, though many bands have actually been using them for years. There is an interesting blog capturing the prevalence of this growing market in the US found here: http://tinyurl.com/lov4ljz . Hootie & the Blowfish penned and practiced their hits "Hold My Hand" and "Only Wanna Be With You" in a self storage facility in the mid 90s. Self storage can be a flexible alternative to the traditional rented practice space. You can downsize your rented space temporarily if you don’t need it for a while, and get more space when you return. You might even want to expand to a bigger space, if you get some new gear or a new member joins. With self storage, you have the option to cater the space to suit your needs. Magenta Studios is such a space, based in a Personal Storage facility in Acton, West London. It offers full back line, PA and secure storage space for instruments and equipment. Academy of Contemporary Music Security is important with any practice space. If you’re storing your precious equipment, you need to know it’s in safe hands. Often, a storage centre can actually be safer than a traditional multi-user rehearsal space, where musicians are shifting gear in and out at all hours. Band members can each have a key for the unit, able to come and go as they please within the access hours of the storage centre. This is a great way for several people to store gear in one place and allows each user to pick up gear for a gig whenever they need it. You can also use your storage unit for its intended purpose: to store amps, gear and even drum kits when you’re not using them. It’s also a great place to store all the t-shirts, CDs and posters that you plan to sell as soon as you get your first gig. Climate control is important when storing instruments and amplifiers for long periods of time. Guitars (and other wooden instruments) can become warped by damp conditions and temperature change. The constant temperature and dry conditions of a self storage unit can help keep your instruments safe and in good condition. music lockout corridor When arranging self storage, it is important to make your intentions clear: don’t try and sneak around the subject. It’s a common misconception that self storage companies don’t want musicians making noise, but the majority of them are actually very accommodating, so long as you make your situation clear. Storage units as practice spaces have become so popular that many companies include special band practice clauses in their rental agreements. Storage facilities in Dallas, Nashville, Los Angeles and New York all host band practice sessions. Green Rooms outdoor studio Garden Studios Green Rooms is a company that manufactures a range of sound attenuating booths which can be used indoors as well as outdoors. All their rooms come in panel form and can be put up quickly. Some can be self assembled, or can be installed by the company. Its range of acoustic rooms can be put down the end of your garden and used for all sorts of applications including music practise, music teaching, classrooms, sound recording and production. Music Practice Rooms.com This UK-based manufacturer supply and install sound-isolating music practice rooms. Its acoustic music practice pods are used by schools and universities and also make good recording studios. The modular, relocatable design means the rooms can be virtually any shape or size to accommodate a solo singer, a band or a full orchestra in rehearsal. Container City Music Boxes Shipping Containers Container City is an another interesting solution. A development company has provided six new sound studios in London’s Docklands. Each housed within a single or double 20ft shipping container, the Music Boxes have a fully glazed entrance, porthole windows and good sound insulation. The small size of each container enables the management company to keep rent low and encourage small businesses to develop. Hanking Studio voucher Membership schemes Suburb is a rehearsal facility just outside Leeds in Keighley, West Yorkshire. It understands bands want regular access to a practice room. It offers a block booking membership scheme at £100 per month. This includes four sessions per month, late night rehearsals with no time restriction on sessions, a personal set of keys, 24-hour storage and 20% off its recording prices. Survival Studios in London offers a loyalty reward based on the London average hourly rehearsal rate. Users will be rewarded a cash discount on block booking an evening rehearsal. Gem Studios Case studies Gem Studios is a leading Lockout facility in Birmingham. As a resident band you become part of a musical community – ideal for gig-sharing, co-promotion, creative collaborations and simply making friends. If you rehearse more than five to 10 hours a week then a lockout can be a more affordable option. Some rooms are big enough for two or more bands to share which makes a lockout more attractive. Stayfree Music in Leicester offers what it calls 'resident rooms' as well as sessional practice rooms.. It charges £150 per band per month for two bands sharing. Warrington's Tuff Gong Studioplex also offer residential/lockout rooms for long-term rent. Lizard Lounge Studios Robannas Studios is located in Birmingham. It offers for a fixed weekly rent exclusive access to a secure, sound-treated room. As a resident lockout band you have access to their chill-out spaces, free pool and football tables and an in-house equipment repair workshop. Prices vary based on the amount of bands sharing and room size. Rather surprisingly, London only has one lockout space, Rooz Studios in East London allowing sub-lets to third parties. The music lockout room sector is under-developed in the UK compared to the US. ABC Rehearsal Studios Monthly rental prices in the US can start at $300 per month (approx. £190) with larger rooms costing $1500 per month (approx. £950), usually rented to record companies for artist development. ABC Rehearsal Studios is one of the largest 24-hour lockouts with nearly 200 practice rooms across two locations in a range of different sizes and layouts in the Los Angeles area. It owns both buildings, which allows it more control to invest in practical and aesthetic amenities to ensure its facilities serve the music industry in the best ways possible. Not all music rehearsal spaces offer lockouts, but it's worth looking in to if you have the opportunity. More information TK Productions 24 Hour Lockout Rehearsal Studios Lease Studio Rental Agreement - Open Flight Studio

Forest of Dean Music Makers Young people are resourceful at being able to enjoy and make music almost anywhere. The lack of proper spaces for music making, exploring new ideas, styles, genres and instruments, and accessing the emerging technologies in music, can seriously inhibit their interest, progress and creativity in a 'real-life' context. The following is abridged from an article in the Sound Sense magazine, Sounding Board, published in the Summer 2007. It is supported by various studies conducted in to how many young people wish to learn to play a musical instrument with others in a space dedicated to informal learning. For a start young people and music is an instinctive match. Many look to music lyrics as a source of reassurance and inspiration, and joining a band is a classic teen pastime. However, the lack of an affordable, well-equipped rehearsal space may mean a talented young musician may not even get off the starting block for want of access to a practice room. Youth empowerment means access to heavier and more expensive equipment. A report looking in to opportunities for young people commissioned by the UK Government in 2007 found: " Participating in art, music, drama and dance can build confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline and help develop social and team-working skills. It can also help young people to be more open-minded, better able to make friends and to deal with difficult experiences, and be more creative in their thinking". It recommended public investment should be focused on music rehearsal spaces (p.21 & 49, Aiming High for Young People, 2007). Enjoying music Many children lose interest in learning music when they reach their teenage years. Research suggests classroom music has been an inappropriate vehicle for music education at this time. A more effective music education environment may well be found within the mixed economy of out-of-school music provision (Sloboda, 2001, p.22). Teenagers more readily engage with music in informal settings committing considerable time listening to music, experimenting with software and exploring a range of music sources. The age at which members form a band is roughly between 12 and 15 years old. The social environments in which musical learning takes place such as in garages, youth clubs or places without adult supervision marks the prevalence amongst young people of learning to play an instrument outside school (Rosevear, 2008, p.89). In the UK, the Music Manifesto Report No. 1 identified Informal music as that which happens when young people organise and lead themselves without adult supervision. (DfES, 2005, p. 7). Academic Lucy Green (2002) has investigated the informal learning practices of popular musicians. She found within popular music traditions individuals: “largely teach themselves or ‘pick up’ skills and knowledge, usually with the help or encouragement of their family or peers, by watching and imitating musicians around them and by making reference to recordings or performances or other live events involving their chosen music” (Green, 2002a, p. 5). There are five main characteristics of informal music learning practices, identified by Professor Green (2006) based on her observations on how popular musicians learn: Learning based on personal choice , enjoyment, identification and familiarity with the music, as distinct from being introduced to new and often unfamiliar music Recorded music as the principal, aural means of musical transmission and skill acquisition, as distinct from notated or other written or verbal instructions and exercises Self-teaching and peer-directed learning , as distinct from learning with adult supervision and guidance, curricula, syllabi or external assessment Assimilating skills and knowledge in haphazard ways according to musical preferences, rather than following a progression from simple to complex Integration of listening, performing, improvising and composing throughout the learning process, as distinct from their increasing differentiation (Green, 2005, p. 28) Professor Green Professor Green suggests since the 1960s even though popular music has become common in music classrooms, that however the learning practices of popular musicians "bears no resemblance to how popular musicians actually learn to produce the music themselves” (Green, 2006, p. 106). Thus many informal learning practices by which these teaching musicians acquired their own skills and knowledge, may be overlooked by much popular music tuition in schools. (Green, 2002a, p. 180). "Being in a band, being a DJ, vocalist or creating your own tracks on a computer is a great motivator for young people," says community musician Mark Bick. "The first barrier to engage in these activities is the confidence to start." Peer example is the best way of overcoming this barrier. Mark continued: "When young people see someone they know, close to their age, creating music they gain far more conviction they can do it themselves than can be gained from any 'expert'. The next stage depends on the young person. Some learn best from videos, listening and watching, others benefit greatly from a bit of teaching and encouragement, from peers or from an 'expert'. But in all cases, the common need is access to equipment and suitable space." Transferable skills A culture of unpaid work experience dominates the creative and cultural industries. For employers, someone with relevant on-the-job experience is more valuable than an untested graduate. Gaining experience in a well run music space will prepare a young person for work in the creative and cultural industries. Nestle survey Young people need somewhere they can go to independently and which their parents would see as safe. They want it open for long hours and affordable. A report written by Kids’ Clubs Network based on the MORI and BMRB research findings found one in four young people hang around with nothing to do when they are not in school - a time which they are found to be most likely to get into trouble (Nestle Family Monitor, 2002, p.5). "There is a fairly long history of creating space for young bands to practice without supervision in schools and youth arts centres, but they have tended to fall in to two extremes," asserts Mark. "Either badly equipped, badly maintained and not very soundproof. Or highly expensive recording studios, with expensive equipment that only trained staff can use." "Architects seem to be incapable of accurately assessing costs at the beginning of a project," said Mark, "which makes fundraising very difficult as it is not generally possible to ask for more than the architect's estimates." Youth Matters There is strong evidence to suggest young people themselves demand an informal space where they can participate in music-making on their terms. The UK government's Youth Matters document stated: “Our first challenge is to put young people themselves in control of the things to do and places to go in their area. We don't want government agencies second guessing them. So we propose to put buying power directly in the hands of young people themselves" (DfES, 2005, p.5). "Making space sustainable means either being in a building where there is other general supervision already funded by someone else, or multiple rooms so that it is more cost effective to provide staff supervision," said Mark. "Probably the largest amount of spaces are in schools, but I do not know how music teachers cope with the aural abuse of listening to young bands practice for hours in badly soundproofed rooms. From what I can make out, many don't cope and retreat to the staff room, don't allow it to happen or give up school teaching." Musical Futures Musical Futures began as an action research project in 2003 when the Paul Hamlyn Foundation instigated an initiative to find new and imaginative ways of engaging young people, aged 11-18, in meaningful music activities. It's teaching styles attempt to place informal learning methods outlined by Professor Green in to formal school settings. Its aim was to try to understand the factors affecting the disengagement of young people with sustained music-making activities, at a time in their lives when music is not only a passion for many young people, but plays a big part in shaping their social identity. Juvat Studios It believes music learning is most effective when young people are making music together and their existing passion for music is reflected and built upon. It wants music-making to be relevant and engaging, imaginative and authentic and to keep music alive in our schools in order to nurture the creative talent of tomorrow. The experience of its three pilot projects was that schools can make their music provision more vital, and closer to their students external experience of music, by recognising the social importance which students place upon the activity, and designating accommodation accordingly. It found access to adult 'authentic' venues, equipment and instruments, where young musicians can meet other musicians, make their music available to others and find ways into the music industry as critical motivation boosters. Many young people want to find out where they can rehearse, how to get their demo listened to and put on their own events. This desire to access the resources which adults take for granted grows from a philosophy that wherever possible music-making is placed in a 'real-life' context. Its publication Musical Futures: An approach to teaching and learning revealed many school music teachers are working in inadequate facilities, and lack of space was one of the major obstacles to take on Musical Futures (Paul Hamlyn Foundation, 2010, p.194). Having the right sort of space available is a major consideration when implementing Musical Futures and ensuring the atmosphere within the music department is one in which students are able to be creative. Based upon feedback from schools the ideal set-up for Musical Futures work would be: Separate breakout spaces equipped with piano/keyboard, sound system and computer Up to four instrumental teaching spaces with piano, sound system and computer in each Technology in every practice space Recording studio Full sound proofing Musical Futures became a not-for-profit organisation in 2005. Dedicated to supporting music teachers it is based on a pedagogy driven by the musical culture of the participants. It offers training and consultancy predominantly in the UK and Europe, but has links with institutions and schools in other countries. UK Music Rehearsal Space Project Access to a rehearsal space is an integral part of the career development of young musicians and music ensembles. However, little investment has been specifically directed at the building infrastructure for music rehearsal spaces. The capital investment to convert a music space can be a big outlay representing a significant challenge to public and private operators. Funding from the UK Government enabled UK Music, working in partnership with Sound Connections, to support a two-year pilot Rehearsal Spaces project. In 2009 the project invested £430,000 to establish 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces in community settings across England for young people aged between 8–25 years. The funds paid for instruments, equipment and necessary capital works, such as soundproofing. The UK Government tasked Fearful Sharkey formerly of The Undertones to set up a network of rehearsal studios for budding musicians throughout the country. Feargal Sharkey at the time said: “It’s incredibly difficult to break into the music industry. To get a recording contract means everything to every young artist and being able to play well live is a vital ingredient of that. So it’s obvious that young musicians need somewhere decent to practice. Without new musicians and performers there is no £6 billion music industry. Without them the UK wouldn’t have such a fantastic reputation for groundbreaking music." The Bunker “But this isn’t just about what we can do for the music industry. It’s about ensuring young people have all the opportunity and support that we can possibly provide to get them into the creative industries. It’s about giving them the confidence to play in front of an audience to discover themselves and discover their music. And it’s simply about giving them somewhere to be creative.” An evaluation of the project ending in December 2012 found it raised the quality of provision and that a music space is defined by its purpose and the availability of equipment and instruments and falls in to one of the following descriptions: music practice room recording studio music technology suite performance space Cohere Bandwidth The evaluation found music practice rooms were the most commonly used. The entire project supported music activity in 64 separate rooms. In rural areas access to expertise and equipment over sound-proofing spaces was preferred. The art and science of recording music was not a feature of this scheme. It found MC/DJ activity, dominated by urban genres is likely to offer greater value for money with a comparably modest capital outlay. It is also associated with youth empowerment and social cohesion work with potential for swift and significant outcomes. Typically, participants came from within a five miles radius of a space during weekday opening times, term time and out of school hours. Session length and opening times were flexible for 19-25 year olds characterised by acting as volunteers, running sessions themselves and using the space independently. There were approximately 33,000 visits to the spaces, three quarters of the young people were aged between 11-18 years and the gender balance was 68% male. The entire project gave paid work to 65 people, including music specialists, youth workers and project managers. Field Music Many spaces assisted young talent to make headway in the fickle music industry. One space formed a partnership with Field Music, a band nominated for the UK's 2012 Mercury Music Prize. And while rioting took hold of many cities in the UK in the summer of 2011, another space working with its young people, took over an empty high street shop to record young people’s music. Musicians from The Enemy and The Specials saw the importance of space acting as ambassadors to the project. Each space was reliant on local partnerships and grants complementing the Government investment. UK Music now supports a number of rehearsal spaces in urban and rural areas across the UK. Each space provides instruments and equipment for young people to use and play with for free or for minimal cost. The rehearsal spaces come in various shapes and sizes and are sited in places as diverse as youth work settings, community spaces, art centres, a secondary school and even a travelling mobile unit. MAS Records A non-profit music development programme was founded in 2001 in the UK by Kevyn Gammond (ex-Band of Joy). Set up as a record label, its aim is to support emerging artists aged 16-18 years old with a bridge into the wider industry, combining expert music industry experience with conventional education. Its patrons include Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs/The Voice), Robert Plant (ex-Led Zeppelin) and Karl Hyde (Underworld). The young artists do not pay for the services but instead the programme is funded from public sources working in partnership with 16 rehearsal spaces. Through the MAS scheme artists are provided free practice time in music rehearsal spaces and recording time in studios. Spaces involved in the national programme include: Whitewood Studios, Liverpool SAFO Music Group & Rooz Studios, London Songlab, Birmingham Factory Studios, Bristol RML Studios, Wolverhampton Stage 2 Studios, Bath Old Chapel Music, Leeds River Studios, Southampton Oxfordshire Music Rooms, Oxford 44 Music, Cheltenham Redial Studios, Bury Viaduct Studios, Stockport Base Studios, Stourbridge The Smash Rooms, Telford Venombase Studios, Stoke Kidderminster College, Kidderminster Case Study: Vic Studios, Wrexham The Welsh Music Foundation, Live Music Forum and Musical Industries Association set up a rehearsal space in Wrexham in January 2006. The studio was part of the UK government's Live Music Forum’s project to encourage public bodies to provide rehearsal spaces in their unused buildings. The space was free to bands whose members were under 18 and in education. There was a small charge for all other bands, which went towards paying for repairs and equipment maintenance. The equipment was supplied by the UK's Music Industries Association's members. The Professional Lighting and Sound Association paid for work towards fitting out the space. The Welsh Development Agency paid for one full-time member of staff. Wrexham Council provided the space rent free, money towards the construction costs and sound recording equipment. Vic Studios / Jason Samuels Photography Project Manager for the Welsh Music Foundation, Andy Williams, said: “This is a very exciting development, which will assist the area's music scene, as rehearsal rooms have consistently been shown to be effective in stimulating music production in areas where they exist. The space will not only have a rehearsal room but will also have recording facilities, a small performance area and a cafe, and will not only be an excellent space for bands to rehearse, but also a creative meeting place for local musicians." A representative from the UK charity Youth Music visited the facility in North Wales in 2007. He reported the practice room is informal and for experiment and jamming. The worker is on hand to supervise the use of the room and provides artistic and technical advice to bands and individuals if they ask for it. Housed in the Victoria Youth Centre in the centre of town it attracts a large number of local young people through its creative activities. Vic Studios The local government authority supports the studio because it sees the value of music-making to young people to independently develop their own work who would not otherwise access music in school. The facility has been able to access resources without threatening the delicate economy of the music scene in the town. People from England and Wales have visited the studio with a plan to reproduce the model elsewhere. Feargal Sharkey Feargal Sharkey, Chairman of the UK Government’s Live Music Forum, said at the time: “We have a £5 billion music industry that starts with unknown groups and artists performing in the back room of pubs. Without them there would be no multi billion pound industry. So let’s give new and local artists a hand by providing them with somewhere proper to rehearse.” Andrew Davies Andrew Davies, Minister for Economic Development in Wales, said: “These rehearsal rooms represent the beginnings of a Music Hub; not only providing a place for musicians to interact and exchange creative ideas, but generating considerable benefit for the local music scene and the local economy." Music rehearsal spaces play an important part in the talent pipeline providing a valuable breadcrumb trail for young musicians. References UK Music Rehearsal Space Project Green, L. (2002). How popular musicians learn. Hants, England: Ashgate. Green, L. (2005). The music curriculum as lived experience: children’s “natural” music- learning processes. Music Educators Journal, 91(4), 27-32. Green, L. (2006). Popular music education in and for itself, and for ‘other’ music: current research in the classroom. International Journal of Music Education, 24(2), 101-118.

Bandspace wishes to recruit an occasional guest contributor writing for its musicians' website for its thriving website and social media channels. Ideally, the writer will have a good knowledge of the music rehearsal sector. Your edited blog article will appear on the Bandspace Features page and promoted across its social media pages. Of course you will be fully credited and your contact details and link to your chosen website will be included. This is a voluntary position. If you are interested in writing for a musicians' website producing between 500-1,000 words please consider dealing with any one of the following areas: - Ever wondered why bands use your rehearsal space? - Discounts, offers, block booking, gift vouchers and special offers - Making your music rehearsal space accessible - Rough guide to rental charges - Partnerships with music rehearsal spaces - The history of the modern music rehearsal space - Potential music studio premises - Large music rehearsal spaces (pre-tour production) - Retailing gear in a music rehearsal space - Teaching in a music rehearsal space - How do governments view music rehearsal spaces? - Private Music Spaces Please drop us a line at trevor@bandspace.info if you're interested and we can chat further.

Taken from our series of popular blog articles. Now you can download your own copy for keeps. Bandspace was set up in 2006 to uphold high standards for professional music rehearsal spaces. Very little research exists in to the important role they play despite their offering rehearsal opportunities for musicians across the world. Introductory guides to music studios have been collated from years of research on how hundreds of music rehearsal spaces' work, bringing together a unique set of do's and don'ts packed with experience and knowledge. The guides steer those already running a space or thinking of running a space through the minefield of challenges and issues. Packaged as a handy downloadable pdf guide in A4 format, with colour photos illustrating the main points, they are based on the popular blog posts on the Bandspace website. What makes a good music rehearsal space? Putting on a good performance comes down to good preparation. Of course, the equipment on offer can be a major factor in what makes a good music rehearsal space. However, there are big differences in how spaces operate, contributing to their survival. After following music rehearsal spaces' websites and Facebook pages to see what was on offer, this guide takes the best of the lot and distills its findings in an easy to follow summary. It proposes three levels to give an idea of the range of services available to the rehearsing musician, from basic, equipped to additional features. Downloadable pdf - $£€3 What makes a good music rehearsal space? Setting up a music rehearsal space Owning and running a music rehearsal space requires a range of skills. Some bands set up their own rehearsal space and hire it out. But what should you think about to bring it up to a professional and commercial standard? This guide touches upon finding the right building, future proofing, planning for a music rehearsal space survey, planning your space, typical music spaces, what different activities look like, acoustic treatment and access issues. Also in the series of blog articles on the Bandspace website is Setting up a space: Questionnaire based on questions studio owners asked their musician contacts when setting up their space. Downloadable pdf - $£€3 Setting up a music rehearsal space Cancellation policies Most rehearsal spaces have a policy when cancelling a booked rehearsal session but they can differ from space to space. Aborting a session at short notice can bring insecurity to the business. This guide looks at how they can affect your business, legal considerations including a force majeure clause and asks how music rehearsal spaces deal with short notice cancellations. It looks at different policies and fees, a snapshot survey of eight spaces' cancellation periods, comparative hire rates, to lockout or not and discretion & sanctions. It asks can 'no shows' affect the introduction of new services in response to the needs of the local music community. Downloadable pdf - $£€3 Cancellation policies Challenges facing music spaces Worried no bands will book your practice room? Think your space might not be up to scratch? Are you prepared for a rent increase? For many musicians using a music rehearsal space is the start of their career. Many music rehearsal spaces are therefore reliant on local, semi-professional, enthusiasts hiring their practice rooms. Despite having no central representative body, music rehearsal spaces share common challenges. Based on survey findings, this guide discusses the potential risks associated with running a music rehearsal space. Downloadable pdf - $£€3 Challenges facing music spaces Rise of Pirate The Pirate studio network is disrupting the established music rehearsal space world. Tapping in to demand for hiring affordable music spaces in urban areas, Pirate has successfully developed new markets for for aspiring DJs, music producers and podcasters. This piece explores the history and background of the company that now has facilities in 37 locations across four countries. In 2022 it had reached one million bookings. It has pioneered 24/7 remote access to its rooms forging new ways to attract users to its facilities. The guide reveals the basis of its success since starting in 2014. Downloadable pdf - $£€3 Rise of Pirate More info here . Customer Reviews and Testimonials "A window into the world of music rehearsals around the world. Great to see what others are doing and challenges they have. Information, advice and interesting stats." Owen Ashworth, Silver Lining Studios, Manchester UK "As one of the owners of Eastside Rehearsal in Los Angeles, Bandspace has been a supportive advocate for our business, with continual postings on social media directing musicians to us. This is important for small business that can't afford a big budget for advertising. This musician community runs on word of mouth and Bandspace understands this. Thank you!!" Meg, Eastside Rehearsal, Los Angeles USA

In 2006 we undertook the first ever survey of commercial music rehearsal spaces in London in the UK. Dalston Rehearsal Studio We took the view that better equipped and larger rehearsal rooms will be located in major cities in our survey of London music spaces. We found a total of 47 music rehearsal organisations with a pre-booking facility available to music-makers. We found: These largely function as independent business units, some subsumed within the activities of other businesses Many were small and medium-sized businesses, in some cases struggling to survive Competition is probably intense They ranged from 2 to 14 practice rooms per music rehearsal space Not all music rehearsal organisations work at full capacity, although some rooms were hired permanently to record companies for use by their artists We estimated there had been a steady increase in their number since 1976, at a rate of nearly 3 new music rehearsal spaces established every two years. This did not account for those that ceased trading during this period. Mill Hill Music Complex Demand The demand for the traditional recording studio space has waned with the advent of affordable home computers and accessible software. The end product can be written, played, recorded and mixed cheaply in a fully equipped bedroom/garage. The rehearsal spaces tended to be concentrated in deprived areas where rent prices were lower. All music rehearsal organisations offered variable hire rates according to what was provided (although not all provided all of them) based on the following: Size of room Time of day Weekday or weekend Block-booking discounts Whether equipment and/or instruments were supplied/hired Some had a technical employee on hand The findings present interesting, but general conclusions worthy of further research. There is little research in this area of the music industry. Detailed findings The research suggests there are around 200 individual rehearsal rooms in London. Over three quarters are located in Inner London and nearly a third in the three highest deprived boroughs in England. An annual footfall was estimated at 380,000 supported by an annual economy of £9.3m. A new music rehearsal organisation opens on average every eight months while the whole sector in London supports around 120 full-time employees and 100 part-time employees. A small number of commercial rehearsal spaces have successfully used railway arches because of their location and inherent sound isolation properties. We found the offer was varied, from a damp cellar to a mirrored hall, which was reflected in the hire price. Most bands rehearse at least once a week for four hours duration mostly in the evenings and at weekends, and the peak session rates took advantage of this. All the practice rooms were cheaper to hire on a weekday than in the evening or at weekends. All the spaces had insurance. We compared room sizes, access, lighting, atmosphere, how conducive they were to songwriting, and if the room can be tailored to individual requirements. We found most rehearsal studios had a number of rooms and price was determined on size and facilities. Studios varied in size from a small room at King Bee to six rooms at Survival (including a showcase studio with a wall of mirrors). The smallest room measured 15 feet by 15 (225 sq. ft.) again at Survival. The largest room was 31 feet by 32 (992 sq. ft.) at NWM. Terminal even had a lockout rehearsal room that could be hired from 10am to 11pm for the whole day. Some of the rooms were found to be in need of repair or decorating more than others. On contacting the London music rehearsal premises advertised in the Melody Maker and The Band publications, we found each and all studios had PA systems inclusive in the room charge. However a band can still use their own PA system with a reduction in the studio hire price. The PA system in each room varied from the smallest at 200w at Backstreet and Channel Studios to an optional 3Kw rig at Show Me Studios. Along with the amp and speakers included with the room hire are provided mics, mic stands, plenty of power sockets, and in some cases a mixing desk and effects unit. Sometimes extra FX can be hired in, depending on availability and requirements. However extra equipment and facilities are available which will add to the final hire rate. Most musicians will want to use their own equipment in rehearsals so they get used to their own gear before any gigs. However, some studios offered to hire standardised backline eg. Marshall and Trace Elliot. Of course the better organised studios offer to hire in extra equipment, but this can be expensive. Most studios offered backline hire in the form of combo amps eg. Marshall combo, Fender Tube and Trace Elliot, etc. Some rehearsal spaces offered drum kit hire. Drummers could either hire an entire Pearl World series kit at Broken Lives. At AAA drum kit hire did not include hi-hat, cymbals and bass pedal. If in the case of some groups it is a problem to move all the bands' equipment in one go, storage can solve this problem. However, it's worth bearing in mind that sooner or later this would have to be remedied once the band is out performing. Storage space or more reassuringly termed 'the cage', was offered at 9 out of the 17 studios we questioned. Of course the price will be determined by the amount of space/pieces of gear needed to be stored. Many music spaces also offered recording and some favoured this over rehearsal slots.

Soul Studios Fancy opening up your own music rehearsal space? If you have a long contacts list, especially of musicians, then that's a great start. Big City Jacks By building a rehearsal space from scratch you would be able to build everything according to your own specifications that would work out more than well for your band and others. We've trawled the web to find from others with a similar idea what they asked their musician contacts. You could either do this face-to-face, by phone or online. Ask respondents the same questions so you can easily quantify and summarise the results in a music rehearsal space survey. Contact details are important to start with, but you could ask further questions to build a picture of what is currently available locally. This will help to identify if there is demand for something different or simply a need for more practice rooms. By asking your contacts what they would want to use will help you to quantify whether there is sufficient demand in setting up a music rehearsal space. And most importantly, will it pay for itself. Music Rehearsal Space Questionnaire Here are some questions you may want to think about asking your potential clients: About yourself: Where are you based? How many people are in your band? Basement Studio About where you currently rehearse: Where does your band rehearse at the moment? How often do you rehearse? How long do you usually rehearse for? How much do you pay? For how long? What day(s) do you usually rehearse? What time of day do you rehearse? How do you get to and from your current rehearsal space? How did you find out about the rehearsal space you are currently using? Green Room Studios What you would like to see: Would you want available at the rehearsal studio a guitar amp, bass cab, drum kit and PA with mic? Would you be interested in storing your in instruments and equipment at the space? Would you want to record your practice? Would it be useful to be able to buy accessories such as guitar strings, drum sticks and refreshments? It might be worth suggesting once you've opened your rehearsal facility, respondents to your survey will be given priority booking.

band rehearsal Popular musicians largely teach themselves, but what sorts of spaces do they use? We asked a few music educators. songwriting ‘The Space’ is where it all happens – the performance, the workshop, the rehearsal, even the brain. Unfortunately, the physical space can often be overlooked in favour of the creative process. However, a good space enables and nurtures the artistic p rocess. It helps people to feel comfortable, encourages freedom of expression and is a safe place to work with others. It is important, therefore, to understand the issues and challenges facing those who use music rehearsal spaces. Imitation So called "informal” musicians tend to be a community of peers where artistic and technical discipline is implicit, rather than of one leading ‘master-musician’ with greater skills. Popular musicians largely teach themselves or ‘pick up’ skills and knowledge, usually with the help or encouragement of their family and peers. By watching and imitating musicians around them, popular musicians often make reference to recordings or performances and other live events involving their chosen music. Andrew Peggie has listed the non-musical factors, in no particular order and in any combination, which can spark initial interest (p.10, London Arts, 2002): instinctive curiosity peer group pressure attraction to a particular sound/shape/colour attraction to a physical sensation of playing or singing the urge to communicate – or attention-seeking the need for approval – or asserting individuality remote role models (eg. TV, recordings, film) activities already embedded in everyday culture a possible mental, social, class or cultural escape route The needs of different genres, and the artistic expression within a genre, may require different patterns of organisation. Keith Negus in his book Music Genres and Corporate Cultures suggests how we organise ourselves influences the music we make: “…musical sounds and meanings are not only dependent upon the way an industry is producing culture, but are also shaped by the way in which culture is producing an industry” (Negus, 1999, p. 13). Jacques Attali goes further saying: "Music, the organisation of noise… reflects the manufacture of society; it constitutes the audible waveband of the vibrations and signs that make up society” (p. 4, Attali, 1977). The idea that many musicians have taught themselves by watching and imitating musicians around them, rather than more traditional methods, is worthy of further investigation. But while we’re talking about definitions perhaps its useful to consider musician Andrew Peggie’s take on what he has called ‘rough music’ in his article Tuning Up : “direct, noisy, energetic, sentimental, quickly assembled and usually transmitted orally… [which] invites participation and instant gratification, perhaps at the expense of sophistication” (Peggie, 2002, p. 19). This definition encapsulates the aesthetic and emotional aspects of informal music. band rehearsal Transition & progression Keith Negus provides an eloquent insight in his book Music Genres and Corporate Cultures (1999, p. 2): "A number of us had made the transition from back rooms and bedrooms to performing regularly in pubs, community centres, youth clubs, parties and then more recognised venues. I had become a participant member of a passionate, competitive yet convivial and somewhat idiosyncratic music scene…. After stints in numerous bands, I ended up performing with the lesser known and more embarrassingly named Coconut Dogs, who released a couple of singles and played numerous clubs, bars and provincial venues before sinking into ever deeper obscurity." culture produces industry Organisation and inclusion Keith suggests how we organise ourselves influences the music we make: “…musical sounds and meanings are not only dependent upon the way an industry is producing culture, but are also shaped by the way in which culture is producing an industry” (Negus, 1999, p. 13). It would be misleading to think such musicians are ‘outside’ or independent of the music business, or that they are only tenuously connected through their consumption and appropriation of various products (instruments, amplifiers, recordings, etc.). Clearly, amateur or voluntary musicians involved in music-making on an informal basis contribute to the wider music industry. band rehearsal Where informal music takes place Those who run music rehearsal spaces may not realise the importance they play in connecting musicians to the wider music industry. Music rehearsal rooms are crucial to the amplified, instrument-playing, popular music sector. Usually when informal groups start they rehearse at home. It is not until parents or neighbours get so annoyed with the volume required for an amplified band are they forced to practise in an undesignated environment, such as a garage or basement. Commercial and professionally equipped practice rooms can offer useful meeting places where people can exchange ideas and practice with potentially far reaching artistic benefits. Little research has been undertaken on the ingredients needed for a model of good practice in a music rehearsal space that is conducive to high quality participatory music-making. Making your own music Some writers have highlighted the prevalence of music composition and songwriting as a way to assert one's own creativity. One writer, Christopher Small in his groundbreaking book Music, Society, Education said: "They [music listeners] receive the product, but have no involvement with the process of creation, which is complete before any performer even approaches the work. The adventure is over and the explorer safely home before anyone learns anything of the journey… it could be that we would be better occupied in making and performing our own works of art than in continuing the endless repetition and contemplation of the works of these long-gone masters… we shall regain our lost confidence and creative power only in rejecting them, albeit lovingly, as a young man may need to reject his over-dominant parents before he can grow to full adulthood” (p.30-32, Small, 1977). Interest has shifted from the creative process to the production of music as a commodity, and the values of the consumer society are coming to dominate culture. Schools Schools have for a long time played a major role in the development of informal musicians through the provision of resources such as rehearsal spaces and instruments, formal and informal performance opportunities and, most particularly, large numbers of young people with shared musical interests. Lucy Green has argued in her book How Popular Musicians Learn “…this input by the school traditionally occurred almost entirely outside the classroom… largely unsupervised and often flew in the face of the music department’s ethos” (Green, 2001, p. 146). Andrew Peggie too, in his report Tuning Up suggested: "…music educators also have unrealistic expectations of what constitutes appropriate skills for a vocation in current popular music, where the imperatives of fashion, entertainment, personality and media savvy are just as important (if not more so) than technical skills on an instrument… contact with charismatic teachers and animatuers are an important element of the educational process" (p.8, London Arts, 2002). In 2006, a group of professional music educators in London were asked to give examples of where they had seen informal music take place. They came up with the following: pubs & bars on the streets recording studios workshop session/jam commercial rehearsal spaces youth clubs & community settings school facilities (outside of school hours) at home - living room, garages, garden shed, bedrooms The music-making in these spaces are often arranged on an informal basis eg. conversation with the landlord/owner, agreement between friends, etc. Such spaces are often privately owned and not networked to similar spaces, hence their overall economic significance goes unnoticed. In the book Routes into Teaching Music, Rick Rogers suggests freelance or community musicians: "…can make that vital connection between what goes on in schools and what goes on in pupils’ musical lives elsewhere" (p. 77, Rogers, 2005). Music groups who play together for any length of time find an identity and empathy. Playing music of one’s choice, with which one identifies personally, with like-minded friends, and having fun doing it must be a high priority in the quest for increasing numbers to make music meaningful, worthwhile and participatory. Andrew Peggie again: " For most people most of the time in most other cultures, music is a messy amalgam of sounds, ritual, dressing up, movement, hero-worship, sex, religion and celebration. To discuss music purely in terms of its sonorous parameters… doesn’t convey anything of the emotional engagement involved" (p.9, London Arts, 2002). Making spaces for informal music-making within the community have far reaching implications for social and cultural policies. By better understanding how informal music-making works will at least legitimise a rewarding pastime if nothing else. Andrew Peggie again: "Localised networks of studios, rehearsal spaces, performance venues (pubs, etc), tied together by informal alliances of promoters, producers, more established musicians and youth workers probably represent the best conditions for alternative talent to flourish. At an infrastructural level, the promotion of unusual partnerships is probably the best way to exercise intervention" (p.20, London Arts, 2002). Weekend Warriors The Weekend Warriors programme in the US and Australia welcomes new and lapsed amateur musicians who can play a few chords, keep time or hold a tune, on a 5 – 6 week experience. All the gear is provided, a rehearsal space is arranged, leading to a gig. Coaches and mentors steer the participants through the programme. References Andrew Peggie - Tuning Up: A new look at instrumental music teaching (2002, London Arts, Sound Sense, Mayor of London) Keith Negus - Music Genres and Corporate Cultures (1999, Routledge) Lucy Green - How Popular Musicians Learn (2001, Ashgate) Christopher Small - Music, Society, Education, 1977 Jacques Attali – Noise: The Political Economy of Music, 1985 University of Minnesota Press

Wilder Studios The economic significance of music rehearsal spaces goes unnoticed, but they offer useful meeting places with far reaching benefits. band practice room Day in, day out musicians meet in practice rooms to hone their group music-making. It is only when musicians join together and book a rehearsal space does it become a social act and does it have wider economic and social implications. A space where amateurs and professionals can exchange ideas and practice potentially has far reaching social, economic and artistic benefits. The Creative Economy Programme Working Group found: " Key is the facilitation of ownership for these workers – allowing them to imprint their identity on the space so they can inhabit it on their own terms. The most successful spaces of convergence and connectivity successfully broker new business relationships through the informal and exploratory ambiance they allow to flourish" (p.9). Trends are already showing that in the coming decades more money will be spent by those over 40 on leisure and recreation where music-making will come to play a huge role: " Successful creative individuals never stop learning and learn informally: the cultural and creative infrastructure needs to reflect this. Much of the knowledge and skills required by creative individuals is best delivered informally or non-formally. This is as true of individuals at the start of their careers as it is of somebody seeking to set up their own business" (p.29, Creative Economy Programme, 2011). band rehearsal How Popular Musicians Learn Lucy Green's study of popular musicians in her book How Popular Musicians Learn found none of the eleven professional and semi-professional popular musicians she questioned in her research had gained a single qualification in music before they became professionals (Green, p. 145). Green elaborates on the cultural values and practices of the fledgling popular musicians wrapped up in the term 'informal music education'. In 2005, a UK government initiative came to define informal music as that which "happens when... people organise and lead themselves" (Rogers, p.7). There exists little data as to where such informal music happens. band rehearsal Access to space As we seen the decline in the role of the record company and the rise in value of intellectual property, the premium for physical spaces where music-makers bring music to life, whether it be a rehearsal before a live performance, professional recording or for pleasure, will increase. Artists will increasingly need access to high quality spaces as the monetary value of land and buildings grow. Such spaces can be anywhere but technologically advanced to enable musicians to trade directly with consumers. However, the financial viability of such spaces will necessitate their proximity to significant population centres with good road/physical access. There are obviously social and politcial issues to do with access, to be considered by policy makers, public funders and town planners. Policies of access to facilities is of great importance in terms of cultural production, representation and identity. DC Studos The music space represents an opportunity to support practical, continued and mass involvement in music-making on terms comfortable to participants of all ages and abilities. Such spaces could potentially make explicit a hub of progression opportunities from grassroots informal music-making, through artist development to international stardom. Much of this work hinges on leaders with knowledge of the local area who should be engaged at the earliest opportunity. Venues need people to buy tickets. Audiences won't come unless they get a good rehearsed show. Starting with a high quality rehearsal space should at least give the band a good opportunity to perfect their sound and performance. If the band puts on a good show then they are likely to increase the size of their audiences, therefore impressing the promoter. And the circle continues.... References Lucy Green - How Popular Musicians Learn (2001, Routledge) Rick Rogers - Music Manifesto Report No. 1 (2005, Department of Further Education & Skills and Department of Culture, Media & Sport)

Ascape Studios Using a professional music rehearsal space can make all the difference to your band. In this introduction to the music rehearsal space we explore the definition of such spaces, their purpose, layout and features. Rogue Studios The Music Rehearsal Space A music rehearsal space is a dedicated acoustic environment. This can be defined by its purpose, layout, furnishings and treatments used to modify the rooms within the space. Most spaces have a number of practice rooms with hire rates determined by room size and extras such as guitar amplifiers. Rooms can vary from a damp cellar to a mirrored hall. Larger rehearsal spaces tend to be situated in major cities where much of the work for performing musicians take place. Due to the high sound levels they are often located away from residential areas. Music rehearsal spaces often have relaxation and refreshment areas, with advertisement boards for musicians. Spaces should hold public liability insurance. Many include a recording studio. Unlike a practice room, a recording studio requires a sound engineer to operate the equipment increasing the cost to the user. The Octave Rooms Practice rooms Most practice rooms are cheaper to hire on a weekday than in the evening or at weekends. Industry standard 'backline' electric and bass guitar amps and a drum kit (often without cymbals and snare drum) are usually made available. In addition to being used as a band practice room, they can also serve different purposes such as: DJ Room Drum Room Live Recording Room Writing Room  Music Therapy Room Jam On Top PA System Practice rooms are designed to keep sound inside. They usually house a PA system set up to produce a balanced sound by amplifying all instruments and sound sources to an equal level using a mixing desk. The amp wattage or power of the PA system varies according to the room size, from the smallest at 200w to a 3Kw rig with floor monitor amps. Often guitar amplifiers and drum kits can be included in the room hire, along with microphones, mic stands and in some cases a mixing desk and effects units. Extra equipment can be hired in, depending on availability and requirements, adding to the hire rate. Some rooms have a 'live' recording option operated by band members. Making a live recording or stream of a rehearsal can often be adequate for 'demo' purposes. Some rooms can be large enough to accommodate a small invited audience. The rehearsing band If one took an average band to have at least four members: a singer, guitarist, bass player and drummer, then 400 square feet should be sufficient room for them and their equipment. Many bands rehearse at least weekly for four hours duration mostly in the evenings and at weekends. The peak session hire rates reflect this. Old Jet Gear storage Most musicians use the same equipment for rehearsal and live performance. This means musicians often bring their own instruments and equipment. Some bands have so much 'gear' they cannot move it all at once in a car. Storage can solve this problem. Storage space is offered at the larger music rehearsal spaces and is charged by the amount of space required. All the stuff that happens in the practice room is what musicians are trying to provide audiences - the excitement of seeing a song created, how the lyrics change and hearing the arrangements come together. Workers at music rehearsal spaces are often simply never credited despite their hard work in helping musicians to create music. Spaces play a vital role providing a focal point for the work musicians produce, pulling together the diffuse strands of their output and giving them more control.

A quick trawl on the interweb reveals there's plenty of music rehearsal spaces utilising railway arches. Railway arches make good music rehearsal spaces A quick trawl on the interweb and it is evident there are plenty of music rehearsal spaces utilising railway arches. When you think about it, it makes sense. Amplified bands are probably no louder than a passing train, so unlikely to annoy local residents. Parking is likely to be good too. They all have ground floor access making moving gear easy. We found the following music rehearsal spaces firmly tucked away under your train seat: The Vatican The Vatican The Vatican Rehearsal and Recording Studio houses five rooms in a railway arches in East London. Established in the 1980s, it is used by record labels and artist managers for pre-production and demos. It also encourages students by offering discounts on weekdays. The facility features two spacious practice rooms 80 square metres. Its reception/lounge area offers refreshments and snacks, with plenty of cafes, coffee shops and bars nearby. It makes lockouts available. Past clients include SKY, BBC, ITV, X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice, Pixie Lott, Big Brother and Katy B. Further information at  www.thevatican.biz Yellow Arch Studios Yellow Arch Studios Yellow Arch Studios started life as an Edwardian nuts & bolts factory for the bridge & shipping industry in the early 1900s. After being rediscovered in 1996 in disarray and ruin, the Yellow Arch team got their ladders and paint brushes out and set about designing and refurbishing the building, opening its doors as Yellow Arch Studios on October 7th 1997. Yellow Arch has been operating as a music rehearsal space, recording studio, equipment hire, teaching studio and gig venue. It has established itself as a key player in the music industry in Sheffield. Most famously known as the birthplace of the Arctic Monkeys, the studio has produced albums by artists including Richard Hawley, Kylie Minogue, Jarvis Cocker, The Klaxons, The Maccabees, The Wedding Present, Goldfrapp and Duane Eddy, and has a strong working relationship with the BBC, EMI Records, Sony, Universal and Warners. Yellow Arch has four bespoke practice rooms in railway arches, all high vaulted with oak beams ranging from 300 sq ft to 1000sq ft. The facility features lounges, a licensed café/bar open all day long and a secluded courtyard chill out. It provides space for hundreds of local bands to meet, rehearse and record whilst offering placements and training to students, and supports and assists local community projects and charities. Free storage is thrown in for regular bands. Further information at  www.yellowarch.com Bush Studios Bush Studios London’s Bush Studios has six rooms in the arches behind Shepherds Bush Market and near an Underground station. Its practice rooms are suitable for rehearsal, showcasing, auditions, pre-production and dance. All studios are acoustically designed, mirrored and have floating floors. It also offers amp and audio system repair & servicing, including design, modification, advice and custom build. It is an authorised service center for Hiwatt amps. Along with the usual equipment and instrument hire, it can also supply touring crew and transport. Clients have included Alison Moyet, Alll Saints, Baaba Mal, BBC, Beyonce, Billy Ocean, Bloc Party, Cee-Lo Green, Chrissie Hynde, David Guetta, De La Soul, Ellie Goulding, Evan Dando, Faith No More, Franz Ferdinand, Ginger Baker, Goldfrapp, Gong, Grace Jones, Island Records, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Joss Stone, Kasabian, Killing Joke, Klaxons, La Roux, Laura Marling, Lauren Hill, Lemonheads, Madness, Mark Ronson, Mercury Records, Mick Fleetwood, Moby, Mumford & Sons, Natalie Imbruglia, Noel Gallagher, Nora Jones, One Direction, Paloma Faith, Paul Young, Paulo Nutini, Placebo, Rihanna, Rough Trade Records, Royksopp, Rudimental, Rumer, Shpongle, Simply Red, Skunk Anansie, Sly & Robbie, Sony Music, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Stereophonics, Steve Hillage Band, Sugababes, Supergrass, Thames TV, The 1975, The Orb, The Specials, The Ting Tings, Tinchy Stryder, Tricky, Universal Music, Van Morrison, Westlife, Will Young and Wretch 32. It maintains extensive and clear terms & conditions. Further information at  www.bushstudios.co.uk The Cardiff Arches The Cardiff Arches The Cardiff Arches, in erm, Cardiff, is housed in three separate railway arches and has quickly established a vibrant community of musicians. Owned and run by Cardiff based musicians, all of whom gig regularly around the country, its practice rooms are large and airy, with ceiling heights of 5m and floor areas of between 20 and 30 square metres. Located in separate arches means each room maintains a good sense of privacy and minimises noise spill. There is plenty of parking and good vehicle access right up to the door of each room. Further information at  www.thecardiffarches.com Alaska Studio Alaska Studio Alaska Street Studio directly opposite Waterloo Railway Station in south London has four archway rooms, one of which is suitable for small showcase gigs. Established in 1977 by Pat Collier of the Vibrators, the musical rehearsal space has a rich music history. From the pioneering punk rock, ska and reggae scenes of the 1970's & 80's followed by the UK hip hop, grime & indie scenes, Alaska Street Studio has been the place of choice for rehearsing bands across the genres over the years. Past clients include Asian Dub Foundation, Goat Girl, Rat Scabies (The Damned), The Libertines, Roots Manuva and Wiley. Further information at  www.alaskastudio.co.uk Under The Bridge Studios Under the Bridge Studios Under The Bridge Studios in Brighton is located right under Brighton train station and has three large and two small practice rooms. As an incorporated voluntary organisation of active musicians (players and teachers), its workers aim to share music-making rooted in many cultures, traditions and genres with kids of all ages and abilities. It runs a successful centre for the  ABRSM  practical music examination board offering music lessons in classical and contemporary piano/keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, saxophone and singing. It tutors also mentor bands in group dynamic, composition and songwriting. Further information at  www.underthebridgestudios.org Arch Recordings Arch Recordings Arch Recordings is a long-established rehearsal hub for Burton upon Trent near Derby’s thriving music scene. It is situated in a railway arch under Burton’s Station Bridge. Further information at  www.facebook.com/archrecordings Bonafide Studio BonaFide Studio Bonafide Studio has three rooms and can be found in the heart of London’s Muswell Hill. It is set within a Nature Reserve Parkland Walk situated in Arches 13 and 14 under a foot bridge with no trains running above to cause any sound disturbance. Nina at BonaFide said: "The railway arches provide generous space, an unusual look and even free parking. Our studio is also happily tucked away but accessible so we have the best of two worlds: prime location but we are not disturbing anyone." Apart from its rehearsal facilities, it offers sound engineering tutorials and recording discounts for regular rehearsing clients. However, running a music rehearsal space in a railway arch has had its downsides. Nina again: "We moved from Shoreditch to Muswell Hill so we left many of our regular clients behind. Moving the premisses we almost felt we had to start all over again. As we don’t do paid advertisements, the relationship with our community was essential in gaining our new client base. The cost to soundproof and acoustically treat our space was a big investment. Our arches were just a shell so we invested over £100k to make it work." Further information at  www.bonafidestudio.co.uk Overdrive Studios Overdrive Studios Overdrive Studios is located opposite Deptford Train Station on Deptford High Street in south London. Further information at  www.facebook.com/overdrivestudios The Engine Rooms The Engine Rooms The Engine Rooms in Bow in East London is based in four railways arches and offer all-day lockout opportunities. Further information at  www.engineroomslondon.com Tone Hound Rehearsal Studios Tone Hound Rehearsal Studios Tone Hound Studios is a dedicated music rehearsal space in Clapham Junction, South West London, located directly underneath Clapham Junction Station. Formerly known as Breakfast Studios, its studios are spacious at over 400sq ft per room, able to accommodate bands of up to 8-10 members. It hosts a regular blues jam night where musicians work together on their blues playing and improvisation in the privacy of a rehearsal studio. Further information at  www.tonehoundstudios.co.uk EVA Sound Studios EVA Sound Studios Evasound Studios in Walthamstow in London is based in two arches offering free storage of equipment, WiFi and parking. Further information at  www.evasoundstudios.co.uk Rogue Studios Rogue Studios Rogue Studios has three rooms in railway arches on a trading estate in south east London. It was featured in Time Out magazine's top 10 studios in London. There is parking on site and all the rehearsal rooms are on the ground floor. Further information at  www.roguestudios.co.uk And there’s always the Roundhouse in London's Camden Town which was a former railway engine shed. More information Video:  Yellow Arch Studios Video:  Arch Studios music rehearsal rooms Video:  Selling Off London's railway arches - BBC London

Creating a balanced sound is essential if band members are going to hear each other. So how do you go about it? Your rehearsal sound can be regarded almost as important as the live sound on stage. Although this may not always be possible, creating a reasonably balanced sound is essential if band members are going to hear each other. Hearing the vocals in particular is a common problem. In can also be the case the drummer is so loud the guitarist turns up his amp, with the bass player soon to follow. The microphone level is yanked up so the singer can hear himself, then feedback occurs. If you have ever encountered this problem and more, then read on to have a better music rehearsal … 1) Music rehearsal space acoustics Getting a good rehearsal sound starts with the size of your practice room and its acoustics. Obviously you want a room large enough to accommodate all the members of your rehearsing band as if on a live stage. If you have a large reverberant room such as a sports hall or empty warehouse, you will run in to problems such as unwanted sound reflections. Presuming you use a practice room small in size with average acoustics (think living room size), then you have a starting point. If you play amplified music it is usually better to use a practice room that is acoustically dry so band members can hear one another clearly. You might find it helps to dampen the sound using drapes, duvets or acoustic foam if it is a regular practice room, particularly across reflective surfaces. To avoid feedback, a jacket draped over a music stand can help reduce direct spill behind a mic. deafening volume Sometimes the volume of your band is too loud for the room or the PA cannot cope. In very small rooms the volume of an acoustic drum kit can be so loud everything is turned up to the max to compensate. Even if it is possible to get more volume on the vocals without feedback, it could still be distorted or the whole acoustic sound pressure level in the room overloads your ears and your band sound has become a distorted mush. In these cases you should consider the points below or find another practice room. 2) Practice room layout If you plan on using the same (or similar) equipment to practice as you do at gigs then knowing how to get a good sound during rehearsals will help your live sound. A common problem is the spill into the mics from other instruments and amps. Where you position your instruments, amps and band members is therefore important. band rehearsal The band is usually set up in a similar way to that of a gig. The only difference being the musicians turn away from the "audience" direction and around to face each other, usually toward the drums and instrument amps. This can be useful when composing and jamming. In the later stages of rehearsing you may want to set up as you would on stage so band members get used to the layout and sound, along with it's requirements and pitfalls. It is a good idea to cross-feed guitar and keyboard amps so nothing is fed directly into the mics. This will help to create a good sound balance between the instruments (drums, bass, guitars, keys & vox), on your "stage" so everyone can hear everyone else. Another benefit will be to avoid sending sound directly at the mics. Take a moment and make sure you can see all your band mates with ease. It’s vital to be able to communicate whilst playing to draw attention to something that might need changing e.g. song too slow, wrong section of song etc. One of the hardest things relating to sound to get right is the PA system. One issue during rehearsals is feedback. This occurs in a PA system when a screeching or humming sound results from the return of a fraction of the output signal from a microphone to the input of the same device. Moving the mic and changing the sensitivity of the mics will help. Most live mics have a cardioid pick-up pattern and reject much of the sound from the rear. Typically, they are more sensitive from the front and sides. The vocalist should usually face the guitar amps and drums. This also aids with communication and is opposite to a live stage layout. The Wel The singer’s floor monitors should be placed near the base of the mic stand as they would be on stage. The singer will get used to the sound coming directly from them. If you have stand mounted PA cabs then use them behind the mic line and angled to also cross-feed over the rehearsal space. If need be they can be used as individual vocal monitors, bearing in mind the pick-up pattern of the mics and the increased risk of feedback. 3) Balance your sound The drums set the basic sound level, so first of all balance the bass guitar against the drums, taking note of the connection between the kick drum and the bass. This can be a good point to set a rough vocal level, or at least get an idea of how much headroom is available. band practice room Balance the guitars against the drums and bass sound. They should not dominate, the whole sound should have weight and power. The same goes for other instruments, such as keyboards, brass and other loud sounds. Guitars shouldn't be so bassy that they step on the bass. Bass should not be so mid-rangy it steps on the guitar/keyboards. Keyboards should limit 10 finger chords and not step on the bass or be playing bass lines. No need for the drummer to pound so loudly and drown everybody out, especially at rehearsal. Then, hopefully you will have some headroom left for your vocals. Listen to the vocals. Don't get busy during the vocals. If not, you will have to turn everything else down, and in particular anything that clashes with the vocal sound. If that is impossible, then you need to find another practice room. This process is pretty much the same as on a small stage. Getting it right here will help when you play live. Don't always expect the soundman to sort your on-stage sound out at a gig. Old Blacksmiths Studios 4) Drums The drum kit is often at the centre rear of the stage at a gig but this is not always the best regarding spill into the vocal mic. Consider this with your vocal mics during rehearsal. The main part of a drum set that masks vocals is the cymbals. You could try putting thick sticky tape on them - forget how they sound in rehearsal. Play them just so you know where they happen in the music. You could also use drum pads, or perhaps put a blanket over the front of the kit. Canvas Sound 5) Guitar Guitar amps are often the loudest sound(s) in the band, drowning out the vocals. Here are some suggestions to balance the guitar sound: Get the guitarist to move closer to the speaker to compensate for a lower volume Place the guitar amp on a chair or angled stand closer to the player’s ears Use a smaller amp/cab and FX to emulate louder amps to also save a lot of humping Feed a bit of guitar through the PA to distribute and bring the sound further forward Turn the guitar amp toward the wall so it isn't aimed at the ears of other musicians AVC Band Rehearsal Studios 6) Bass Have the bass player turn down the ultra low end of the bass. Low end can feel good, but save it for the show. Don't put the bass player in the corner of a room. Corners are like a low frequency "horn" that amplifies bass. 7) EQ and Feedback eliminating devices Invest in a graphic eq (at least 10 bands) or a feedback eliminating device. Set the eq flat (all sliders in the middle) and then bring down the slider(s) to stop the feedback. When there is no feedback, push up each band a little to see which frequency brings on feedback most easily. When you play, be ready to bring down those sensitive frequencies first. With some practice, you'll get to know which sliders work the best. point mics away from monitors 8) Microphones Ensure the mics are pointed away from the monitors. Another cool trick is to use a gate on the mic. Set a gate so only the singer's direct voice turns on the mic. Then when the vocalist isn’t singing, there isn't additional monitor sound being picked up by the mic. 9) Musical arrangement Consider the musical arrangement of each song. Vocals and instruments should share the focal point, not compete for it. Instruments using the same frequencies as the vocal can often drown them out because there is too much going on. If you listen to music productions with crystal clear vocals you'll notice they are given space by how the instruments are arranged. Even very loud bands cut the guitar or lead sounds behind a vocal line, either in volume, by playing less, or in the case of two guitars/instruments, dropping one. Perhaps a change of guitar sound will also give some sonic space to the vocals. Sound Arc Studios You may also want to consider how the rhythmic accents and dynamic changes complement the vocal lines. Space is an important factor in hearing detail in music. The frequency arrangement, such as where on the neck the guitarist plays the chords, or the mids and upper mid frequencies of the guitars and keyboards can make it hard to discern a voice if in the same register. 10) Act as an ensemble The most effective rehearsal comes down to band members adopting a good attitude. Get together and decide to support each other more than ever before. If the whole benefits, the individuals benefit. Ensure each person is happy with the sound and is willing to compromise. Listen more carefully to each other, and use eye contact to strengthen your musical bond. Rehearsal is a place to develop a win-win attitude. In musical terms this can mean striking an equal sound balance between the instruments, particularly the drums and bass guitar. Don't stick them in the background, the kick drum and bass combination is vital to your sound. Audiences will listen more readily to your guitar and vocal work if it is underpinned by a tight engine room with not one instrument dominating the others 11) Good communication After each rehearsal, check in with each other to see if you feel you are getting better results. When having band discussions, listen carefully to what each person has to say. Don't plan your answer in your head while the other person is still talking. Make sure the other person has finished their sentence (or point). Respect each other - say what you want, not what you don't want. 12) Practice makes progress Come to a rehearsal with a reverence for everyone's time. Talk about your ambitions, and be there to support each other's ambitions, otherwise you're wasting their time and yours. And remember, practice does not make perfect. Practice makes progress, and perfect practice makes perfect. 13) Slowdown If needs be, play new songs at a slower tempo. When you rehearse, it's all about memorizing the insides of the music and the performance. When the basics are solid, the fun and showmanship will be all the better. You’re probably going through many, if not all, these tips without having to articulate them like they have been here. You may feel like adapting these tips to your own circumstances or reject them altogether. However, going through some sort of process to get a good rehearsal sound will hopefully aid you and your bandmates to communicate between yourselves and to your audience. 14) Three essentials Beginnings and ends are vitally important. If you have the beginning and end of every song well and truly sorted, you will sound great on stage. Try and make it so that you can start a song from silence, with no talking of any kind, and finish cleanly to silence as well. You really need to batter the song into your brain so that it is note-perfect every time, and the way to do that is through repetition. When you can play a song perfectly once, you can't really say that you have locked that song in until you have played it 10 times in a row. Even then, you'll probably be a bit iffy at your next rehearsal — another 10 reps then, and the next rehearsal too. It has to be said that repetition can be pretty boring, but it is a remarkably effective tool. In your final rehearsals before a gig or tour, you should perform rather than rehearse. Do everything as closely as you can to what you will do in the actual performance. Face towards the wall of the rehearsal studio as though it is the audience. Dim the lights so that you can be sure that you can play in the dark. Even though the stage will be well lit, you can't be sure to be able to see everything you need to at every point in the show. Finally, rehearse any technical issues (setting changes, for instance). Make everything smooth and slick so the audience sees and hears your performance and your music, not your technical problems. References 20 Band Practice Tips For Musicians How To Make Your Band Tighter How to Get Better Rehearsal Sound Getting a good rehearsal sound How to effectively set up for a band rehearsal 7 tips to more effective band practice Top 10 Band Rehearsal Tips

The Rehearsal Factory - Dylan Hennessey Music Location can be more important than what the rehearsal space has to offer. What should you consider when finding a music practice room? Black Frog Studios Some rehearsal spaces are better equipped than others. Your practice room will have a significant effect on the quality of your rehearsals. Clearly, the best option would be a professional rehearsal space, but the nearest one might be a hundred miles away. So what do you do instead in finding a music practice room? Firstly, consider the requirements for a rehearsal space. The primary requirement is that you need to be able to make as much noise as you like. However, it is possible to rehearse effectively and keep the decibels down. But for fine-tuning your performance, you need to be able to play at performance levels. So, if you're going to play loud, you'll need a soundproofed practice room, right? Wrong! One alternative is to find a practice room remote from anyone who is likely to be bothered by noise — a farm outbuilding, for example, but any buildin g that is well away from people is a likely option. The Daggermen Another solution is to find a practice room that is noisy already, where the sound of your band won't make much of a difference. The classic case is that of the converted railway arch. If people don't mind the noise of the trains, then they probably won't mind the noise of your band. The back rooms of pubs/bars, private homes and garages can also often be found doubling up as a music practice room. They remain unsuitable, poorly equipped and inaccessible, possibly with the added annoyance of any number of the following: Bad parking Poor acoustics No refreshments No storage facilities Cold, draughty and damp An atmosphere at odds with fostering talent Dangerous electrics, poor lighting and bad fire precautions Complaints from neighbours of noise pollution Poor access to networking, training and progression routes to develop skills Sense of isolation and limited opportunities for social and business exchange Once your band has decided to move from using a private space to a professional music rehearsal space, it is a step in to taking your music seriously. Not least because it will cost money. Space Rehearsal & Recording The major problem with rehearsals anywhere outside your home is moving your gear and setting up. Don't look at this as a problem. Look at this as another part of your rehearsal. Remember, when you get that first gig you are going to have to go through all this too. You might as well figure a way to do it quickly so you can get on to the sound check in good time for your performance. What many musicians look for in a rehearsal space is first and foremost that it is easy to park. A rehearsal space without adequate parking space is a pain. Location is important too, near a main road, near the city centre and with ground floor load in. Parking is also an important factor to entice customers to use a particular space, as obviously there's a lot of kit to shift. Colin Hartley at Lansdown Studios said: "We are right by the train station in Cheltenham so we have bands with members who travel from Birmingham and Bristol...as well as others who come by car from Tewkesbury, Gloucester, Cheltenham and even Rugby... we're very well located if not in the most salubrious of buildings..." The Hard Times Band members may live far away from one another. Some members may not want to drive far to avoid traffic and congestion. So what is a fair distance to expect members to travel? By finding a rehearsal space that is equal drive time and central for everyone is fair. If you can’t find a rehearsal space with a location fair for every band member, then at least make it fair for the majority. "The shortest and most usual is the local town," continued Colin, "the furthest has been about 2½ hours away... the most regular distanced user travels 1½ hours by car each way.... We have about 45 bands using the place regularly with four rooms available." Band Van If band members live near one another, and the selection of rehearsal space is limited, simply jump in the same vehicle and commute to the best rehearsal space you can find. Ideally it should be near a major road. You don’t want to make your commute more difficult by having to zig zag down backroads to get to your practice room. Don’t be afraid to travel and to find somewhere better. Using a music rehearsal space on a regular basis can help you to develop links to other areas of the music economy such as promoters, sound engineers and instrument repairers. However, it may not be possible to find or rent somewhere convenient in which case you will need to find a suitable alternative. Garage practice room There is no need to go in to debt when using a practice room. The first place to look is your garage or basement space. Sometimes parents or grandparents won't have a problem with this as long as you don't play late and try your best to not annoy the neighbours. If you have to rent, look for cheap. You don't necessarily need a professional practice room, you need a place to set up and spend time getting your sound right. Many musicians just want the basics and not bothered if the carpets are a bit threadbare. It's more rock & roll anyway. Mini-storage on the outskirts of town might be appropriate. How about your local pub or club too? Langlei Studios Friends who have property may have an old barn you could use. Maybe someone you know has an office or warehouse space not in use in the evenings or at weekends. If you are going to school (especially college) or are part of a church you probably have access to a number of rooms. Anything is better than nothing, as long as you have lights and an electrical socket or two. You'll never know if you don't ask. It pays to be on good terms with any local service operators that may have useful rooms - youth centres, schools, venues and such like, all of which tend to be used for only part of the day and so are potentially accessible at other times. band rehearsal at home To find good quality players interested in similar music genres, it is likely they won’t be living next door or in the same town. After all, anyone working in the music industry will tell you much of their success is down to hard graft. And what drives all their hard work, is commitment. First rehearsals Let's suppose you have just formed a new band, taken on a new musician, or you have some new songs for the band to learn. You don't need to go to a 'proper' rehearsal studio at this stage — it's just travelling time and money wasted. You can do your first rehearsals just as effectively at home. Better, in fact. band practice room One of the problems of rehearsing in a proper rehearsal studio is that the sound is just so damn loud. And in a small room, there's not a lot that can be done acoustically to remedy that. Trying to rehearse amidst loud and confused sound is difficult. It has to be done, though, because that's what your monitors are going to sound like on stage. Equipment-wise, a small practice room needs a small vocal PA. A large professional practice room can have a full PA, but most rehearsals can work just fine on a small setup. There's one more feature that isn't at all common in music spaces — mirrors! How do you know that you look great to the audience if you don't know what you look like yourself? Mirrors may not be terribly good for acoustics, but the visual aspect of a performance is important. acoustic rehearsal But why does the sound have to be so loud in the rehearsal studio? Well, ask the question, 'Why does the singer need a PA?' Easy, to be heard against the guitars. 'Why do the guitarist and bassist need to turn their amps up so loud?' Easy, to be heard against the drummer. 'Why does the drummer have to be so loud?' Er... What we can see from this is that if by some terrible chance the drummer went down with the mumps and couldn't attend rehearsals, the guitarist and bassist could bring some little practice amps, maybe with their favourite distortion/tube-sound pedals. The keyboard player can do likewise. And the singer doesn't need a microphone (acoustic guitars are good too). This is the very best way to start rehearsals, either with new musicians or new songs. And when the drummer gets better, he or she can come along too and drum on a cushion. However you arrange it, rehearsing at acoustic levels is a fantastic way of working. band rehearsal in front room So there you are in the front room, relaxed amongst soft furnishings. You can speak in a normal tone of voice, rehearse your songs at pretty much the same level, and hear every detail of what you're doing. Working at acoustic levels is less tiring too. You can put all of your effort into the music, rather than bearing the brunt of a massive wall of sound. The drummer is the foundation of the band. A band with a rubbish singer, a rubbish guitarist and bassist, a rubbish keyboard player, but a brilliant drummer, can sound fantastic. But no matter how brilliant the other musicians are, if the drummer isn't good, then the band will sound terrible. acoustic jam Discipline Rehearsing at acoustic levels early on can be more productive and less tiring, as you can hear detail more clearly and don't have to shout to be heard. Rehearsals can be a great way of wasting a few hours and achieving little or nothing. There will have been moments of achievement: occasions when things came together suddenly and almost automatically. But what would it be like if the whole of your rehearsal time could be like that? Well, it can. All you need is a little bit of discipline. Rehearse smartly Turn up to your rehearsal knowing EXACTLY which songs you’ll be rehearsing. Know which version you’re covering (if we’re talking covers). Don’t deviate from the list and play the songs round and round until you are rehearsal ends. Yes, it may be tedious but the songs will only gel into a performance after you know them inside out, upside down, backwards, forwards and polarised. Know your parts and your structure. Whether you’re playing rhythm, lead, drums or bass – practice your parts to the point that you can’t play them wrong. And again, don’t rely on cues. It all has to be thorough and automatic. Singers – it’s not a crime to use cheat sheets in a rehearsal so bring them with you! Prepare your amp and effects settings, and tune your drums before arriving at the rehearsal studio. It’s fair to say you can adjust settings as you need to fit in with the band’s collective sound, but you need to have the basis of your tones set before you get to the studio. Take snacks with you. Take water with you. If you can keep your breaks short, do so. Keep the personal chatter until the rehearsal’s over and you’re in the bar. Or meet up before the rehearsal starts. Take any opportunities to video your rehearsals and listen back to critique yourself. Notice bits you’re not confident on or you’re not singing too well and spend your time focusing on the stuff you’re not so good at first. It’s easy to concentrate on the bit you play well – because you will naturally enjoy the ease of it – but it’s so much more important to work on the unconfident parts until they become confident parts. If you think of your rehearsal time as just tightening up the sound of the band as a whole, you’ll get out gigging very quickly and if you’ve rehearsed properly and smartly – the band will quickly be successful. References Do's and Don'ts of Renting Rehearsal Space Practice Studios How to find a good rehearsal studio and make it work for you Thanks to: The Rehearsal Factory - Dylan Hennessey Music Space Rehearsal & Recording Lansdown Studios The Ohm Rehearsal Space Langlei Studios Joanne Moldre

Before you book a practice room, here are a few things you may want to think about. Sensible Studios The rehearsal process is the backbone of any band, orchestra or group performance. For every gig you go to see, while the band may only be on stage for an hour, many, many more hours have been put in during rehearsals to make the performance a success. Effective rehearsal management is crucial for getting the best out of the time spent rehearsing. Inexperienced musicians and bands often waste many hours by not managing their time effectively. Planning rehearsals, setting targets for what is to be achieved out of each rehearsal and sticking to deadlines all help the rehearsal process run more smoothly. We rehearse to: Develop songs into band compositions Get songs up to performance standard Experiment with new creative ideas Bond as musicians within a group If you want to be a member of a brilliant world-class band, then what you need to do is practice and rehearse. Practice your instrument at home and get shit hot. Make sure the other band members do the same, or fire them from the band and replace them with musicians who are equally as determined as you. In the paper The Art of Doing: Geographies of music , suggested: “Rehearsals assemble the elements of a musical event, offering an experimental space where sounds are put together and taken apart, played with, argued over" (p.874, Society and Space, 2007). musician practising Preparing for the practice room Warm up before the rehearsal. Always remember to warm up before a rehearsal. This will ensure that you are ready to rock the second you get there. 20 minutes or so of warm-up before you leave home for the rehearsal are just what you need. If three band members have to wait for one to warm up, the efficiency of the rehearsal is already in danger, so don’t forget to warm-up and this way you will be able to enjoy rehearsals and to make the most out of them. Mushroom Rehearsal Studios Preparing for your music rehearsal means arriving on time. If you are late, you will simply annoy all the other band members by making them wait for you. Being on a time is definitely a great mood setter. Plan the days of your rehearsals accordingly and do everything you can to make sure you get there on time! Start setting up the gear the minute you get there! This is the best and most efficient thing to do. By doing this, you will be able to start the actual rehearsal as soon as possible. If you know that your gear takes a few minutes to warm up, you should even consider arriving early. Valve amplifiers for instance change their tone as they warm up and you will usually have to wait for at least 20 minutes for your valve amplifier to warm up properly. If you know something takes time to set up, try to get there a few minutes early and get it done! band rehearsal Hired musicians Rehearsals are not just limited to band members but are also an effective way of working with hired musicians who may not be familiar with the songs. For example, it makes no sense to have backing singers at the rehearsal while you are going over the arrangement with the rhythm section. Being respectful of others’ time will make them fresher and more productive when they come in. Build from the bottom up. Rehearsing the rhythm section (bass & drums) first will allow you to really focus on their individual parts. You may hear problems you didn't know existed because they were covered up by the arrangement or the sound of other instruments. Once you have sorted these issues out, you can now add the additional musicians and work with them in a more focused manner. band room The outcome of rehearsing your band should be that you are ready to perform a live gig. It doesn't matter if you’re playing support for a band at your local pub, you want to pull off your gig in style. Gigging will improve your skills and you will become a tighter live unit. Another benefit of rehearsing your live set is that you will be better prepared to record an affordable demo. Exactly how do you rehearse? Is there a best way of doing it? And what do you do to draw the line between effective, efficient rehearsal and mere messing around? First things first... band rehearsal Band leader Although bands seem to be cooperative and collaborative associations, in reality, they can work more effectively if someone is in charge of how the music is arranged and performed. An additional benefit is that the music can be pushed in a more creative direction than if it is allowed too much 'organic' growth. Discipline needs to be encouraged and sometimes it needs to be imposed. So, who is going to be the band's enforcer? Well, it depends whose band it is. If you're like 99% of gigging bands out there, you won't have agreed this and written down the agreement yet. Now is a good time to think about this. Whose band is it? And who are merely band members? In general, the person who wrote the song should be in charge of rehearsing a song. When a band member introduces a new song to the band and the band members agree to play it, that person can have the responsibility to prepare and distribute a chord and lyric sheet. band rehearsal If there are multiple writers in the band, then they should take charge of their own songs. If the song is a cover of someone else's material, then the person who brought it to the band's attention should take charge. A good leader will accept the suggestions of the band members and incorporate them into his vision for the song. Let's assume it's your band, because you have the van or the practice room, or perhaps you write the songs. Whichever way, it seems that you have the role of encouraging and, if necessary, enforcing rehearsal discipline to get things done. band members jamming The first thing you will need to do is to get rid of anything that wastes time. When the band members meet for a rehearsal, clearly they will want to chit-chat. They can do this while they are setting the equipment up. If necessary, start the rehearsal with a cup of tea so that everyone is fully chit-chatted before you start, and then once you have started rehearsing there is no more chit-chat - not until the break, and then no more after that until the end. The simple management of chit-chat will double your effective rehearsal time and strengthen its intensity. songwriting Goals There are many ways bands rehearse, and how you rehearse may vary, depending on your goals - both long and short term. Clarity on your rehearsal goals will help clarify your band’s collective sense of direction, and help you all get on the same page. Bad rehearsal practices will likely lead some members to feeling that this time is unproductive and that the band is going in the wrong direction. Good rehearsal practices will bring your band to its highest level, and everyone will have a clear sense of what you’re working towards. Planning your rehearsal Planning is the key to productive rehearsals. Everyone in your band should arrive ready to contribute. Every tune needs an advocate, and if that’s your role, you should distribute charts or recordings in advance, so everyone has time beforehand to work out a part that’s appropriate for their instrument. Communicate your rehearsal goals in advance by circulating a list describing what you want to accomplish. U2 rehearsing Conduct the rehearsal according to the schedule. Strive to begin practicing right on time with a group warm-up. Use the schedule as a guide, but make sure to attune yourself to the band's needs. Allocate extra time to sections that need work, while spending less time on better-sounding sections. If you are also acting as a lead performer, make sure to take control of each song's direction. The band should respond to cues from the lead performer, not the other way around. A musician described his rehearsal schedule on the Talkbass web forum: We almost always spent the last five minutes of rehearsal agreeing on the agenda for the following rehearsal. One member followed up with a written agenda emailed to the others later that night or the following day. This took some planning and discipline. Often I would have to email mp3 copies of a song I wanted us to learn to the other members 10 days before rehearsal so that we could agree to learn it, put it on the agenda and distribute the chords and lyrics sheet at the end of the prior rehearsal. It actually helped reduce disputes about new songs. Most people won't do that kind of planning and prepare a recording and a chords and lyrics sheet more than a week in advance unless they really want to learn and perform the song. Basement Studio Obviously these kinds of processes require a collective commitment among band members, and they need to be modified to fit the peculiarities of individual circumstances. They can also be simplified if your band is a leader-with-sidemen rather than a partnership. And if being cool and laid-back musicians is more important than agreeing on a few methods to make your music easier to learn as well as sound better, you'll never agree on these suggestions anyway. Productive rehearsals depend on everyone having respect for everyone else’s time. Arrive prepared, organize your session, and focus on the business at hand. Have clearly defined goals that support your band’s overall goals. Good rehearsals are key to your band’s success, so be protective of this special time, and be deliberate in making it productive. Hollow Earth / Jam On Top Planning your time To help you create a realistic plan after about three hours it’s time to stop rehearsing. In a three-hour session you can expect to be able to work up two or possibly three new tunes. If you must get through more material than that, take at least a half hour break between three-hour sessions. Everyone should break at least for a few minutes every hour or so. Singers and wind players require more frequent breaks. Overplaying can lead them to injury, which can takes weeks or longer to heal. Let them sit out or mark (play quietly, leaving out notes), if the rest of the band wants to press on, specify two different times for the rehearsal: the time when the space will become available for setup and the “downbeat” or start time, when the band should be ready to begin playing. Anyone who needs extra time up front should arrive early. Twenty Two Studios Drummers need extra time to set up, as will whoever is recording the session. Acoustic string instruments (guitars, banjos, mandolins, acoustic basses) need time to adjust to the room conditions so that their tuning stabilizes. Brass players need some time to warm up their lips. Everyone should be aware of how much time they need before the rehearsal begins, and should plan accordingly, so that they are not intruding on other band members’ time. Some bands like to begin rehearsals by jamming on an easy groove over a blues or other simple form, or by playing a tune you all know well. Warm up your ax and your fingers. Musically, say hello to your bandmates. Do this for fifteen minutes or so, and then get down to business. This is fun, so beware of jamming for too long at the expense of accomplishing more critical business. Be sure to have some drinks and snacks on hand, to keep people from wandering away from the premises and taking too much time in getting back. No alcohol, please, unless having fun making noise is more important to your band than doing focused, productive and thoughtful work. Panic Music Rehearsal Studio Have you ever thought about how you’re using the rehearsal time you’re buying? Probably not. Have you ever done the following: Gone for a cigarette break? (15 min) Had to wait for the guitarist to learn a lead solo while the rest of you have a cigarette break? (30 mins) Spent time playing with effects settings? (20 mins) Restrung your bass / guitar (20 mins) Waiting for the vocal to find and download lyrics on their phone (5 mins) Gone out to buy stuff and drink/eat it? (30 mins) Talking about your personal problems (20 mins) sleeping musician If all these distractions take place during one rehearsal, that's 2 hours 20 minutes. When you have 3 hours of rehearsal time every week, but you spend more than half the time learning parts / playing around with settings / trying to be heard over the guitarist “testing” their distortions / having cigarette breaks every 20 mins, etc – it will take you TWO weeks to have ONE weeks worth of rehearsal. And it’s cost you twice as much for that one rehearsal too. You may also find the band members becoming frustrated with that one member that is the cause of the waste of time and, after kicking them out, will have to start from scratch to bring them up to speed. So it makes a lot of sense to be prepared when turning up to rehearsals and be prepared to work solidly through a majority of the rehearsal time. Arch Studios Record your sessions Some bands like to record the whole session, and others prefer to record just the “final performances” of each tune. You don’t have to get too fancy. Just a general room mic or two and a laptop is fine. You just want a record of your arrangement and groove decisions to give everyone something to practice with afterwards. Ideally, you should distribute these recordings to everyone in the band shortly after the rehearsal. Recording to a computer and converting to mp3 makes distributing files easy. If recording is your responsibility, set up the recording gear before the band shows up. The goal is to make productive use of everyone’s time, so don’t let the recording process get in the way of this. Playing live is your best rehearsal When you prepare with as much intensity as you play live, you will be able to book time in a recording studio and walk away with a demo worthy of getting a gig. However, it is important not to assume everything is going to run smoothly during rehearsal. If you feel the songs are starting to lose a bit of life, book a gig before going in to record. Woodshack Studios The energy of the crowd and performing on stage will inspire spirited performances. All the technical issues you worked on in rehearsal will show up in the dynamics of the performance. It is a good way to prime the attitude you will be looking for in the recording studio and deal with lacklustre performances. Maintaining momentum If interest is waning for a particular song, change to another. This will refresh interest so you can revisit it later with a fresh attitude. If a musician is struggling with a part, it is best to either simplify it or they work it out in their own time. This will limit the frustration of the other musicians. The pressure of time and money in the recording studio can easily lead to getting something "recorded" instead of something "special". Rehearsals and live performances prior to making studio recordings allow the band to perfect their sound and songs. By working out all the performance matters, you will be better prepared to deal with the recording studio environment. Band rehearsals will help: Musicians learn the song arrangement Establish the best tempo for each song Focus on individual parts and the way individual instruments work together Find the best instrument, tone or sound for each part Get creative input from the musicians to help enhance the song Determine any additional resources that might be necessary for an upcoming recording Create a reference demo so each part can be referenced in a recording session Counting The Killers Health & Safety Observing health & safety guidelines pervades our everyday lives. So it is no surprise advice on protecting your hearing has been drawn up. Guidelines produced by the British organisation Sound Advice recommend the following health & safety actions can be taken: Risk Assessment: It is important musicians can hear each other without excessive loudness. Carry out a noise risk assessment and ensure exposure to sound is reduced as much as possible during rehearsals. There are various ways to achieve this. Use a suitable venue: Make sure the practice room is suitable for rehearsal. Wherever possible use a purpose-built and acoustically treated practice room. Using a larger space might mean noise exposure is reduced. Rooms with low ceilings and reflective parallel walls result in excessive noise and reverberation. Where possible, use a space with more height and increase the separation between players more than there will be in the performance venue. Aim for at least 17m3 per person with a ceiling height of at least 7m. This will generally provide sufficient volume for noise levels to be maintained at acceptable levels. Mixture of repertoire: Schedule a variety of loud and quiet music during a rehearsal to reduce the overall exposure. Try and allocate noisy instruments and passages into separate rehearsals. Quieter rehearsal levels: Aim to rehearse at a quieter overall level unless the group is trying to achieve a 'balance' in the actual performance venue (soundcheck). Limit the time spent when trying to get a balance before returning to the quieter rehearsal level. When repeating sections to iron out problems, musicians should try to play quietly, except for those who need to be heard at louder volume levels. Try to avoid rehearsing when extraneous noise is increasing the overall exposure to noise. Time-out: Exposure to noise can induce high stress levels in individuals. Consider allowing time-out for individual musicians and crew by letting them to leave the rehearsal for a short time if they are feeling stressed by the noise. It might also mean the seating position of one or more performers needs to be reassessed. Ensure non-essential people, such as riggers or cleaners, and musicians who are not rehearsing, are excluded from the rehearsal. Hearing protection: Some players who might find it difficult to perform using hearing protection can be comfortable using it during rehearsals. Using hearing protection during rehearsals could be particularly useful if loud passages are being repeatedly rehearsed. Screens: Screens should only be used as determined by the noise risk assessment. The can be positioned to isolate and dampen louder sounds. The positions of any screens should be noted if the room is to be re-set between the final rehearsal and the performance. Screens are often used in recording studios. practising musician Practicing at home Band rehearsal and personal practice time have different outcomes. When the band is all in one room, it is not the time to learn your solo or noodle around on your guitar. That time was any time prior to rehearsal. Rehearsal time should be spent getting your live show together and building a stage presence. Unless of course you are writing new songs and everything changes then. Practicing on your own is a key part of improving your skills as an artist. You should obviously know how to play your material, but playing it note-perfect every time will only come with practice. Practicing at home on your own enables you to fine-tune your part and sharpen-up your songwriting. Iron out any kinks in your playing so you can make the most of playing together when you rehearse. As a professional musician, you should aim to get to a stage where you can sail through the songs and concentrate on how you express them. Leaving notes ringing or placing more emphasis on certain parts of a phrase can make a simple verse or chorus stand out. If you’re a singer, make up phrases on the spot to fit the melodies you’ve written. If you forget your words when you’re in front of a crowd, singing complete rubbish is better than standing with your mouth open looking for somewhere to hide. Things to bear in mind Don’t go overboard with the volume. Keep it decently loud. There is no reason why you should overdo it with the volume. Too much of it will be disturbing even for band members. Just make sure what you are playing is clearly audible and that’s it. There’s no reason to go beyond that level. band rehearsal If appropriate, use the metronome. The metronome will make your timing perfect. It might take a while to get used to it, but soon enough you will see just how useful using a metronome is. If you use a metronome, timing and band synchronization will reach a whole new level after just a few rehearsal sessions. Don’t cut corners. If any member of the band has made even a slight mistake, the best thing you can do is to start over and repeat that part. Don’t start from the beginning of the song, focus on correcting the mistakes. Just make a habit out of this and your performances will improve dramatically. This doesn’t mean you have to be rude to the member who made the mistake. Simply get used to starting over without saying a word. No reason to kill the mood! Base Studios Have some fun. Rehearsing is not just about continuously trying to achieve a higher performance. Take a break from the actual rehearsal and have some fun. Improvise and jam with your band. Jams are fun and they really boost your creativity. And who knows, maybe the next casual jam holds the idea for your next super hit. Write your ideas down. It often happens for someone to come up with a cool idea based on improvisations. If you don’t want to forget your cool new ideas, make sure to write them down. You can go for the old fashioned way of noting them on paper or you can simply use a recorder. Just do whatever works best for you. Juvat Studios Always plan your next rehearsal. Just before you leave from the rehearsal, make sure everyone knows what they have to do till next time: what to practice, what to learn, what to bring along, etc. If you do this, rehearsals will just keep getting better and better. It is important to be aware of the time and how long you have got left. Quite often band rehearsal rooms will book bands in one after another so it is always good practice to factor in packing away time into your session to ensure you are ready to leave when your time is up. You would expect that from bands if they were before you so other bands are no different. When you're all done and ready to leave ensure you are paid up with the space. Ensure any rubbish is in the bin and the room is looking how you found it for the next band. Stereotrain Rehearsal Studios How often should we practice? If you’re in a group, arrange to practice at the same time and day(s) every week. Avoid weekends if possible, because family events or people heading out for the weekend can disrupt or postpone practices. It is also far more likely that one of you will be feeling worse for wear if you meet during the weekend, meaning less productive sessions. If you're a solo artist you may find it helps to set yourself regular times to work on your songs and practice playing. Try and stick to them. If you want a second opinion try setting aside time with a friend or another musician to bounce ideas around. Dugout Studios It’s worth booking yourself into a practice room in blocks so you’re all committed to rehearsing your set over subsequent weeks. Some practice rooms can only be booked for a minimum of three to four hours, which can be a pretty gruelling length of time if you’ve hit a creative block. However you choose to hone your skills, set yourself the goal of being the best prepared person ahead of your next group rehearsal. band leader New ideas Aim for each member to come to practice with a new idea or basis for a song. As you get used to playing and writing in practices, you should try developing a song from this small idea by jamming together. To start with, they might be directionless, repetitive or just plain noise, but once you get used to each other’s playing styles improvising like this can be a great way of creating new material. When should we book a practice room? Wait until you’ve built up your repertoire before booking a practice room. Building up a “set” of songs can take time so you don’t want to get bored playing the same two songs repeatedly each time you rehearse. It can be tempting to keep playing your newest songs because they’re the most exciting to play, but don’t neglect your old material. Make sure you can play all your songs at the drop of a hat. You never know when you’ll need to pull one out of the bag for an encore. Once you have 6-10 songs more or less complete, it is time to find yourself a permanent base to rehearse as a full band. For example, using their local pub gave Pulled Apart By Horses not only a room to practice but also somewhere to store their gear. Practice whenever you get a chance. References Are You Making These 9 Band Rehearsal Mistakes? Make The Most Of Your Studios Time Does A Band Need A Leader 5 Pre-Production Tips for Bands The Music Production Process Step 3: Rehearsals and Band Rehearsals for a Studio Recording How To Get The Most Out Of Your Rehearsal For Better Performances Seymour Duncan - My Top 10 Tips for Effective Rehearsal How to Get the Most out of Your Practice Session How To Conduct A Band Practice

If you are in a band and wanting to gig, rehearsing will be a fact. Members of some bands will spend all their time simply rehearsing in the studio. Others who rehearse smartly, will only need a small number of practices. What should you think about when preparing to gig? Well, when your band enters pre-production for gigs , set up as you would on stage in a line or semi-circle. You need to get used to not facing each other and instead listen to the songs for your change cues. This doesn't mean you can never look at one another, but you need to prepare for performing in a live venue. If you have trouble with this at first, set up in a semi-circle and as you warm up start to move out so you learn to play with your ears. Start rehearsing like you’re playing a show. Agree on which songs will be in your set and their order. Once you've decided, play through the set even if there are mistakes. Just because the bass player missed a verse doesn't mean other members should grind to a halt. You wouldn't do this on stage and you should keep from doing it during rehearsals. It puts you in the frame of mind every rehearsal is a show and every show is a rehearsal. It calms the nerves and breeds familiarity with your song order. And relax... Once you have played your set take 15 minutes to critique it. This doesn't mean start an argument, but talk about how the set flowed, including: How was the sound set up? Was the guitar too muddy, the bass too soft? Were the effects set up so switching between them sounded smooth? You will get a feel for the set and maybe want to change the order of the songs. That's what rehearsals are about. Once your critique is complete and you have fixed any technical problems with sounds, volume, patching, do the set again. If the lead vocalist wants to talk to the imaginary crowd in between songs, let him/her do it. You're working on stage presence. recording musician Recording your rehearsals You might find it helpful to listen to live recordings of your jams and rehearsals. Set up a simple recorder in your practice room and capture the whole rehearsal. You can play along to the recording to practice parts you need to improve, or write new ones. This could be particularly useful for a singer or lyricist, because he/she can take the recording home and work on it without holding up other band members. Listening back to a demo as a band is a good way of taking an objective view of which parts do and don't work. Don't worry about the quality of the recording - as long as you can hear all the parts then it will do the job. Make adjustments based on what you hear. Is the guitarist too busy? Maybe you don’t need to repeat the chorus three times at the end. The list of possible tweaks and adjustments is endless. More information Pre-production tips for bands Everything you need to know about pre-production The value of pre-production How to plan your music production to prevent problems Video:  NAL Sound Music Rehearsal Studios

Perhaps the most important part of pre-production is the rehearsal, an often overlooked but necessary part of the music production process. So what does it involve? songwriting So what is music pre-production? Composition, rehearsal and arrangement of your songs are all part of pre-production. On higher budgets producers may be involved in offering advice on arrangements and instrumentation. On smaller budgets, bands will often 'produce' themselves. Rehearsal time can be a source of income as part of a Session Musician contract. UNESCO’s model contract Hire of Artist, Musician or Backup Singer for Live Performance includes a requirement upon paying the musician to attend a rehearsal in advance of a performance. In its simplest terms, pre-production is the musicians having learned their parts in the agreed keys and arrangement. Rehearsals are important in preparation for making a recording too. Two hours spent in the recording studio going through the arrangement, parts and sounds are wasted when they can be more easily addressed in a practice room with a lot less pressure. band meeting Preparation Even for the well-prepared band, playing a gig can be a stressful experience. Thankfully, it can also be one of the most rewarding. One way of keeping the stress to the bare minimum is to know exactly what you want to achieve before setting foot in a practice room. "Rehearsal is where the musicians show up already knowing the songs, and you run through them together"  Worship Online band rehearsal If we define a rehearsal as an activity that involves musicians practicing together to ensure they are adequately prepared, then the technical challenges of a subsequent performance should be made easier. Perhaps one way to look at it, is that it is similar to a football practice, where you work on the fundamentals so when you are in the game you perform well. Remember though, too much practice can wear out the player and take the edge away come game time. Regular rehearsals For many musicians regular rehearsals help to build up your group's setlist and sound. A musician describes his regular rehearsal schedule on the Talkbass web forum: SoundLab Studios Alberta We rehearsed weekly, on the same day of the week and at the same time, in one of the member's basement. We increased to two rehearsals a week when anyone new joined the band, but usually only needed to do so for 2 or 3 weeks. Using this schedule… we normally had new players ready to go in two weeks with the 35 songs or so necessary to squeak through a gig. Within 30 days, we were always able to acceptably play any of the 55 or 60 songs in our rotating repertoire. And during rehearsals: …we would typically work on 6-8 songs per rehearsal to reach about 95% of the proficiency level at which we'd eventually perform them - which was always at a level acceptable to an audience... we used regular weekly rehearsals to fine tune the remaining 5% of the songs (add/tighten harmonies, refine breaks and accents, tweak beginnings and endings, modify arrangements, learn new songs, etc.). There was always plenty of refinement to do... if everyone can sing and play the song in the same key as the recording, the process goes much more quickly and easily. Pulse Studios And the outcomes of rehearsing: We usually add two songs a week. Practice consists of reviewing last week's songs, everyone having gone home and polished their bit using the recordings we made during practice. We then work on the new ones, and finally choose a couple for next week. Typically we're ready to perform a song after two rehearsals. But of course, they get better the more times we play them. We have years of experience and individually know several hundreds of songs, and some nights we can add more than two songs to the list. Song writing is not part of band practice, but takes place outside of that setting. One or more members collaborate apart from the practice time. This musician in this example on average spent the following amount of time on his music: Band practice 2-3 hours per week Personal practice of band material 2-3 hours per week Personal practice for own advancement (new techniques, elaborating on existing songs in the set list, etc) Writing - whatever time the ideas keep coming Performance - 1 night week Rehearsing regularly aids in preparing for recording sessions too. developing song ideas Song development Being able to perform the songs as a band prior to recording is important. Pre-production can involve their development and arrangement. By knowing what you are supposed to be playing by rehearsing as a band means you will not lose valuable time later on trying to work out or remember parts. A band can sometimes spend so much time over at each other’s houses, messing about with a DAW and making polished demos, that they use that process in place of a traditional rehearsal. What then happens is that they come to the studio unable to play the track as a band — all they’ve ever done with it is to overdub parts, edit and effectively write the song in the computer,  Jack Ruston, producer (May, 2017, Sound on Sound). band rehearsing When you track in a professional studio, you won't have unlimited time to figure out how all the equipment works and to try different song arrangements. So the best thing is to rehearse together so you are best prepared to adapt to the recording environment. "The goal of pre-production is to prepare as much as possible in a low-cost environment so that once the band hits the studio, no time is wasted on last-minute changes which can often lead to lengthly debates under the pressure of the studio clock Hardcore Music Studio See also Pre-production for gigs Pre-production for the recording studio References

Aspect Studios The convenience of being able to book a practice room, then share the date & time with your band colleagues has never been easier. We found there are currently two ways in which booking a practice room online works. Website Calendar Music rehearsal spaces have a calendar embedded in to their website. This allows those looking to book a practice room to view available dates and times in advance. Those managing spaces can centralise their room bookings, enabling them to remain in control of their calendar, prices, bookings and times. It also enables managers to monitor peaks and troughs of room use and consider offering discounts and incentives for downtimes. Bandspace looked in to online booking calendars run by music rehearsal spaces and found adopting and running one has many benefits: No endless phone calls No back-and-forth emails No unconfirmed availability Manage your bookings 24/7 Other band members can book Retain your favourite slot Easy block book weeks ahead Take advantage of any discounts See how well-used practice rooms are Add telephone and personal bookings Easily alter booking with an account The following spaces were reviewed. Aspect Studios Aspect Studios Aspect Studios is a well-established music rehearsal space across two sites in Leicester and Loughborough in the East Midlands. It offers three bright practice rooms to hire in each location, all equipped to a high standard and ready to use.  Completing a simple registration page on its website enables you to log in to an online calendar and manage your bookings. You can book a time slot in one of three rooms, with a minimum of two hours. Once a time slot has been selected, you follow a link to a page to create your band name. You can add band members and their email addresses. Once you have paid securely online with your credit / debit card for your slot, the space automatically emails fellow band members to confirm the booking. Only dates when rooms are available are highlighted to ensure rooms are not double booked. Black Frog Studios BackFrog Studios BlackFrog Studios in Thame, just outside Oxford, is a large one-room music rehearsal space. You can manage your rehearsal sessions online using its web based booking system to ensure you retain your favourite slot months in advance. Its website simply lists a number of slots. Once you have selected your slot, you enter your name, telephone number and email address. When booked you receive an email confirmation. You can either pay online using Paypal or pay on the day. More spaces offering online booking Ginger Music Company Graham Russell Drums Langlei Studios Meet & Jam Melrose Yard Studios Mill Hill Studios Music Ape Studios Pro9ect Studio Rogue Studios The Bunker The Rhoom Studios The Sound Garage The Unsigned Guide Upland Studios Wilder Studios Woodshack Rehearsal Studios Third-party Directory An external agency lists your space in an online directory. For a fee it maintains information about a music rehearsal space allowing viewers to contact a space via their webpage. There are several websites that offer to handle your room bookings: Jammed 's pricing plan offers either a per room or a complete managed service. Its booking software allows the account holder to take online bookings in real-time with payment taken before booking. It also allows you to set a room cleaning period after each booking and perform contract tracing on a customer's details. Musicians and performers get email and phone reminders of their booking, allowing your customers to cancel their booking online, and you to resell the room. Tutti allows you to search for anything from pianos to sprung floors, blackout studios to live-stream equipment. You can explore hundreds of listings or narrow down your search using filters. You can book by the room per hour, day, or week, depending on your needs. You can also communicate directly with your host. Any space can be listed, be it a student flat, garage, club or studio with the aim to match your space with the right person. Rehearsal Space Finder is a free service for both artists and rehearsal space owners. Simply enter your location and whether you are looking for a dance, theatre or music rehearsal studio you will be presented with a list of nearby venues. You can use keyword search and filters to narrow down the results by size, capacity, price and services or equipment offered. It also lists a number of other venue types, like photography studios, performance spaces and recording studios. Tagvenue is a general venue hire web agency. It boasts over 8,000 event spaces listed in the UK, Ireland, Australia and Singapore, including restaurants, banquet halls, conference centres and even less conventional places like churches, warehouses and gardens. You can compare prices, capacities and user ratings. Once you find your space, you can contact and book the venue directly through the Tagvenue website. Musicwise is a free service for musicians to find and book rehearsal studios, recording studios, music courses, music shops, and music lessons. Behind MusicWise is a group of musicians, tech professionals, and industry leaders, and together they are on a mission to help you play more. Music Locations is a free listing website offering full contact details for the space. There are thousands of music locations listed which include pubs, schools and venues. Any location connected to music can be listed. Cancelling a booking If you intend to cancel a booking, you will need to notify the space usually at least 48 hours before your session starts. Otherwise you will lose your deposit and/or lose favour with the space manager. Email or telephone A word of warning however from Rotator Studios who have worked with Supergrass and The Foals. They have chosen not to use email but instead use a telephone to take bookings because: “If you ask a question like: What have you got available next Wednesday or Thursday evening? Our reply might be: "We have A and B slots on Wednesday, and C and D slots on Thursday… But we can't keep ALL the slots you might want open just in case you might like to take one up. So we hope you understand, it's just better if you call us and speak to us directly. Believe us, we tried it - but it was not practical” ( www.rotator.co.uk ).

Band rehearsal space The importance of rehearsing before making a professional studio recording cannot be understated. So what should you think about? prepare for your session Preparation You want to make the most of your time in the practice room before your session in a recording studio. Since there is no audience, the energy of the song must be self-generated in a way more obvious in a recording. Hiring a practice room won't cost as much as a recording studio so rehearsing together until your songs are tight and as good as you can get them, will give you the confidence to play well when the record button lights up. B efore tracking commences, you should establish a clear vision of how a project’s songs, sounds and performances should best be represented in recorded form. Your ‘blueprint’ must also factor in the opinions of the band and, if relevant, the record label, and it will inform the vast majority of your production decisions and your communication with the band. Mark Mynett, producer ( Making Modern Metal , Sound on Sound, January 2018). Before you book a practice room, think about who needs to be present for the session. Considering and adopting some of the following points could make your time more productive. Snug Recording Company Preparing for your recording The difference between a professional recording versus an amateur one, is mostly in the preparation. If a song is not properly rehearsed, minor annoyances can create confusion and frustration. Any advantage to be had before entering the recording studio will pay dividends no matter the level of recording facility. Well before recording commences, a producer should identify potential problems with the individual performances... A musician who’s unable to perform their parts accurately and comfortably in the comparatively relaxed setting of a rehearsal room is even less likely to play well in the studio, Mark Mynett, producer (Making Modern Metal, Sound on Sound, January 2018). Vocals The process of rehearsing can be an effective way of preparing a vocalist who is singing on a programmed or produced recording. A vocalist should be taken to task on the technical aspects of a performance such as pitch, timing, phrasing and annunciation. If there are difficult parts that are tongue twisters or stretch the range of the artist, they can be worked on and strengthened before entering the studio. new drumheads Drums For any serious recording project, new drumheads are a must. If a drum kit’s batter heads are significantly ‘pitted’, or have simply become unresponsive and lost their ‘bounce’ due to the amount they have been used, the drum will sound dull and flat, and be very difficult to tune. The cost of new drumheads is incidental in comparison with the additional time spent tuning the drums and processing the resulting signals in an attempt to compensate for the sub-standard recording. A simple suggestion like making sure the drummer changes the heads could easily save hours. Allowing adequate time for them to fully stretch will make the drum sounds more consistent making the engineer's job much easier. If you get what you want from the rhythm section (bass & drums) during the band rehearsals, record them so you can play back the recording when you rehearse the vocalist or other musicians. This way you will not burn out your rhythm section by making them play the piece repeatedly. You can bring everyone in together for a final rehearsal before the recording if necessary. Guitars Accurate tuning can make the difference between an acceptable demo and a good, professional production, and from a bass and guitar perspective, one of the most important considerations is for these instruments to be accurately tuned. Neil Young's recording booth Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse The performance process is different in the recording studio to any other place. Rehearse until your songs are second nature. No part or passage should come as an overwhelming challenge when you press record. Get the songs to the point where it is muscle memory thinking less, and feeling more. The studio is not the place to finish writing that bridge or working out a face melting solo. The maze of microphones and cables can make any musician feel confined or restricted. The use of isolation booths to separate musicians, headphones and lack of clear sight lines between musicians can diminish visual cues to usher in transitions between sections of a song. The strange studio environment, the listening setup, and the sound engineer sat behind the console all play a part in adding stress to the situation, so you don’t want to mess up when more preparation could have helped. expectations Communication Setting up a short video conference or phone call ahead of the recording can prepare the musician for what to expect in the studio. They can prepare ideas and rehearse in their own time. Since so many musicians have recording setups, have them record and send ideas back to you. This will help you sort out the best of what they have to offer and fashion it into a part before the recording. band rehearsing Recording live If you’ve prepared well, tracking separately may not be necessary. All the musicians may record altogether, live, at the same time, with the feel a live band recording makes possible. Or maybe the drummer nailed the take and everyone else will layer their parts. Some songs benefit by recording to a click track. Some songs don't. You may not know which approach works best until you get into the studio and record a couple of takes. For this reason, as a band, rehearse each song both ways. Click track If you have the time and resources, it's worth thinking about mapping and recording guide tracks to a click track in advance of the studio recording sessions. Producer Mark Mynett in a Sound on Sound magazine article described using a click track approach in an album's pre-production. He captured a live recording of a band in a practice room, then tempo-mapped the recording. The band practiced to the resulting clicks for three rehearsals and, following a few minor tweaks, the album's guide tracks were tempo-mapped to perfection. With the guide rhythm recordings complete, the drummer was given the final templates to practise: drummer at Brazen Sound Studios By rehearsing and tracking to a click, the drummer’s grooves and beats [can] be ‘tightened’ and made more consistent, whilst any required performance edits would be easier... Click use would obviously enable the band to lock to the optimum tempo. Mark Mynett, producer (Making Modern Metal, Sound on Sound, January 2018). Throughout the process, the various rehearsal and guide track recordings allowed the producer and band-members to comment on the parts, arrangements and resulting amendments. Livebeatz Studio Involve your sound recording engineer Once you have sorted through all the performance and parts in the band rehearsals, it is usually a good idea to bring in the engineer who will be recording the band. By seeing the setup, meeting the musicians and hearing the music, they will be able to better prepare the studio. A good engineer will make suggestions regarding sounds, resources available at the studio and what to expect on the day of the session. band rehearsing Attitude and feeling Most people never bought a record because the artists pitch, timing and tone were perfect. They buy tracks because the attitude, feeling or emotion struck a chord. If well rehearsed, your engineer or producer can focus on the more important aspects of the vocal performance like the expression and the continuity of the song from section to section. The listener will relate to such things and influence them to buy your song. It is at this stage when you will need to decide where you want to record. If you have a producer they will help you to select a recording studio. Beatbox Studio Selecting a recording studio Factors to think about include previous notable clients that represent your sound, the equipment, size of its live room and what backline is included. Perhaps it has a live room famed for its drum sound. Perhaps you want to record drums at one studio and guitars at another. Pre-production for professional recordings often focus on details such as testing out microphones that best suit the vocalist. Sourcing reference tracks by other artists can help everyone involved agree and understand the sound you are trying to achieve. For those acts still starting out, budget will also be a factor. If your budget is tight, it’s always best to do less songs of a higher quality than try to do more songs and leave them unfinished. Most studios will offer advice when trying to work out how to get the most value for your money. Above all be ready for all eyes to be on you while you’re recording. References The Unsigned Guide: Make the most of your studio time Part 1 DIY Musician - 5 Pre-Production Tips for Bands Music Production School: Rehearsals and Band Rehearsals for a Studio Recording Five pre-production tips for bands Rehearsals and band rehearsals for a studio recording Getting together Video:  Band rehearsal studio

Bandspace conducted a survey of music rehearsal spaces between September 2015 to August 2016. We asked two questions with 50 responses from music rehearsal spaces: 1) Roughly, what is the end purpose of bands using your music rehearsal space? Over half the groups were preparing to perform local gigs. Nearly one fifth were making music for ‘fun’ with friends. A smaller number were rehearsing prior to recording and touring. 2) Generally speaking, how do bands book your music practice rooms? The trend was over half of users to book a practice room using a phone. Nearly one fifth used email, while online booking was in its infancy. Visiting to book a practice room in person was less frequently reported. We expect these findings may change as music rehearsal spaces and users increasingly use online tools. Respondents We appreciate the contributions to help us complete the 2016 Bandspace Survey from the following 30 music rehearsal spaces: Abbey Lane Studios Alternator Artisan Music Studio Backstreet Studio Bally Studios Cardiff Arches Catalyst Studios Green Room Studio Groove Studios Ktown Studios Lansdown Studios Lucky Stone Studio Mill Hill Music Complex Mushroom Rehearsal Studios Next Step Studios Plug Studios Pro9ect Przestrzensztuki Redfern Studios Rock Hard Studios Rocking Horse Rehearsal Rooms The Rooms Rehearsal Studios Terminal Studios The Bunker The Cold Rooms The Control Rooms Tweeters Two Rivers Production Co. Upland Studios Witney Music Studios Methodology We used the online survey software, Survey Monkey, promoted via the Bandspace Facebook page on a weekly basis. Although the survey was anonymous, respondents were given the choice to attribute their responses to their business name (30 out of 50 gave their names). Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage proportions in their answer to each question. The percentage results were aggregated and divided by the number of respondents for each question.

This blog reviews the political and economic significance of the music rehearsal space sector to our wider cultural life. Big City Jacks Success starts in the rehearsal space Research in to music spaces has focussed on commercial music, acoustic design and music education. However, a growing numbers of ‘bedroom musicians’ now commit considerable time listening to music, experimenting with software and exploring a range of music sources. Many informally create music on computers and devices often in isolation and with no assistance or assessment. It would be misleading to think such musicians are ‘outside’ or independent of the music business, or that they are only tenuously connected through their consumption and appropriation of various products (instruments, amplifiers, recordings, etc.). Modern Comforts Music rehearsal spaces offer useful meeting places where such amateur music-makers can exchange ideas and practice with potentially far reaching social, economic and artistic benefits. Indeed, spaces provide critical progression routes to musicians who create music that contribute to the music economy. Paul Willis (1990) in his book Common Culture argues: "If it’s more ‘producers’ we want… we should, instead, focus on a general lubrication of the connections between the everyday forms of musical and cultural activity and the more formally recognized practices, to make the passage from the role of ‘consumer’ to that of ‘producer’ easier." band rehearsing Much of the commercial success of unsubsidised spaces is due to the relatively unknown enthusiasts who play music week in, week out who may gradually move up the scale to professional work. Amateur and professional musicians alike rub shoulders while playing an important role in the music industry’s economic and cultural production cycle. The writer Rick Rogers researched in to the work, education and training of professional musicians in 2002. In his landmark study he attempts to redefine the musician's role as one that: "… b ring the benefits of music to a wider range of people as participants and audiences. Any redefinition therefore must embrace, and make explicit, musicians’ creative energy and influence within different, but related, artistic and social contexts" (p.4, Rogers, 2002). A policy to encourage greater participation in group music-making can bring many benefits in areas such as audience development, health promotion, cultural and social regeneration. Trends already show in the coming decades more money will be spent by those over 40 on leisure and recreation where music-making will come to play a huge role. Jim Morrison How it works When a group of musicians organise themselves to pay to hire a rehearsal space, this act is the start of informal music-making in the social realm. It can easily be quantified in financial terms, demonstrating participants’ commitment and value in collective making-music. Once a group has found a satisfactory and affordable rehearsal space they are perhaps likely to make regular bookings, perhaps taking advantage of a block booking discount scheme. This is also good practice as regular rehearsals disciplines the music-makers before performing live. Indeed, money earned from performing can go towards paying to hire a rehearsal space. Groups who play together for any length of time find a group style and empathy. As Cornelius Cardew (Cardew, 1971, p. xviii) said: "Training is substituted for rehearsal, and a certain moral discipline is an essential part of this training." Amp Room Playing music of one’s choice, with which one identifies personally, with like-minded friends, and having fun doing it must be a high priority in the quest for increasing numbers of people to make music meaningful, worthwhile and participatory. A defining feature of a good music rehearsal space nurtures this artistic process, helping musicians feel comfortable and providing a safe place for free expression. As Keith Negus (Negus, 1999, p. 13) explains: "…musical sounds and meanings are not only dependent upon the way an industry is producing culture, but are also shaped by the way in which culture is producing an industry." Terminal Studios The music rehearsal space economy There remains little data on the size of the music rehearsal space sector and its importance to the wider music industry. Its significance can often be eclisped by music venues and recording studios. The music rehearsal space sector is dominated by small and medium sized commercial enterprises. Professional musicians derive their income from performances and recordings which in turn subsist rehearsal spaces. Spaces also exist in educational institutions and performance venues. As most of rehearsal spaces are small, their overall economic significance goes unnoticed, over-shadowed by the massive economic force of the corporate record companies. With any other industry, a closer look can reveal the inherent intricacies and inter-dependencies. Silver Lining Studios Many music rehearsal spaces function as independent business units, some subsumed within the activities of other businesses such as a recording studio, PA Hire, gig promotion, etc. Popular music artists who sell hundreds of thousands of tickets, albums and singles, sit at the top of the tree whose roots fan out to numerous bands aspiring to similar success. For commercially successful artists, pickings can be rich indeed. Meanwhile, music rehearsal spaces provide a tangible first foot on the wrung of the ladder to ambitious raw talent. A strong and vibrant independent scene is essential to maintaining an ever developing exciting music industry. Without it, contemporary music can become led more by market forces than artistic innovation. Appropriate support is needed for all phases of the production cycle. When questioning musicians, Rogers found they highlighted three main perceptions of performance: Straightforward concert or gig Technical or production element of performance Any music-related situation others are engaged including teaching and mentoring (p.5, Rogers, 2002). The report argued any definition of music has much stronger organisational and culture cycle linkages with the functions of the audio-visual domain rather than with purely performance-based arts (p.13, DCMS, 2004). Music rehearsal rooms are ubiquitous, if not crucial, to musicians and music groups in all these cases. The Space ‘The Space’ is where it all happens – the performance, the workshop, the rehearsal, even the brain. Unfortunately, The Space can often be overlooked in favour of the creative process. Many music organisations provide opportunities for musicians to rehearse music that  has  to fit the performance venue(s) for a number of reasons, such as size and financial. This suggests the audience who come to behold have not seen the journey the musicians have made to fit their music to meet these considerations. The Premises This raises the question about the quality and location of rehearsal and production settings. Typically, better equipped and larger music rehearsal space businesses are situated in major cities where musicians find most of their work. Sports Centre analogy To the casual observer, the quality and number of physical spaces for local sports groups are not as proliferate as with those for enthusiastic musicians. At the top of the business pickings are rich indeed, like those for our top sports men and women, but what of the groups struggling to get on the ladder. Certainly in the most part, the record companies, national music promoters and agents have little direct input in helping many of these groups. To draw a comparison, most people have access to enjoying participation in a sport at an affordable price. Sports centres provide a menu of activities across purpose-built and standardised rooms to develop a healthy physical lifestyle. Sports Centres are located to serve a critical mass of supporters. Sports and leisure centres are indeed a good model. They can offer: a management structure, including active involvement within the local community a mixed economy and pricing structure for all abilities and incomes offer a balance between fixed and flexible space often financially supported by a public authority similar ethos in providing active physical participation linking to healthy living More research is required There is growing evidence music rehearsal spaces can play an important part in contemporary lifestyles. A number of academic researchers and consultants have written papers relating to this area of culture. Andrew Missingham working for the Musicians’ Union and BASCA found: “The healthy state of live music in the UK is underpinned by the high quality of UK musicianship and composition. If we are to maintain and better the standard of playing and composition, the UK music sector will have to continue to invest in research & development… from rehearsals, working on new material, through to exploring the potential of new techniques, instruments or effects" (Missingham, The Musicians' Union/BASCA, 2006). Please add any comments on this post below.

With more artists becoming eco-aware it was only a matter of time before a fully-fledged eco studio became a reality. Reducing carbon emissions is the surest way to prevent climate change. Switching to greener equipment, reducing energy consumption, reusing materials - will, in the medium term, save money. Innovation in this area is being led by music spaces using renewable energy. Green Music Guide Researchers at Oxford University in 2009 published the Green Music Guide suggest recording studios can benefit particularly from renewable installations as they are energy intensive and high profile. Also, it is estimated they could make a 10% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through efficiencies such as behaviour change and retro fitting. The Guide suggests a number of measures could be undertaken by recording studios: Carry out an energy audit to give you a picture of your energy use and how to manage and improve it Turn equipment, heating and cooling off when you can Fit energy-efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems Employ building service engineers to investigate heat recovery, heat pumps and absorption chillers Investigate whether your studio is suitable to fit solar thermal, photovoltaic, heat pumps or wind power Specify that clients comply with the studio's energy, recycling & waste management practices and policies Ensure studio engineers are aware of the studio's policy on equipment switch-off Create financial incentives to reduce energy consumption with clients. More accurate meter measurements would enable studios to factor energy consumption by equipment into the costs allocated or charged to the client The following recording studios located across the globe are leading the way in providing greener music-making. The Premises Studios The Premises In 2006, London's The Premises Studios built Europe's first solar-powered recording studio, a state-of-the-art facility with 100% secure and stable energy flow. Their decision was based on environmental concerns and solid business reasoning: to increase trade and reduce running costs. To determine the system requirements, the Centre for Sustainable Energy conducted an energy audit, and the flat roof and photovoltaic (PV) system were added by Chelsfield Solar. The capital cost was £20,000, half of which was funded by a government grant. Recording Studio A was built using a high level of recycled materials. Energy efficiency was built in: the main SSL mixing desk and air-conditioning units are low energy, and there is no need for heating due to the high level of sound insulation even in the middle of winter. Solar Charge Controller With acoustic design by Roger D’Arcy of Recording Architecture, the four integrated studio areas take up the entire top floor of one building. The studio comes with its own lounge/conservatory/roof terrace. The UK Government's decision to incentivise renewable energy producers via 'feed-in tariffs' may mean The Premises could halve their payback period, initially calculated at ten years. After this, their PV system will turn into a profit stream from the excess energy they sell back to the grid. The shift to solar has generated a higher public profile and new business. The Premises has worked on successful campaigns with Friends of the Earth and is now widely seen as a first-choice studio for environmentally aware recording artists including Lily Allen, Hot Chip, Bloc Party and the Klaxons. Evergroove Studio Evergroove Studio Evergroove Studio is a recording studio in the mountains just west of Denver, Colorado in the US, offering a unique, retreat-like, experience. It takes as many steps as possible to reduce its impact on Ma Earth: Evergroove is one of few recording studios in the US to use “home grown” solar power generated on its roof Employing construction methods and techniques to reduce the use of electricity and natural gas Recycling paper, plastic, metals, and cardboard Composting Using recycled materials whenever possible Working with local businesses and ecologically-committed companies Most of its equipment is pre-owned, recycling gear in turn to keep electronics and other environmental nasties out of landfills Working to create a healthy, balanced forest environment on its land Gorilla Solar Studio Gorilla Solar Studio Gorilla Solar Studio is a fully self-contained and off-grid solar-powered recording studio based in Melbourne, Australia. Built in 2009 in a converted shipping container, the studio is powered by a trailer fitted with an array of solar panels, a wind generator and batteries. The aim of the recording studio is to have close to zero environmental impact. It was built mainly with recycled materials: a basketball court for the flooring and tables, a vintage BBC recording console and classic electronic music equipment for production. The studio is fully transportable. The trailer provides around 1500 watts of power by storing energy harvested from the sun and wind into a large 24 volt battery set-up housed inside the trailer. It is able to power the studio around five days a week. The trailer is also used to power the solar-powered sound system. The Kong Solar Studio The Kong Solar Studio As part of E.On's solar collaboration with Gorillaz, the utility company wanted to help rebuild Kong Studio with a modern and greener technology. Gorillaz x E.ON’s Kong Solar Studio launched in June 2017 at the Demon Dayz Festival in Margate, UK. A sun harvester by day and a music maker by night, this fully functioning recording studio built in a vintage trailer enabled new musicians, vocalists and beat makers to collaborate and create music using renewable energy, stored in batteries allowing music creation throughout the night. It has since visited Munich and Budapest to create more solar powered music. Grace Recording Studio Grace Recording Studio Located in Maui, Hawaii, the recording studio and entire facility uses photovoltaic solar panels, harnessing  the sun’s energy to generate 100% of its own electricity. It is an eco friendly studio that cares about its environment. The studio is equipped with an Equi=Tech Balanced Power System enabling it to keep the lowest noise floor possible. Artists who have recorded here include Carlos Santana, Metallica's James Hetfield, Kris Kristofferson and Britney Spears. Blue Sky Recording Studio Blue Sky Recording Studio Blue Sky Recording Studio Blue Mountains is an off grid solar powered recording studio located in a rural setting near Bullaburra, Sydney, Australia. All the music recording process done at Blue Sky is carbon neutral. More information -  The Premises -  Antenna Studios -  Grace Recording Studio , Hawaii -  Gorilla Solar Studio , Melbounre, Australia -  Blue Sky Recording Studio , Blue Mountains, Australia - Julie's Bicycle  Green Music Guide -  The Kong Solar Studio -  Evergroove Studios , Denver, Colorado -  How to build a solar powered recording studio

Gavin Hyatt Guest writer Gavin Hyatt ponders the do's and don'ts of setting up a music rehearsal space. He runs the 6-room hourly Green Room Studios in the UK set up in 2013. Compared to a recording studio, a music rehearsal facility has a much higher throughput of musicians using its rooms and equipment. This demands greater vigilance from those running the space to ensure it is used safely and efficiently. Building a successful music studio has evolved from a simple idea or hobby into becoming a legitimate and sustainable business. Many of us set up a room for our own needs and it spiralled into something else (that’s how things began at our place). However, there is a bit more to it than making back some of your hard invested money. Below are a few pointers to keep in mind, whatever stage of the journey of the studio build you are on. I have worked in many different industries and learned lots which apply to any business environment. You may do some or all of them already. 1. Plan One piece of advice I always give to people is ‘failing to plan is planning to fail!’ Always have a plan. A business advisor or accountant can help you to plan your business or there are templates available with a bit of googling. Your plan can be as simple as ‘Where am I now? Where do I want to be? How will I get there?’ Your plan can change regularly, and it is always good to revisit it. Don’t be afraid to move your goal posts nearer or further away depending on how you are doing. I keep a business plan folder on my laptop and each time I update it, I save it as a different file name by increasing the number at the end. This way, I can always look back and see what worked, what didn’t work and what I have learned along the way. Banks, accountants and grant funding organisations appreciate a business plan. If you keep it up to date, you only need to print or attach it to your relevant documents or application. 2. Policy If you are anything like me, you will have started with a concept, some half decent kit and an hourly rate. As time goes on, you find your customers may have different expectations how your space should be used. At this point it would be a good idea to write a set of rules or policies to inform your clients what is expected of them. They will also offer you legal protection in the event things don’t turn out the way you had hoped. For example, it would be handy to have published your cancellation policy. Yes, it can be a hassle having to write a guide, but it should be something you only need write once. You can also ask new clients to read and sign, so straight away they know the rules. You can also print off the studio rules and post them in your rooms. Things like: If your booking is 7pm - 9pm, these times you will have access to the room and this includes set up and break down. You must have vacated the room the latter time so the next booking can enter. Do not place drinks, food, tobacco or anything else on top of amps and equipment. Please use tables and shelves provided. Please use bins provided. If cans and bottles still have drinks left in them, please dispose of these down the sink in the kitchen prior to putting them in the recycling. Have a look how other studios have worded their terms and conditions. Imagine the problems they have had in the past resulting in such rules. How easier life must be with these policies implemented. 3. Peers Reach out to your neighbouring studios. There is enough work out there for all of us. Sometimes we have too much to do and could easily pass the excess work on to them. They will return the favour if they get busy. It’s also good to share information about troublesome clients who no-show, don’t pay, pilfer or damage kit and move on to the next studio thinking we don’t talk to each other. We are all in this together. 4. Process Have a routine. Write the routine down so that if you aren’t there, someone else can easily do it on your behalf. List things that need to be checked every day/week/month and record this in a dedicated book or diary. Look in each room to see if everything is there including: room is clean and tidy bins emptied emergency lights working fire extinguishers / alarms in order Keep communal areas clear of clutter. Corridors and emergency exits should be clear and operational. Keep a record each time you conduct a cleaning regime for toilets, kitchen areas and rooms. If you don’t record it, it did not happen. 5. Progress You can think about how you might reduce the time you spend on upgrading kit or facilities, or streamlining a process such as equipment maintenance. Professional drum kit hardware costs three- or four-times more than the low end stuff, but it will outlast it and drummers will appreciate it. In the same vein, a 200w PA amp will probably turn your speakers to shredded paper with a single shouty band. Whereas a 1000w amp with matched speakers will destroy ear drums, melt spleens and leave a band in a crumpled heap before it breaks into a sweat. Music rehearsal space noticeboard 6. Promote Get business cards, get flyers, get plectrums, get in anywhere musicians frequent. Many corner shops and fast-food outlets have notice boards. Take pins with you. Get on social media, get your bands to add and share. Maybe offer a discount or free hour to those that do. PAT Test machine 7. PAT Test Portable electrical appliances such as amps in your rooms need to be tested regularly. There are companies who will come in, test every portable item and mains cable annually. Or you can do a PAT test course yourself and buy a PAT Test machine. You will then be competent to check your own equipment. If you chose to do the course, you can also offer this as a chargeable service to musicians who bring their own equipment in to your space. You can even go as far as taking their contact details and sending them annual reminders that their retests are due. Brand new equipment will not require testing but should be visually inspected before use and periodically, then PAT tested annually. 8. Public Liability Insurance This is one which can end up on the back burner but is essential from day one. Without it, you can be exposed to being sued for accidents and incidents occurring on your premises. You can get specialist studio insurance to cover all your gear, your building and contents, as well as the public liability aspect. If you have employees, you should also have Employers Liability Insurance. 9. Pandemic The Covid-19 pandemic has caused our entire industry to grind to a halt. Many of our brothers and sisters have thrown in the towel and permanently closed their spaces. It has disrupted all our other P’s to the extent we have had to revisit, reassess and rewrite them. Reopening under covid restrictions has also been a minefield. Applying common sense, a change to our cleaning regimes and a 50 litre drum of hand gel, we appear to be returning to a new normal. Many spaces had business interruption insurance which required test cases to go to court in order to get the the insurance companies to pay out. So how do we plan for such curve balls? Well, we can either live in a paranoid bubble, worried that flood, fire, war, lightning strikes and plagues of locusts could attack at any time. My preferred option is to get back in to business, come back stronger with our clients returning to gigs and festivals and think about taking out business interruption insurance. Another solution could be to accrue a savings pot which would pay the rent, bills and wages for a few months. Unfortunately we had none of these options in place. Moving forward, we intend to have a contingency of a few thousand pounds put by just in case. 10. Perseverance Keep at it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Talk to your clients and find out what they want and need. Are there any other services you could offer. Keep an eye on Bandspace for more handy hints and tips. You exist because of your customers and you need to keep them happy.

Real World Studios Just imagine, staying in a stunning location, rehearsing your new songs and only a few steps away, a studio available to record your latest outpourings. This is a residential music space. Parr Street Studios The spaces listed below pride themselves on offering rehearsal and recording sessions in luxurious and relaxing surroundings. Some offer on-site chef catering, 24-hour access and recreational facilities. Many major artists are attracted to these facilities where they can concentrate on their music-making undisturbed Their speciality is to provide a creative retreat, conducive to songwriting and inspiration, often in rural locations. They offer state-of-the-art recording equipment and in some cases, classic vintage gear. On hand are cosy bedrooms, home comforts and hotel-like services. Designed and built with enough room for your band, and in some cases your fans, they come as flexible work spaces. Queen at Rockfield Studios E ver since the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales hosted the writing and recording of Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1973, the idea your creative juices will more easily flow in a getaway location in the country, miles from anywhere, has been a luxury for many successful bands. Rockfield Studios has been acknowledged as the first residential recording studio in the world. With such names as Oasis, Coldplay, Black Sabbath and Robert Plant its no surprise the converted farmhouse lasted for decades. Real World Studios Real World Studios Real World Studios was conceived by Peter Gabriel in 1986 pioneering the idea that performers and engineers should share one large room to aid communication. The Studios consist of two main spaces that can be used individually or in combination. When it comes to studio downtime, Real World is as relaxing as any boutique hotel, with six bedrooms and a cottage for additional space and privacy. Propagation House Propagation House Propagation House is set in stunning rural countryside in the south west of England. The studio itself was designed and constructed by “The Studio People” on the foundations of an old propagation house. It offers 24 hour access to its main live room with a 24 channel monitor desk, wedge monitors, outboard, and recording facilities. A open-plan kitchen/dining room caters for 12 people. Its five en-suite double bedrooms can accommodate up to 10. Its glasshouse features a log burner, large sofas and pool table. If you're looking for somewhere to get away to write new material or rehearse where you're not going to be disturbed, Propagation House makes a productive and relaxing environment. The Cottage The Cottage Located on the shores of Upper Loch Fyne in Argyll Scotland, The Cottage is a residential music facility comprising a fully equipped music space with a live room and recording studio. Set in a spectacular location amid some of Scotland's most stunning scenery, musicians and bands can get the best from their creative talents. There is complete isolation between the cottage and the studio for recording instruments. The studio is linked to a refurbished 250-year old stone cottage with enough room for six people, offering unlimited rehearsal time to complete recording and production projects. Studio One - The Magee Brothers Studio One Set on a mountainside in a small village in North Wales, UK, this space offers a traditional recording service using modern and vintage technology. With views over the Snowdonia Mountain range and the plains of Anglesey, it can accommodate 4-6 people sharing in its self-catering bunkhouse. The bunkhouse is next door to the studio and opens out onto a private patio area. A resident chef can provide half board and other catering options. Guests have access to a private bar with a pool table, hot tub and a heated swimming pool in the garden. East Point Studios East Point Studios On its own island, this space is one of the world's most unique getaways for the music industry. Only an hour and a half drive from London, it is located on Osea Island off the coast of Essex in the UK. East Point Studios is located in the island's Manor House with spectacular sea views. The east-facing control room is adjacent to a billiards room with tie-lines to the studio, perfect for larger bands to spread out. As well as housing an SSL recording and mixing studio, the island offers musicians seeking a tranquil escape location. If you need space to write, rent a cottage or even host an intimate party for 100 people, Osea Island is the place to go. This tidal island is connected to the mainland twice a day for four hours. For the rest of the day its ancient Roman causeway is beneath the sea's surface. Osea Island beach house There are eight cottages, two beach houses and six modern apartments all providing space to setup multiple writing studios. The older cottages feature original beams, low ceilings and traditional fire places. All can be booked on either a self-catered or catered basis. The island boasts a gym, mini cinema and heated outdoor pool.  Past clients include: Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal, Dua Lipa, Florence + The Machine, Madonna, Mumford and Sons, Noel Gallagher, Sam Smith, Sports Team, Stormy and The Streets. Parr Street Studios Parr Street Studios Parr Street Studios is a Grammy-award winning recording studio complex the UK. Hidden on a back street in Liverpool City Centre, the building incorporates a hotel, two bars, a music school and several production offices. The recording studios are situated around a central kitchen - and this communal hub is the heart of the studio. Past clients include: Cast, Coldplay, Doves, Napalm Death, Elbow, The Verve, Echo and the Bunnymen, Pulp, Space, and Paolo Nutini. Tilehouse Studios Tilehouse Studios Tilehouse Studios is a vintage recording studio originally built for Mike Oldfield in 1981. Located on the edge of West London its focus is to create analogue tape recordings using vintage equipment and instruments. It does digital too. Promising a laid-back vibe, accommodation is nearby and the studio encourages artists while working to stay to enjoy the peaceful English countryside. It has its own apartment directly below the studio and there are also hotel and B&B options literally across the road Mike Oldfield lived here for seven years writing smash hit single Moonlight Shadow. Vada Recording Studios Vada Recording Studios Built in a chapel founded in 1260 and set in 20 acres of rolling fields and formal gardens, it is an idyllic location for a recording studio. Less than an hour's drive time from Birmingham in the UK, it is equally comfortable with orchestral clients as it is with rock and pop musicians. With its natural light from the chapel windows and airy space, the acoustically engineered live room has the capacity for a 30-piece orchestra with air conditioning, under floor heating and variable acoustics. The self-catering residential option offers guests a four-bedroom barn conversion sleeping up to seven people. There are pubs and restaurants nearby. The Paddocks Recording Studio The Paddocks Recording Studio Five bedrooms available during rehearsal or recording periods, along with an external residential cottage. Acoustically treated floating space with the flexibility to comfortably rehearse and record both ensemble and pin-drop accurate solo performances. Other residential facilities include Yellow Bean Studios. As well as accommodation, residential spaces can be suitable for training courses.

A band rehearsal involves lots of assessment and planning. So what are the four stages... A band rehearsal needs a bit of thinking about to focus on what you want to achieve. Identifying your goals will help you decide how to make different music rehearsals effective. Here's just four: Beatbox Studios - Empire 1. The Jam Session An unstructured rehearsal where rather than working on imperfections in the songs, the band plays a lot of familiar and improvised material. They might seem like playing for fun but they serve other valuable functions to: get comfortable playing with each other provide opportunities to invent new grooves work on your band’s overall sound practice communicating with each other audition new material They can be good opportunities to stretch your musical imagination, to build some calluses on your fingers and to test out that crazy idea that probably won’t work but might turn out great. It can be fast-paced and mistakes don’t really matter. It’s about the vibe. Sound Grounds Studio If you are going to play at a jam session, do what you can to know the tunes. To be productive, all participants need to be able to follow the music. This means the tunes must be known or easily picked up on the spot by everyone. You might want to pass out some music in advance, unless the session is about running through the set everyone knows already before a performance. Whatever your instrument, try to be ready to play the melody, chords or bass line. Always have some solo ideas and little hooks in your back pocket, playable in any key and in any style. This should be a goal of your private practice. Some jams include sight-reading, particularly if a resident songwriter wants to test out some new ideas. They are usually friendly and forgiving, but sometimes can take on a competitive edge too. Some bands only jam. Jamming is all the fun of music and none of the hard work. This is fine, unless you are trying to evolve your skills to play gigs. Jamming isn’t about addressing the details or making polished performances. When that’s what you need to do, it’s time to woodshed. Abbey Lane Studios 2. Woodshedding "Woodshedding" is a term commonly used by musicians to mean rehearsing a difficult passage repeatedly until it can be performed flawlessly. It is working up songs, creating interpretations, polishing parts and getting ready to perform or record. It is a focused and structured form of rehearsal. This type of rehearsal involves spending lots of time on relatively little material - perhaps a single piece or even a few troublesome phrases within a piece. The goal is to fine-tune the music from both a technical and lyrical perspective. Again, everyone should know their parts before the session and arrive ready to play. If you’re covering a tune by another band, everyone should have a recording of the original in advance of the rehearsal. They should have worked out their part copying the original as precisely as how you want. Avoid lengthy working out of individual parts when the whole band is together, as it wastes everyone else’s time. A little bit of this is often critical, when fine-tuning a groove or an arrangement, but try to minimize it. Individual preparation beforehand will make your rehearsals more productive. If you’re working up an original tune or arrangement, the songwriter/arranger might distribute a “scratch” recording beforehand, giving the band an idea about tempos, grooves and so on. Ironing this out prior to the rehearsal will make better use of everyone’s time. Here are a few ways to approach learning a new tune. Begin with the chorus. Choruses are often easier to perform than verses. Since they keep coming back, while you’re rehearsing the rest of the tune, you can always “come home,” after you get lost. Find the hardest part. Slow down the tempo, rehearse it repeatedly until you can play it correctly, and only then, speed it up. Then, find the next hardest part. It often helps to have just a couple of instruments rehearse a section in isolation, such as just guitar/keyboard or bass/drums, without the distractions of the rest of the band. Sometimes, hearing someone else’s part can help you clarify what you should be doing yourself. And sometimes solo practice is necessary. Don’t get too bogged down by a particularly difficult part though. Sometimes you need to say “Gotta work this out at home,” and move on. If the part is still too difficult, then it might need to be simplified. That’s better than having it break apart during a performance. If you are sitting out while others are working out a part, follow along silently, hearing your own part in your head and feeling it in your hands. Silently finger the keys or strings, mouth the lyrics or play air drums. Stay present. Run through a section and then stop. Were there any train wrecks? Focus on fixing them. Why did the wreck occur? Is there a confusing rhythm? Is someone else lost and confusing you by playing the wrong thing? Is the arrangement too repetitive so people are losing their place? It might be appropriate for the drummer to add a fill (even if it’s just a quick hit or two) to help clarify the form. Try to pinpoint the problem’s source and address it. Once the band can make it all the way through the complete song discuss the arrangement. How many choruses will you play? Is there an intro? An ending? A bridge? Will someone solo? If you’re running a rehearsal, bring some extra pens and paper, to make sure everyone can write down the arrangement decisions. If there are lyrics, ensure everyone has a copy, even if they are not singing. Lyrics help people remember the arrangement and keep their place. Work up the tune so you can play it through without any major mistakes. Practice it slower, if you need to. Speed it back up when you can all play it perfectly at a slower tempo. Work towards ending the rehearsal by playing a performance-ready version of it, start to finish. Don’t spend too long woodshedding a single tune. After an hour or so, record it and move on to the next tune. That will keep your rehearsal from becoming stale and frustrating. Sensible Music 3. The Dress Rehearsal A dress rehearsal is a session held shortly before a performance. These serve primarily to warm the band up and keep the music familiar in their heads. Dress rehearsals should not be used to introduce new pieces or changes. Before the first performance of new material, hold a dress rehearsal to run through all the tunes and do any last-minute housecleaning. Organize your sets. Then play the tunes as if you’re performing. Don’t stop, whatever happens. Debrief after the tune. How did it go? Were there any train wrecks? If so, why did it happen? Was it just a fluke, or is there a fixable source of confusion? Base Page Is someone going to speak to the audience, introduce a tune, or tell an anecdote? Have them practice at the dress rehearsal. Who will introduce the band? Who will say, “Thanks everyone, good night, and don’t forget to pick up some merchandise on your way out!” It’s time to settle these questions. You want this rehearsal to be just like the actual performance. It’s a time for refreshing your memories and looking for any lingering imperfections, but not for learning anything new. That’s what your earlier rehearsals are for. The cliché “a bad dress rehearsal means a great performance” often holds true, but try to have a great dress rehearsal anyway. Autumn Ruin 4. The Backstage Brush-Up Ideally, the dress rehearsal will be on a different day than the performance. It might be necessary to brush up on the day of the performance - even a short time before you go on stage. Brush-up rehearsals serve to refresh your memory and ensure consensus about individual songs' arrangements, not to learn anything new. It’s about song order, remembering arrangements, warming up and discussing any last-minute changes. If a backstage brush-up is necessary, avoid playing through the entire tunes. Play the intro, maybe once through arrangement, and then the ending. Review it. Take it easy. Conserve your energy. Summary Mixing these types of rehearsals over several weeks can help your band reach its goals and maintain a bit of fun doing so.

A personal insight given by London’s Bally Studios’ owner, Jimmy Mulvihill, when interviewing applicants for the post of Studio Manager (adapted from an article first published on the Bally Studio's website). In June 2013 I advertised the post of Studio Manager at Bally Studios in London. I put a notice on our Facebook page and posted the advert to a UK music jobs website. To my surprise within 48 hours I received 172 enquiries. Whilst I want to say I didn’t know where to start, sadly that was not the case. Despite the high number of applicants, it was surprisingly easy to discount many. Over 120 were discounted immediately. On one hand this was just business. I had a position working at a music studio to fill and needed someone to fill it, so culling a huge amount of candidates should have been easy. On the other hand, there was a strong pang with every rejection. See, when I was 19, just over a decade ago, I was in the same position. I would apply for sound engineering jobs at studios via email and a letter in the post. If I didn’t receive a reply and in the hope of improving my chances I would even hand deliver it if it was local, hoping they may put a face to a name. I contacted over 50 companies in London, with no luck. Album cover: Marvin Gaye's What's Going On I once purposefully walked into a few studios with a vinyl copy of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” under my arm as if I had just bought it from a local record shop, in a strange effort to make a good impression. In my confused teenage mind I thought if the studio owner saw the image of Gaye in his black leather jacket on the cover, they would instantly offer me a 5-year contract with a company car. I also once borrowed an autoharp from a friend in the vain hope I would be remembered as “that guy who came in with the autoharp, shall we employ him?” If there was a way to be noticed I would take it, and yet perhaps unsurprisingly, I got nowhere. Throughout the whole process I went through the whole gamut of emotions. The hope of applying, the frustration of waiting, accepting I was unsuccessful, the regret of not doing things differently, and yet here I was, many years later doing the same to someone else. It felt weird. In many cases it was not due to the applicant’s fault they were unsuccessful. Obviously due to the large volume of candidates, and our tight working schedule, I did not have the time to offer feedback on an individual basis. However, there were many mistakes I saw repeated. Some had no experience working in a studio – and you could hardly hold it against anyone for that, while some came down to common sense. Large or small, they were mistakes that moved them from the “maybe” pile to the “no” pile. To help give a perspective to anyone looking for a job in a music studio, and not to criticise, these were the common mistakes I felt people made. Music rehearsal space reception area Applying for the right job I was advertising the role of “Studio Manager at Bally Rehearsal Studios”. The studios are not a recording studio, yet many of the applicants listed skills in recording bands: being able to use recording software, having degrees in sound engineering and knowing how to play multiple instruments. All of which are useful skills in the music industry, but not essential skills in managing a rehearsal space. From this I felt many confused studio manager role with a producer/sound engineer job. Eighty per cent of the daily activity in a rehearsal space is dealing with rehearsing groups, booking sessions, keeping the place running well, taking money and dealing with customers while keeping the rooms clean, organised and preventing any potential problems. band rehearsing You may have spent many years building up skills and qualifications in certain subjects, but your CV is an opportunity to show you are the right candidate for the job being offered. You should only reference skills and qualifications to help you do this. Applicants in a band or had played in bands instilled a confidence. Whoever I picked, I want them to relate to the people I work with and serve. Farm Factory Studios Rehearsing in other rehearsal spaces is relevant, recording a string quartet is less so. If you have visited rehearsal spaces as a customer, give a list of them: the more you have visited, the more knowledge you may have on how they operate and a greater perspective on what is expected. Whatever you reference, ensure it is relevant to the advertised job. Instead of thinking “what can I offer them?”, better to offer them what they need. A limited team needs flexibility For a small company with four employees and only one working at any one time, there is a lot of multitasking. The candidate would need to ensure sessions booked in on that day ran smoothly, whilst preparing future sessions by leaving notes for other staff members, making tea, cleaning and fixing equipment and taking new telephone bookings. When there is only one person you need to be a jack of all trades. The best candidates will need to demonstrate an attention to detail by keeping users happy. For these aspects of the job there needs to be a great sense of overview. When applicants went into detail about how qualified they were in recording whilst not listing more practical skills, I assumed they were skilled in one field alone. I needed a candidate who had a broad range of skills in multiple fields who could execute them simultaneously. Listing all your relevant skills is the best approach to take. Emma Lawrence, Brunel Studios Build your approach around whether the position will require concentrating on one task at a time or multitasking. If you are unsure visit a rehearsal space as a customer to see what staff members do. If staff are multi-tasking ensure your application lists all your skills and experience. If they concentrate on one task for most of their time, tailor your application to how great you are at that task. If you notice them chatting to band members, make sure you reference your cheery disposition in your covering letter. Ask your friends if they know someone who works in a rehearsal space to find out what their job entails. Once you know what to expect, tailor your approach to getting the job. Nemix Studios Show you can manage The best candidates showed an ability to keep an eye on the different aspects of studios and how to improve the company. I asked questions around generating new customers, reducing costs, completing repairs, sourcing new equipment, motivating staff, improving the facilities, services and working practices. The better candidates gave great answers to these questions. The best candidates anticipated them and gave their thoughts without being asked. They took the initiative to tell me. The conversation was led by them. If they needed me to take the conversation in a particular direction, they may be more suited to being managed, rather than managing others.  The best candidates anticipated what a manager needs to do and displayed an ability to deliver. They suggested improvements where we were lacking, proving they could improve the business before taking the job. Your qualifications need to be transparent Many applicants had a degree from the same British-based college’s sound engineering course. I couldn’t get hold of the syllabus so I couldn’t be sure they had the skills we needed. Whilst I am sure students leave university with a broad skillset it is unlikely one course can cover all the skills every studio will ever need, since every studio is different. I was concerned the university course was not relevant to our work. When I contacted the university to seek this information, they were not forthcoming. As a result I discounted qualifications obtained from this institution. I did not discriminate against anyone with the qualification, I simply ignored it when considering the candidate. Seeing as it is such an important position in a small team, with other people’s jobs and the future of the company riding on us picking the best candidate, I could not take any risks, which meant I could not place as much faith in these qualifications as other employers. If there were 20 staff members working at any one time and I employed the wrong candidate, the other 19 staff members could anticipate potential problems. But I do not have that luxury. If a candidate did not expressly state a skill, I could only assume they lacked it. Put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer. If you have a qualification in the position you apply for, make sure a prospective employer is able to see what topics have been covered. Include a link to the page of the institution’s website listing the topics covered. If a link isn’t available, list them yourself to be sure the course content is relevant to the job spec. buskers' case Meeting deadlines and making money Working in the music industry is all about two things: making great music and making money from that great music. If you do not make money from it then it is only ever going to be a hobby and nothing more. If you join a company with a large workforce, you may be able to concentrate on making sure the music is as great as possible and delegate the task of monetizing your skills to someone else. If you join a small team you will have to straddle the divide between both creativity and business. This was a serious failing I noticed in many candidates. Few realised it was a business position where colleagues’ incomes relied on the successful applicant meeting financial targets. Many talked about recording great music, but few actually stated “I can find ways to make your company more money” or “I am great at spotting ways to save money”. For such a small company with little backing, located in one of the most expensive cities on earth, such concerns are at the forefront of my mind. repairing an XLR cable Perhaps colleges offering sound engineering courses do not prepare students as much as they should? For example, do they teach students how to go about covering costs? What equipment to invest in? How to repair cables? How to soundproof a room? What about how to negotiate a deal for a discount on new equipment? Anyone with the ability to haggle a £100 discount when buying new equipment will earn an extra £100 profit for the studios. This is what I am looking for in a candidate. These skills can mean the difference between a studio thriving or closing, so they should not be overlooked.  I spend 8 hours a week doing small jobs to keep the studio in a position to deliver great quality recordings, while trying to capture as much attention for the studios as possible. I could see nothing on any of the music courses that taught carrying out small repairs to keep the equipment in good working order or how to attract new customers. This is not to say they were not on the course, but we could not see any evidence in the job applications. mixing desk Training on equipment you will use? Many educational courses use high quality equipment such as Neve and SSL desks, Avalon processors, Neumann microphones, etc. Many candidates took pride in using such equipment. A big advantage of using such gear is that you are able to have much more control over the signal chain, and that it will be much more forgiving. There is a difference between, on one hand, having a 48 channel SSL desk with high end compressors and amazing microphones with a professionally treated room at your disposal, compared with recording in budget studios. If you do not state you can get great results from limited equipment, how will any studio know you can? It can be hard to adjust to working with a mixing desk that cost £1,200 if they have learned on one that cost £300,000. If you can work without automation when mixing “on the fly” then state as much. Many people I have worked with can’t. If you are able to get the best out of limited resources, ensure you make this clear in your application. two inch tape machine Applicants who stated they were proficient in using DAW software such as Logic, Cubase and Pro Tools failed to note on our website we do not use computers at our studios. We have a “no-edit rule” and record everything live, using a 24 track digital recorder and tape machines. Whilst I did not discount anyone with skills in using computer recording software, I felt such skills were not relevant for this job. It would have been more of an asset to have had knowledge on how to de-magnetise and clean a tape machine. When applying for a job make sure you research the equipment the studio uses and tailor your approach around it. If the equipment you are familiar with is different to that they use, make a point of stating you can work with their set-up, to avoid any presumptions otherwise.   Think of it like a football team. There are players in the top 10 in the world, but they may not fit into some teams. If a player’s skills are based around individual flair, it could be a problem if their team’s ethos is based around organisation and strength. Not all skills are transferable to all situations, so instead of letting them know your skills on equipment they don’t use, let them know about the skills you do have on the equipment they do use. recording a band rehearsal Efficiency The average candidate said they had recorded “five songs over a six-week period when completing their course” (since most of them went to the same college). If I worked at that rate I would go bankrupt within a few months. Educational facilities that structure their courses to such time frames are neither preparing their students for real life recording studios, nor imparting the skills needed to secure a position within the industry. When courses start to teach students to record a whole album in 2-5 days, then I will know graduates will be able to work as intensively as I do. No doubt such recordings may not be perfect, but that is the reality of being in an unsigned band: most bands are on a tight budget and make compromises wherever necessary. April Media Productions I have recorded an album 72 mins long in under five hours, including mixing. It was rough and ready, but the band was delighted. From a business point of view, they were happy to pay the session fee and booked more sessions. To stay in business depends on happy customers paying for their sessions, instead of making perfect recordings that don't generate income. You need to understand the purpose of the studio, and express how you will fulfil that purpose. If you are applying for a post at Abbey Road Studios, by all means let them know you can make perfect albums. However, if you are applying for a position at a studio that does budget demos, you need to prove you can record quick demos. When I was recording, my focus was on making sure clients are happy with the quality of their recordings or rehearsals. I would balance that with fitting in as many sessions as possible. If those two objectives are reached then I am doing my job. I run a budget studio aimed at customers with restricted resources. MY customers would love to pay more for better results, but many simply cannot afford it. If they cannot afford to pay, I cannot afford to pay a member of staff to complete such work. If you want to treat recording music purely as an art-form, then do it on a creative basis. If you want to get paid for it, then demonstrate you understand the need to generate income from that talent. using a mixing desk A degree in sound engineering? Join the queue Out of the 172 applications we received, 108 applicants had degrees in sound engineering. The majority gave more consideration to their qualifications, rather than the mundane skills our staff find a necessity in their day to day job. Try to keep in context that such qualifications are not as rare as they used to be. That means you have lots of competition, and you need extra assets to stand out from the crowd. fixing a amp cab speaker Remember a degree in a subject is a means to an end, a way to show you have the ability to perform the task to a high level and have good knowledge in it. But whilst the skills you learn in a masters degree are helpful, so too is the ability to solder cables, knowing how to match different speakers with different ohm ratings, being able to re-skin a drum kit, wiring a plug, doing data back up while keeping detailed notes about sessions, knowing how to change a tweeter on a blown speaker, setting up a drum kit, being able to install a multi-core cable as well as being able to work for 12 hours continuously if required. It should never be underestimated how much the ability to work at a high level for many hours at a time is valued. Failing to mention such attributes means missing out on a large part of what the whole job is about, yet that is something rarely touched upon in a sound engineering college. recording a band Only a small number of people commented on their interpersonal skills, which shocked me considering how important it is to interact with band members to get the best results. Attributes such as great diplomatic skills, being able to diffuse tense situations, (which can come up from time to time), being able to make creative suggestions when needed (and understanding when a band ignores them), keeping a cool head under pressure and being a calming influence, are all attributes that have made some of the greatest producers in the world. Instead many concentrated on the technical skills they learned.   The qualities needed to be a good member of staff Keep negativity to a minimum About 20% candidates were so enthusiastic they said they would be happy to leave their current job at the drop of a hat to come work for us. While this enthusiasm made us feel honoured, I felt if they were willing to do that to their current employer, there is a chance the same could happen to us. Our small workforce is such if they leave suddenly it would cause a knock on effect and likely set the company back. Therefore I felt it was counter-productive to mention this, since it gave us reason to doubt the candidate's loyalty. Most small companies value loyalty.   Many candidates mentioned being bored with their current job. It didn’t reflect well in many cases because it looked like they blamed their current employer for such circumstances. If your current job has reached a stage where boredom has set in, it could suggest you are simply going through the motions, which may not bode well for those employers thinking of taking you on. Some applicants listed aspects of their current job they disliked. Whilst it is handy to know what motivates candidates, eight people spent over 300 words complaining about their past job. Many took the opportunity to criticise ex co-workers, and generally vent their frustrations. The job position requires someone to represent the company to customers. I want a positive person, so such comments have a bearing in my decision in inviting them for interview. Ensure you keep any negativity out of your application.   Act in an authoritative and pro-active manner If I had a penny for every time someone asked “please let me know if you would like my CV,” I would have 26p. One in seven candidates did not attach a CV but instead asked if I would like them to send one. The position of manager in any company is one that demands leadership skills, initiative, efficiency and confidence. Although I understand many may be courteous in not wanting to overstep the mark, however I reacted more positively to those that simply sent their CV without being asked. Many applicants wrote in their accompanying letter: “in case there are any positions available.” I usually get two job applicants a week, but on the two days after advertising the role, I received 31 applicants writing: “in case there are any positions available”. This may have meant one of two things – they either saw the advert and did not address the application directly, or did not see the advert, in which case they would not know which role they are applying for. In either case, it may harm the chances of being successful. You know there is a job available, so does the company, so just apply for it directly. Some applicants included references they had from past employers which I thought was great. If I was interested in them I would need to ask for the references, so by including them it saved me a job. After all, that is the role a manger would fulfil, to get things moving and make my job as easy as possible. They have not even got the job yet and they are already fulfilling it! Respond directly to the job advert In the job advert I included the line “…have a good knowledge of how rehearsal studios run, or have strong ideas on how they should run…” The candidates I warmed to suggested where improvements could be made in studios they had used as a rehearsing musician. I liked those that after using our studios offered suggestions where I could make improvements. I liked their pro-active nature and attention to detail. In many cases I agreed with the points they made, re-assuring me this person was on the same page as me. Try to pick out parts of the job advertisement and answer them. Most likely the interviewer has listed these points specifically as they are important to the eventual position. If the advert says, for example, “looking for someone to help open new studios” why not suggest an area you think could have potential? A company advert that says: “help us to make the transition to the new recording setup we are building up”, why not say: “I see you are buying new equipment for your studios. I could suggest the xxxxxx and the xxxxxx, as I think that they would be suitable for the set up you have.” A job advert that says: “looking for someone to help us to appeal to new potential customers,” perhaps you could suggest: “have you considered appealing to church bands? Our area of north London has a lot of church bands needing studio space”. You would be answering the question directly. Don't beat around the bush, be direct. check your email Details Although it may seem insignificant, 88% of applicants’ letters and CV’s had a spelling mistake. I make the odd spelling mistake in emails and on the website (and probably in this blog now I come to think of it) so I am in no position to take a moral high ground. However, the job of Manager is one requiring attention to detail where spelling mistakes are unfortunate. Double and triple check all correspondence. Also, ensure the email address you use is appropriate. When applying for a gig, drunkmonster69@gmail.com may be an acceptable email account, less so when trying to gain employment.   Back up your credentials Not everyone who applies for a job gets to the shortlist stage. But everyone that gets to the shortlist stage will be investigated, so you need to anticipate this. Many candidates included in their application statements something along the lines of: “I am very skilled in social networking from my time in…” and then list a former job, band or project they were involved in. However, upon investigation out of the 40 people that wrote this, I was unable to find social network links from 25 of these. For example, one applicant wrote: “very skilled in social networking, and have been doing it for my band for the last three years.” Yet when I googled them, I found the band had 30 “likes”, and had done 50 tweets and four Facebook updates in three years. It is so easy for companies to check up on small factors like this, so it should be anticipated such claims will be checked. One candidate’s experience listed: “played Wembley Arena with my last band”, but upon investigation no such concert had taken place. You should thus ensure the information in your application can be verified easily, and if it is not, leave it out. When I asked one applicant about this they said: “when the band split up the account was deleted.” The problem with that is that once the account is deleted, so too is the ability to take credit for it. Technical details I received corrupt email attachments or in a software app I don’t have and would have had to pay to open. The easiest kind of document for me to open is a simple .doc file. When a candidate sent an attachment difficult to open I would have to contact them to ask them to re-send it, which did not set the best first impression. Four candidates said: “Please find my CV attached” but did not attach it. Again, as the managers job requires attention to detail, it is important small mistakes are kept to a minimum. 39 candidates named their files “cv.doc” or something similar, and whilst I could change the name myself it may be better to name it with the convention “firstname-secondname-cv.doc” instead, to make life easier for the interviewer. Attachments with examples of past work were sent. Five applicants sent attachments that, together, came to 104mb. One sent attachments which came to 36mb. If everyone had done that my email server would have been clogged. It is not an efficient way to send music because I would have to download it, listen to it and then delete it. It would have been preferable to have instead included a Soundcloud link so I could easily listen to it. Ensure you can be contacted There were a couple of candidates who did not reply when I requested further information. I sent emails and even called. I suspected they may have found another job in the meantime, but as it was only a few days after the job advert was posted, that would have been surprising. The emails may have been going to their spam folder, or maybe they were not getting through at all. There was no way for me to know. It may be worthwhile when applying for a position to save that company’s email address to your address book, to ensure emails they send get through. Make sure you check your spam folder regularly. On two occasions when I called a candidate, they answered the phone and sounded very surprised. It took them 10 seconds or so to compose themselves. If you add the phone number of the studio to your phone it will warn you when an interviewer calls, allowing you to answer in a professional manner and create the best impression. It will also let you know if you have a missed call from an interviewer. If you decide the job is not right for you after finding out more, let the interviewer know in a professional manner. I contacted four candidates to tell them about the job and only heard back from one who told me: “I’m sorry, I don’t think this job would be suitable for me after all. It is five hours a day, six days a week, so it would involve too much travelling because I live on the other side of London. Sorry, I thought it would be eight hour days, which would make travelling worthwhile”. This made complete sense. I appreciated the feedback. I emailed the other candidates twice more, without any replies, and finally called them. Two hung up and the last one said: “No chance mate, I’m not doing 5 hours a day, not worth the effort”. Three months later a friend opened a studio on the other side of town and was looking for a good candidate. He asked “Could you recommend anyone?”. I was happy to put him in touch with the candidate that had been polite enough to message me clearly explaining why they could no longer take the job. Remember, even if you do not get the job, it does not mean you can’t get something out of the connection you have made. Just because this position may not be right for you, it does not mean you will not get a good job in the end. Jimi Hendrix with interviewer It is not what you know, it is who you know Not surprisingly, I took more notice of a candidate I knew personally, particularly those who’d used the studio facilities. I needed to chose an applicant I could trust. Naturally it is easier to trust someone you know. If there is any way you can meet the interviewer under casual circumstances before applying for the position, it could make a big difference in your chances of securing the job. If you use a rehearsal or recording studio, introduce yourself even if they are not looking for anyone at the time. You never know they may be recruiting in the future. If the studio has a store, using or browsing it may give you a great opportunity to break the ice. Try to connect with them in person. The most casual of meetings could put you ahead 95% of the other candidates. So much of the music industry is about meeting people. It helped me to have a clear image of the candidate in my mind. During job interviews many are putting on an act, so presenting yourself under non-interview conditions could be a great advantage. If the studio has a Facebook page, even something as basic at “liking” their statuses, commenting on them or adding the people who work at the studios on your personal account means they can interact with you. It will give an interviewer a good idea of your character through your updates. Make sure you prioritize getting to know the studio staff members as people. As they say, “it’s not what you know, but who you know”. do your research Tailor your approach It helped when the candidate reassured me they shared and understood the values of my company, not least because it showed they had taken time to do their research. When seeking employment it is important to spend 15 minutes to check through a company’s website, reference parts you like, including the bands they have worked with, their location, their target market and any mutual contacts. If the company has plans for expansion, convey your ambitions for growth too. If the company wants to stay small, let them know how much you admire those wanting to keep in personal contact with their customers. To the interviewer it is not just a studio, it is something close to their hearts. Make sure you let them know you understand what the company stands for by sharing common values. Be available should you be offered the position If you have to work a notice period with your current employer and the position requires the successful applicant to start working without delay, you may have to accept you could hinder your chances of being selected. This is not to say you should be quitting your current job to make yourself available, especially if there are no guarantees of any other employment. Instead you should accept that a candidate with a more flexible schedule is always going to be preferred to one that has prior commitments. If you are able to start immediately and have no prior commitments, use this as an asset. If you are willing to work immediately on a trial basis, or as a back up to current members of staff, that could be a great way to edge out other candidates. Once you secure the position then you may be able to ask the company to be flexible in their schedule to suit your lifestyle. It is reasonable to expect a company to help out their staff wherever possible, but until you get the job you need to do as much as you can to secure it. That means you accommodating the needs of the company.   Attributes that appealed to me: – Past experience in the music industry, specifically promoting gigs/club nights. I remembered candidates who had promoted their own band’s gigs. It would have involved building a relationship with bands, organising the logistics, knowing people within the music industry, understanding the different jobs needed to be done, keeping to a time schedule, covering costs, dealing with the public, as well as showing a passion and pro-activeness for wanting to work within the music industry. Even organizing a couple of shows at a local pub could be a great boost for your CV, as well as displaying a positive attitude. – Writing for, or having your own blog, particularly if it was about the music industry. It shows a passion for the subject and a positive and confident work ethic.   – People who went into detail about how much they love music. Everyone who currently works for the studio has a great passion for music. I thought it great when people took time to articulate this passion because it affirmed I was choosing the right work colleague. – Location. With all the other factors being consistent, the nearer you lived to the studio, the greater the chance you had in securing an interview. The further from the studio the candidate lived, the more chance of delays on their journey to work. There is a greater likelihood of them being tired when arriving at work, and less chance they will be able to take short shifts. If you lived an hour away, it would mean 2 hours of travelling for a 4 hour shift, and most people may not feel it worth the effort. That all changes if you live 10 minutes walk down the road. If there was the opportunity for last minute bookings and I needed staff at late notice, living close-by would be a great benefit for the candidate and the studio. So it was a factor I valued greatly. – A driving licence and access to a car. Having a car opens up the possibility I could ask you to run errands in quiet periods, such as collecting or dropping off equipment to be fixed, or stocking up on store supplies. It also removes the risk if there is a failure of public transport to operate. – Physical strength. Most rehearsal sessions include using heavy equipment such as drum kits, guitar amps, bass amps and PA speakers. If the candidate cannot lift them, or is slow in lifting them, it is a lot harder for the session to run smoothly and on time. In some cases there were candidates physically not able to lift an amplifier at all, in which case it was impossible to consider them as a potential candidate. If you are particularly strong it could mean you are able to carry two amplifiers at once, which will make you a much more efficient staff member. If you are in good physical health make sure you let the interviewer know. Such attributes are in high demand in any studio setting. Summary I hope this helps. If it helps one person, then it will have been worthwhile. I appreciate many employers do not offer feedback to applicants, so I thought I would take the time to do it because so many made for strong candidates. I was so happy to have had so many applications, I wanted to do all I could to help applicants in their future job search.   Wishing each and every person out there much success in your job hunt, and in your musical endeavours!!  :-)

Gavin Hyatt at Green Room Studios walks us through how to build a music rehearsal space business. Gavin Hyatt & Richard Kibbey – Longweekend in 2009 I played music from a very young age and was always interested in all things musical. My grandparents said I was ‘gifted’. In truth, it was more enjoyable to sit for hours on end with headphones in, playing tunes, than to go and play football. It was more interesting. I enjoyed it, and played for hours every day. That’s not a gift, it’s dedication, it’s hard work and anyone who can make a career out of something like music has probably put in 10,000 hours of hard work before they see their first financial reward. And probably several years more before they begin to break even. I was in several bands when growing up and this led to the formation of my band 'Longweekend’. I was the front man, Richard Kibbey played bass, Andy Pugh on guitar and Jon Sawyers on drums. We were pretty good and popular in pubs, weddings and all sorts of events. Rehearsing in a living room We rehearsed one or two nights a week, played pretty much every weekend, sometimes several nights back-to-back. I was often sleeping on Richard's sofa throughout this time as well as spending time at my grandparents’ house and sleeping in my van. Richard and I had several business ventures, all successful in their own way. WitneyTV and Oxbox both took off and we launched our business (Oxford Television) to bid for the new local TV channel for Oxfordshire. Our research and gut feelings held us back from making a bid and in the end, we let the opportunity pass us by, concentrating instead on making business web videos to promote on our Oxbox Platform. After making a handful of videos, it was obvious a green screen studio would be an advantage. A space was available and all I had to do was make a few videos for the guy I was sub-letting from instead of paying rent. GreenRoom construction 2012 It was just one, sub-let room in an industrial unit and I built it myself over the summer. It needed to be as sound sterile as possible and as a result, gave us a rehearsal room for my band, who were at the time gigging most weekends. I managed to build a small office/control room which was a kind of airlock between the studio and the rest of the building. Word got out very quickly, other bands started using the room in the evenings, taking over as a core business activity. Less than 9 months later, our landlord was locked out of the building for not paying the rent and we were out. GreenRoom v1 abandoned after 8 months That could have been the end of the story, but thanks to a helping hand from the owner of the building, we managed to salvage lots of materials from the first studio. We moved over the road into Burnham House, a 1970’s builders’ workshop, warehouse and offices. We were offered a choice of two small office rooms at the front of the building and took both, which I converted into a live room and a control room/office. The landlord was supportive and intrigued as to what I would do to the space. We moved in to Burnham House in September 2013. As time went on, it made sense for Oxford Television to take control of the studio. Other businesses moved out of Burnham House, so we took on their space and pluralised our name to reflect our sprawling empire. We move to our new home over the road Like all growing businesses, we had painful times. Both myself and my business partner, Richard Kibbey (Directors) agreed we would not draw any money out of the business, instead reinvesting all profits into building a music studio busines s . We ploughed vast sums into the project, our life savings, pensions, hearts and souls. We had both played music professionally. We had shared the indignity of rehearsing in practice rooms that smelt like a sports changing room, lit by a single 25w bulb, with rusty microphones and wonky stands. We knew we wanted to offer something different, something better: decent equipment, cutting edge tech and inspirational surroundings. This was to be a gymnasium for musicians. Dust and rubble Although we had taken on a large chunk of space, we had no capital to fund the construction of the new rooms. Even doing the work ourselves and using reclaimed materials, still made the process painfully slow. Once we built the first new room, we moved on to the next, the increase in turnover provided more momentum and our knowledge for building, insulating and ventilating grew. The slow, snowballing expansion allowed us to grow our client base and we managed to stay a step ahead of demand. We added vending machines to our lobby with snacks, fizzy pop and hot drinks. We had something different to our competition and another revenue stream. Studio 6 walls start going up Once we had completed three rooms on the ground floor we had the mammoth task of creating studios four and five upstairs. We had started building these earlier but had put them on hold until we had the ground floor rooms constantly booked out. When we realised five rooms may not meet demand, we took some radical steps and redesigned the low-ceiling storage space in the eaves into an office. Our office was now a fifth rehearsal room and our stunning, grandiose live room Studio 6. GreenRoomFestival In the centre of the building was an area of warehouse space which, due to the way we had expanded, had become cut off from the rest of the building. It served no practical use storing cardboard for recycling and part worn tyres belonging to another business. I came up with the idea of an indoor Music Festival to raise funds to complete the studios. In a short 10-week period, we turned the warehouse in to a live performance area with a stage, sound system, lighting and even a Bar. The GreenRoomFestival made a loss of £3000. It exhausted us, but brought massive excitement. It proved we could put on a show, do impossible things and finish building what we called Studio Se7en before studios four, five and six had been completed. We managed to complete the three upstairs rooms and bookings boomed. Installing stage and lighting rig GreenRoomFestival had lost money but, we had introduced 2,000 new people to our space. We had lots of bands wanting to rehearse on the stage, to use the rooms we had built to rehearse and record, and perform in our ‘venue’ with two parachutes drapped across the ceiling. Throughout the rest of 2019, we put on 21 nights of musical entertainment. Many sold out. We had no complaints from neighbours and on the whole, they were a roaring success. The only learning points being things we could change with a bit of budget and creative thinking. We had already started a major overhaul of Studio Se7en in January 2020. Phase 1 was to include a new permanent stage to replace the modular one so we could reopen in April for a repeat of the GreenRoomFestival. Rich was doing most of the work on his own, I popped in during the evenings and weekends to help with the heavy stuff. We managed to obtain reclaimed timber to build the stage which saved us a small fortune. Bookings were busier than ever, and we were now regularly selling out our six available rooms every evening. In February 2020, we recorded our highest ever turnover. We looked through the figures, previous year’s sales and projections. We were set to move in to profit in around 6 months and finally be able to pay ourselves a wage and take a return on the investments we had made. Rockwool install And then... bands started to cancel when members, their friends or family members were receiving word they should shield themselves from contact with others. Two weeks later, the nation was locked down with the greatest worldwide pandemic in living memory. Rich had been living off his savings since giving up his day job. I had an income, but the studio was immediately plunged into uncertainty. We watched with bated breath at every announcement about business grants, rate relief and bounce-back loans. Sleepless nights followed trying to figure out what we could do. Thankfully, we were able to access some grants and a bounce back loan. Rather than sitting at home, we decided to make use of the down time to undertake some building work which we hadn’t been able to consider. We had to make do in the early days but the refurb meant removing every fixture, fitting and cable and going completely back to the drawing board. Lockdown safety measures We fitted a hard-wired smoke alarm system with heat and smoke sensors throughout the building. We also had time to install flashing beacons, sirens, a control panel near the front door, and even a device which mutes the PA system to alert users to evacuate. In normal times, this would have taken weeks and involved making areas out of bounds for a few days at a time. Lockdown meant we could do the whole lot in one go. Emergency lighting was uprated at the same time, hand dryers fitted to the toilets and lots of little jobs completed. Several customers asked if there was anything they could do to help. Some helped move equipment, filled skips and painted walls. Our lighting gantries were taken away, stripped and powder coated in glorious black. Some were willing to pay upfront for future rehearsals and recordings so we launched a crowd-funder ‘Rock Out To Help Out’. This was a spin on the government's efforts to get us all going out to restaurants in August and September (resulting in Lockdown number 2). We made a spoof video based on a charity appeal with sad music and a tongue in cheek vibe and raised almost £3000. Live stream studio We looked at our future plans for Studio Se7en and decided to bring forward phases 2, 3 and 4. This meant fitting a new suspended ceiling, PA system and a new lighting system. We received a grant from OxMAT to provide a live streaming capability in Studio Se7en and set about removing our existing staff kitchen to create a lighting gallery. We also built two workstations for video mixers/producers to edit, add graphics and overlays to a live video stream. With no sign of lockdown lifting, we moved ahead with the completion of our brand-new Main Control Room adjacent to Studio 6. We had around 1500 solder connections to make good before it was ready to go, but it looks stunning. Studio 6 completed Although during the pandemic professional musicians could rehearse, most of our clients had nothing to rehearse for. There was just no demand and the 1% who needed our services wouldn’t provide sufficient revenue to justify opening. It was a great relief when we were finally able to announce our reopening on 12th April for professional bands, those working towards recordings, performance or examination. Coghlan's Quo getting ready to gig As of May 2021 our customers have flooded back. There has been a huge influx of new interest in what we do, thanks in part to our constant social media updates and photos of what we have going on. Amateur rehearsals and jam sessions will recommence on 17th May and we are really looking forward to the return to ‘normality’. We have big plans for the studios. Once we have finished the main control room, we will be fitting a dedicated vocal booth. We will refit our ground control room. This will provide us with three individual production spaces and various pricing tiers for self-service or working with our producers. We are looking at providing work experience and internships for music technology students as well as offering short courses, instrument and vocal tuition and other specialisms such as theatrical lighting and video editing. If you have managed to read this far, thank you. There’s a heap more chapters to the story, some of it probably more interesting than what I have detailed above, such as: Rich and Gav play a live gig to 28,000 people We almost launch a TV channel I accidentally become the voice of two premium automotive brands Rich has lunch with Newton Faulkner, Jeremy Irons and Rick Wakeman Our first ever work experience student gets nominated for a Brit Award A list of the well-known artists and producers who have graced our hallways If I had the chance to do it all again, of course I would. I would maybe do things a bit differently, but I probably wouldn’t have had half the fun.

The UK Government published its Music Studio Market Assessment on 3 August 2021. The report assesses the state of the private, professionally-run music studio market in England. Research was conducted between January 2021 and March 2021 when England was in a third national lockdown. Key findings 2,482 studios were mapped - 1,858 open and 624 closed The current studio market is concentrated in London and the South East with 44.9% (834) of all open studios Rehearsal is the most common studio service offered alongside live music venues Studio Supply and Client Demand There is enough supply of music studios, barriers to entry are low and there are no signs of monopoly The market is responding to changes, such as technological innovation, and to new competition The challenge is for traditional studios to seek standards and sufficient added value to distinguish themselves from alternatives eg. offering artistic development services Some studios have chosen to expand their business models into the audiovisual sector Integration in the Music Ecosystem The growth in digital music distribution has contributed to the disconnection of record labels and music publishers from the recording industry value chain There is a reduction in record label budgets and in turn demand for studio services There is a disintegration between the studio market and wider music ecosystem Musicians perceived live music venues as the most influential stakeholders in their success, whilst studio professionals had an overall lesser importance Studio Business Characteristics Studios have diversified their business models due to new challenges such as COVID-19, but many see it as a means to increase revenue streams by introducing new services such as education and training Studio service rates have declined and/or stagnated compared to 20 years ago The studio market was financially sustainable prior to COVID-19, with an average annual gross income of £109.7k Rehearsal studios were the most profitable (£132.4k annual gross income) given the number of rooms available and the versatility of clients and services Governance, Regulations and Funding The effects of COVID-19 are most visible in the reduction of studio service rates and workforce sizes, however, most believed they would recover within the next year Rehearsal spaces have been the most vulnerable during COVID-19 as there is no viable alternative to a physical service and a greater proportion of operating costs for space rental Studios have become highly dependent on government funding since the onset of COVID-19, which has been key to their survival (68% of surveyed studios applied/received support) There remains a desire for better coordination amongst rehearsal studios and the wider sector as a whole Rent and business rates make up the greatest proportion of operating costs (34% for surveyed studios) and have witnessed exponential increases due to urban regeneration and is seen as the primary cause for studio closures The costs and continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit is expected to have a detrimental impact on the studio market eg losses of clients, studio staff and business development opportunities Expansion and/or relocation to the EU was considered a viable option for some studios The UK Government's Studio Assessment full report can be found below.

Reel Rebels Studio Insuring your music studio and equipment will ensure you operate a safe environment for your staff and customers. Insurance is a way of managing risks. When you buy insurance, you transfer the cost of a potential loss to the insurance company in exchange for a fee, known as the premium. Insurance companies invest the funds securely, so it can grow, and pay out when there is a claim. Many individual musicians take out an extra clause on their home contents policy to insure their instruments and equipment. Kate Evans at Urban Jungle insurance providers says in the years 2020-22 they have seen a 228% increase in the number of such policies that include musical instruments (see here ) . Although she cannot definitely pinpoint the cause of this increase, she suggests it is however closely correlated with the Covid-19 pandemic and people possibly taking up a new hobby/instruments during the lockdowns. Accidents and disasters can and do happen. If you are not flush with cash to handle them, you could face huge financial struggles and setbacks. Insuring your music studio is one way to protect your ability to earn an income, and to keep a roof over your head when things go wrong. Bandspace spoke to several rehearsal space owners who offered their experiences of insuring their space. But first several preliminaries... Risk Assessment It may be useful to consider some preparation. Some spaces maintain a risk assessment which identifies potential hazards in the workplace. Carrying out a risk assessment will help you to identify which insurance policies you should think about, and which you should prioritise. Your work can pose risks to the health and safety of others. Undertaking and regularly updating a risk assessment is good practice. Musicians' Union insurance The MU provides a range of insurances as a benefit of individual membership. The Musicians’ Union £2,000 Musical Instrument and Equipment Insurance Scheme provides cover anywhere in the world for instruments and equipment owned by the member, not the music space. Its Personal Accident Scheme also comes part of annual membership offering financial benefits in the event of disability following an accident. Insurance broker It is worth thinking about using a specialist insurance broker. If you find yourself having to make a significant claim, your broker usually deals with a loss adjuster and negotiates the claim on your behalf. Not only can it be a little cheaper, but the broker has a much greater understanding of the needs that exist in the industry. The broker will usually be able to advise on the package best suited to your circumstances. It is rare for me to be insured with the same company for more than a couple of years in a row. My broker, who is an entertainment specialist, will suggest the company offering the best deal. That does mean comparing the new policy with the previous year's policy which can be time-consuming. Each insurer seems to have slightly different endorsements. Phil Mayne, House of Mook Making a claim It is also a good idea to be very thorough when completing any insurance documentation. If you keep records of all your purchases and servicing you are likely to be in stronger position when it comes to costing your insurance claim. Different types of music studio insurance Public & Products Liability This covers you and your business against legal claims of injury to customers or damage to property, whether you are involved in the repair or just the supply of a product. Public liability should cover you working away from the studio, for example sound engineering a gig and possibly also equipment in transit - in case of a crash or a vehicle being broken into before load-in. Scott Nairn, Playing Aloud You should consider the physical areas your public liability covers. For example does it cover your shared areas and your car park? Does your insurer cover injuries that may occur to customers lugging gear to and from a practice room? If a customer injures their back carrying their own gear could you be liable? Many public liability policies exclude assault and battery if you get in a fight with someone on your premises. Employers Liability Employers liability is a legal requirement if you have anyone who is employed by you or is working under your control even if they are voluntary. It covers you if anything happens to your employees as a result of the work they do for you, often taken out in conjunction with public liability insurance. It gives you reassurance as a small business owner and lets staff know you are serious about their welfare. Usually this type of policy is not available unless you have public liability cover. Jam On Top Technical & Portable Equipment (owned or hired) If you hire out portable equipment such as PA systems, guitar amps, etc in your practice rooms you need to know you are protected against theft, loss and damage. From a broken amp or stolen sound mixer, when disaster strikes, it’s crucial to keep your business up and running with minimum disruption. You can take it out as part of your business contents insurance, so you are protected even when you or your staff are using equipment off-site. It is obviously better to ensure damage does not happen in the first place. If mixing desks are wall mounted we secure them properly. We quickly repair wobbly wheels on amps. We also have notices up asking people not to turn the mixing desk/amp on or off. If they are having trouble with the mixing desk, or any piece of equipment, they know to let us know. We'll be happy to give them a helping hand and go through the basics. Scott Nairn, Playing Aloud This type of policy can also cover musical instruments and goods in transit for example taking equipment to a repairer. Normally you would not be covered for theft unless there are signs of a break in. The turnaround for replacing items can be a long time. An insurance company may say "we try to settle claims within 60 days". If all the equipment in a music space was stolen 60 days would represent a large sum of money in lost bookings. More attention should be paid to how fast the claim is settled than is currently the case. Jimmy Mulvihill, Bally Studios If you are renting electrical equipment such as amps your policy should include information about the safety measures you have in place such as regular PAT Testing. Some policies will not cover a studio’s own equipment when they are in the custody and control of third parties. There is generally an excess of £150-£250 on claims under a loss or damage policy section. Most mechanical or electrical breakdown repairs may therefore not be covered, although the cost of hiring in additional equipment could well be. Phil Mayne, House of Mook If your space offers an equipment storage facility for users you should consider if these items are covered under this policy too. Musicians using their own equipment in your space would not normally be covered under this policy. They would be expected to have cover for their own equipment. A business is not legally obliged to carry out PAT testing, and though they should, any competent person can do it satisfactorily with the right tools and training. Tim Nissen, First Avenue Studios Business Contents Office contents insurance protects your computers, office furniture and documents against risks such as theft, fire and water damage, even if the possessions are temporarily away from the workplace. Artwork and visitors’ personal belongings can also be covered, as well as any petty cash you may have on the premises. Make sure your content insurance covers expensive soundproofing and acoustic treatments in your rooms. This is not usually covered by building insurance as its added extra but can be very expensive to replace in case of flood, malicious damage or fire. Deanna Bogdanovic, BonaFide Studio Equipment Breakdown This protects your business against unexpected costs caused by sudden mechanical or electrical failure. This insurance protects you against downtime, so you don’t miss deadlines or let your customers down. It ensures you get immediate assistance or replacement equipment to keep your business moving. Many music rehearsal spaces will however have spare equipment available in such an event. The insurance company may value kit by how much it sells for on eBay, possibly comparing an expensive piece that rarely sells to one in poor condition. The cost of servicing kit to maintain it in good working condition may also not be reflected in the replacement cost. Insurance companies should value equipment based on what it would cost a music space to replace it rather than what they sell for. Jimmy Mulvihill, Bally Studios Brighton Electric Buildings This cover offers protection against damage that may occur to property, such as flood or fire damage, but not the contents of the rehearsal space or your equipment. It can cover a range of risks including accidental damage and the results of criminal damage. Insurance for a commercial property is not a legal requirement for business owners in the UK. However, purchasing a building policy should still be a high priority for any business operating from a property they own outright. It protects against disruption to your business, for example if a flash flood caused by bad weather results in your space having to cancel bookings. If you rent or lease your building for day-to-day operations, the responsibility of insuring the property does not rest with you. The landlord should source cover. However, you may want to think about taking out cover for any physical improvements you may have made to the rented premises, for example the cost of partitioning and building the practice rooms, including related work such as rewiring and decorating. You may also want to consider office contents insurance, as this will cover the cost of replacing your equipment, furnishings, fixtures, stock, etc. if they get damaged or stolen. For example, flooding causing damage to the carpet, the communal fridge breaking down or gear being stolen in a break in. If you have taken out a mortgage on the property your lender may require you to take out commercial property insurance as part of the agreement. When you buy insurance for your commercial building, whether to protect the exterior, its contents, or both, there are a number of additional covers to consider. Ensure you have got change of use on your building with the local council which might mean seeking planning permission. This may require you to undertake a sound survey. Denise Ashworth, Silver Lining Studios Business Interruption The disruption to your business from a fire, theft or other property damage goes beyond the immediate damage, and your business can suffer if you are unable to trade until things are fixed. Business interruption insurance protects your income to ensure you can pay bills and maintain relationships with your clients and suppliers. Make sure you have an accountant who can project your loses. It can be very hard to prove the cost of things so your past accounts need to be in order for you to make a successful claim. Deanna Bogdanovic, BonaFide Studio Cyber Cyber insurance protects your business against digital risks by supporting you financially if you experience a damaging network event such as a cyber-attack. It is designed to react quickly to malware attacks, hacking events and electronic data breaches by funding investigation and reimbursing losses. Whether your IT network is compromised as a result of losing sensitive data or criminals hold commercial information to ransom recovery can take time and money. Business HR Running a small business is time consuming, especially when you have to combine your day-today work alongside business administration and paperwork. If you employ staff, the paperwork increases and you must also keep up to date with the legal requirements that come with being an employer. Membership of The Federation of Small Businesses offers such HR advice. Other insurers includes Allianz Entertainment Vision Sound Insure4Music Musicguard The Incorporated Society of Musicians A special thanks to Jon Wilford at Hencilla Canworth Insurance Brokers . And thanks go to House of Mook , Playing Aloud , Bally Studios , First Avenue Studios , BonaFide Studio , Mill Hill Music Complex and Silver Lining Studios in helping to compile this piece.

Bandspace carried out a survey of music rehearsal spaces in early 2022. The questions were based on a similar survey undertaken in 2016. We were able to make comparisons between the two surveys and reveal any trends. The 2016 survey results can be found here . We suggest our findings should be seen in the context of a local ecology determining the nature of a music rehearsal space. That is to say, each space is unique, often determined by its users, available buildings, income streams and other variables. Therefore, drawing comparisons between individual music rehearsal spaces should be carefully considered. The findings offer a generalised overview of the UK’s independent music rehearsal space sector. Apollo Audio Hertford Results We asked two questions receiving 50 responses from music rehearsal spaces, representing around 12.5% of the UK’s network of independent music rehearsal spaces. Although we urge caution in drawing too firm a conclusion from our findings, they nonetheless provide a starting point for further research. 1. Roughly, what is the end purpose of musicians using your music rehearsal space? end purpose of musicians using a music rehearsal space The results suggest half the groups were using an hourly/session practice room in preparation to perform local gigs. One fifth were making music for ‘fun’ with friends. A smaller number were rehearsing prior to recording and touring. Of course, there are exceptions where perhaps a small number of spaces may specialise in professional tour pre-production, residencies and lockouts. There was little change in the response to the same question given by music rehearsal spaces in 2016. We conclude the findings suggest most musicians using music rehearsal spaces in the UK are likely to be semi-professional or amateur. If this is indeed the case, it is likely the existence of the adhoc and independent network of music rehearsal spaces in the UK is dependent on the personal incomes of musicians. Income derived from professional music touring or recording plays a small part in their ecology. Preparing to play local gigs ​ Bunch of mates doing it for fun ​ Rehearsal prior to recording ​ Pre-production prior to touring ​ Other purpose 50% 20% 14% 12% 4% 2. Generally speaking, how do musicians book your music practice room? how musicians book a music practice room Over two fifths of music rehearsal spaces reported they received bookings to their practice rooms using online sources. One third of respondents said musicians used a phone to book a room. A quarter of musicians booked a room using email, visiting and other ways. We predicted in 2016 those using online booking would increase. The results of this survey confirm this has been the case. The increase in online booking suggests musicians welcome the ease by which they can book a practice room and managing room bookings. Along with these questions, and new to our survey, we asked what music rehearsal spaces would like to see in future questionnaires. There was much interest amongst respondents to this question. Online Phone Email Visit Other booking 42% 33% 14% 6% 5% We thank those spaces who offered a range of useful suggestions which will be considered for inclusion in a subsequent survey. They can be summarised in the following way: On average how many cancellations or no shows do you receive per week? Estimate how many bands rehearse per room each week and what percentage are block bookings? How do you think users find out about your rehearsal space? In your opinion what are the biggest challenges in running a music rehearsal space? New Cut Studios Conclusion Lifestyles have become more online, perhaps hastened by the recent global pandemic and greater availability of fast internet. This suggests the growing importance music rehearsal spaces maintain an interactive website for enquiries and the regular use of social media to attract new users. Those participating directly in music-making draw inspiration by creating and rehearsing in a music ensemble. This can be taken further. Our findings suggest a music rehearsal space provides an accessible means to create leisure opportunities for its local community through the supply and marketing of music performances in local venues. Further work is needed to explore how these findings can be developed to promote the use of music rehearsal spaces benefiting local communities through music participation, mental well-being and community cohesion. This line of investigation would also suggest a re-evaluation of how local and national tax regimes to do with music rehearsal spaces could fall in line with similar leisure facilities such as sport centres. Methodology We announced the survey on the Bandspace website on 27 January 2022. The survey lasted one month, closing on 25 February. One bulk email was dropped to 556 email addresses on the Bandspace database, including 404 known music rehearsal spaces in the UK. 280 of these emails were opened representing an open rate of 50%. Online sources suggest a good email open rate should be between 17-28%. We therefore conclude the email open rate to the survey was very good. We made a number of posts on the Bandspace social media pages to promote the survey to music rehearsal spaces. We made 11 Facebook post adverts (27, 28 & 29 Jan & 1, 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 18, 20 Feb) on the Bandspace Facebook page, and a smaller number of similar posts on the Facebook AIRRS group page and the Bandspace Instagram and Twitter accounts. Dog House Music Studios Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage proportions in their answer to each question. The percentage results were aggregated and divided by the number of respondents for each question to give a mean average. Answers to these questions were reliant on estimates given by the music rehearsal spaces, rather than directly canvassing musicians using or intending to use a practice room. Respondents We appreciate the contributions to help us complete the 2022 Bandspace Survey from the following 50 music rehearsal spaces. 13 Sound Studios Hot Jam Studios Sound Gallery Studios Africa Studios Jam on Top Sound Inc Apollo Audio Hertford K Town Studios Soundspace Studios Aspect Studios KJM Studios Stage 2 Studios Bad Habit Rehearsal Rooms Maple Studios Stalkers Studio Bally Studios Mill Hill Music Complex Supanova Studios Base Studios Milltown Studios Swervjam Brick Lane Studios New Cut Studios Terminal Studios Brixton Hill Studios One Louder Studios The Bunker Sunderland Brunswick Mill Studios Practice Sheffield The Cabin Rehearsal Rooms Cherry Tree Rehearsal Studios Pure Rehearsal Studios The Music Shed Dog House Music Studios Purple Pro Audio The Rehearsal Rooms DS Studios Whitburn Rewind Rehearsal Rooms Uprawr Studios Elements Studios Robanna Studios Venombase Farm Factory Studios RPM Studios ​Vibrations Studios Good Vibrations Silent Hill Studios Zebra Express Studios Greenbank Music Village Sort Rehearsal Rooms ​

Music Garage, Chicago Most hourly/session based rehearsal spaces have a policy when cancelling a booked session. Music studio cancellations may differ from space to space, but many offer a full refund or credit for rebooking. On the rare occasion when cancelling at short notice it can bring insecurity to the business. Let's dig a little deeper... Paying upfront and deposits The payment requirements should be made known at the time of booking, whether online or by phone. For example, some spaces allow payment when attending the rehearsal session but others have introduced full or a deposit payment at the time of booking. This managed policy has likely come about due to 'no shows'. Empty rooms Those running spaces spend many hours creating an attractive space for musicians to rehearse their music. A music space can be a local gathering point where information between other musicians using the space can be shared, such as gig opportunities or musicians looking to join a band, etc. Some spaces offer music tuition, repairs and hires. They are often part of the fabric of a local music scene. Card Trick Music staff Often a space is reliant on income from practice room bookings. This income enables the small business to respond to the needs of the local music community. Like any good business, it looks to offer value for money by maintaining good quality equipment, a clean room and paying staff to accompany your session. Reduced income caused by unpaid cancellations could jeopardise the introduction of new services, such as equipment to make a live recording, a video studio or even a live venue. Musician at Brunswick Mill Studios Affecting business Chicago's Mystery Street Recording neatly describes its operation on its website: "Many spaces operate as a small, boutique studio, with only a small number of practice rooms available. Changes to our schedule have a big impact on the day-to-day operations. As a personalised appointment based business, staff are often scheduled to attend specifically for a session." A late cancellation can result in an empty room. The music space may have already refused a booking from another user. Paulshalls Studios in Glasgow has said: "Short notice cancellations cannot be sustained after the losses [due to covid lockdown] over the last two years." In short, empty rooms from late cancellations and no shows affect business. Powerhouse Studios cancellation policy Legal considerations A room user's rights when cancelling depend on the space's terms and conditions and the reason for cancelling. A cancellation can be made any time before the session starts, but a fee may be charged if it is at short notice. The cancellation fee should be clearly stated in the space's published terms and conditions. The fee is likely to be higher the closer to the session date/time. The space should only charge the amount it will lose. It should also try to sell the session to someone else. If you are the booker, it might be cheaper to find someone else to fill the session rather than cancelling. Force Majeure clause This clause in a music studio contract removes liability for natural and unavoidable events preventing participants from fulfilling obligations. London's Mill Hill Music Complex has a force majeure policy clause where for example when a snow storm disrupts traffic it will waive charges. However, if it is simply because a band cannot organise their affairs, then the space charges a fee. The events listed in the clause may be specific or general but can be factual (eg. sudden death in the family) or legal (eg. statutory restrictions imposed in light of the pandemic). The booker must show the cancellation is beyond their control and that they do not assume responsibility in having to cancel. The force majeure clause may simply require the parties to find alternative arrangements that are fair, reasonable and practicable. The Rehearsal Room, Texas Cancelling a session at short notice Obviously it is advisable to cancel a session as far in advance as possible to avoid having to pay a cancellation fee. When explaining the reason for cancelling it would be a good opportunity to re-arrange another time for the rehearsal session, possibly carrying over any payment. The music space should generally only charge an amount enough to cover its losses as a result of the session being cancelled at short notice. This could include costs already paid or loss of profit. Some spaces may offer a credit note instead of a refund. The booker does not have to accept a credit note and can insist on a refund. Bookers should ensure however they are familiar with a space's cancellation policy. Dan Flitcroft's cancellation flow diagram Casemates Studios Filling a cancellation The sooner the space has notice of a cancellation, the better the chance it can fill the room. Paisley's Brick Lane Studios ' cancellation policy reads: "We are aware that emergencies happen, however.... it is extremely difficult for us to fill the slot again." A music space is unlikely to fill a cancelled session with another band at short notice. Richard Kibbey at Oxfordshire's Green Room Studios said: "It takes time to try and refill a booking. By the time you contact the bands you have turned away, they have usually found another studio." Some spaces offer last minute slots, sometimes at a discount. Indeed, London's Bush Studios ' operates a cancellation waiting list for its rooms. Soundarc Studios One space has attempted to mitigate losses due to late cancellations. John at Soundarc Studios in Bedfordshire, in a social media post, said: "Due to rehearsals being booked up a few weeks in advance, this is unfortunately leaving some bands unable to sample the delights of Shefford. So let us know if you’d like to be informed of any availability if it does pop up... and I’ll send over any newly available slots for the coming weeks/month as they happen." Using social media to advertise any short notice availability is perhaps a good way to demonstrate a space has attempted to fill the slot. Sharing your cancellation policy Most spaces' publish their booking terms and conditions, either in a FAQs section on their website or within their online booking page. For example, The Rooms Rehearsal Studios maintains a simple cancellation policy: More than 48 hours notice - no charge 24-48 hours notice - a half fee is payable Less than 24 hours notice/no show - the full session fee is payable Farm Factory Studios in Hertfordshire also clearly sets out its booking terms on its website: "By booking a rehearsal or recording session at Farm Factory Studios you are entering into a contract by which you are agreeing unconditionally on behalf of the band/artist to abide by the studio's terms and conditions..." Labyrinth Studios Cancellation policy and fees How did a music space arrive at this policy? London's Engine Rooms ' website states: "We don't like to charge people for rehearsal sessions they haven't used. However, in order to sustain the studios and ensure musicians can make the most of our facilities, we operate [a] cancellation policy." A cancellation fee may be charged rather than the price of the rehearsal session. Labyrinth Studios states on its website: "In the event of cancellations, the deposit paid will be taken as a cancellation fee. This is to cover any potential losses we may incur due to not being able to cover the cancelled dates with other client bookings." Rewind Rehearsal Rooms The cancellation fee is the cost of keeping the music practice room running. Roger Tichborne at London's Mill Hill Music Complex said: "We had to bring this policy in as customers were booking studios and simply not turning up. Like most studios, we run on a very tight budget. If customers do not turn up, then this means we are not covering staffing, rent, rates and other costs." The policy should clearly state if there is a fee, for example no refund, full or partial refund or if another booking can be offered. Rewind Rehearsal Rooms in Leicestershire operates a policy where a user cancelling ‘on the day’ is charged the full booking fee. Bush Studios Cancellation period The fee amount usually depends on how much time is given in advance of cancelling the session. This period is counted from the time the user notifies the music space and the session start time. London's Bush Studios ' cancellation policy states: "When you are cancelling you must ensure you speak to a member of staff and obtain a cancellation number. We do not accept cancellations over the answer phone or by email. Your cancellation number is a record of the phone call and your proof that the cancellation was made, so keep it safe." Those customers who cancel outside the hours listed in the late cancellation policy are usually not charged. But depending on the cancellation policy, any period between 24-120 hours (1-5 days) in advance is counted as a late cancellation and usually a pre-paid booking is non-refundable. Below are eight examples from different spaces' cancellation policy notice times and the fees charged: ​Space name ​Location Session cancelled within ​Cancellation fee charged Berkeley 2 Studios ​Glasgow, Scotland ​4 days Full ​ Rocket Park Studios ​Peterborough, UK ​1 day ​Full Super Unison Rehearsal Rooms ​London, UK 3 - 5 days 2 days 50% credit No credit Rivington Music Rehearsal Studios ​New York, USA More than 2 days Less than 2 days Full credit No credit Spiral Studios Guildford, UK More than 24 hrs Less than 24 hrs None Full ​ Mill Hill Music Complex ​London, UK ​Less than 72 hrs ​Full ​ Engine Rooms ​London, UK Less than 48 hrs Less than 24 hrs 50% fee Full ​Rewind Rehearsal Rooms ​Hinckley, UK More than 24 hrs Less than 24 hrs None Full Silver Lining Studios Comparative hire Rising energy and utility prices have forced some spaces to increase their session rates. Despite this, a band rehearsal can still work out, per band member, a cheap night out. You may find the back room of a pub or bar for free, but you will not have access to all the gear and other services offered by a music space. Many spaces have rooms designed to prepare performers for a live gig or at least encourage them to think about presenting themselves professionally. Generally the cancellation period for a music rehearsal space is more favourable compared to a general storage facility. For example, Big Yellow Storage , the UK-wide general storage facility, has a longer cancellation period. Its website states "...we require 7 days written notice to move out of a storage room..." Main Street Studios Lockout or sub-let Some spaces offer monthly sub-let rooms or lockouts to secure a regular income such as Manchester's Brunswick Mill Studios or Main Street Studios near Glasgow. If more session-based spaces went this way, it may limit the availability of practice rooms. Many spaces offer a mix of permanent and hourly/session rooms. London's Resident Studios require bookings that last 8 hours or more a full 5 days notice to avoid incurring the full fee. Discretion Hourly or session practice spaces offer a range of services to help and support musicians on their way to gigging and recording. Those who run spaces aim to offer a warm welcome to users and to foster a positive and respectful culture. Oftentimes, those running spaces are musicians themselves so have a good understanding of what is needed for a productive rehearsal session. The Riff Factory It can be difficult striking a balance between requiring bands to pay for a cancellation and encouraging them to return. Perhaps those managing a space may consider a little discretion due to unavoidable circumstances beyond the bookers control, for example a death in the family, serious accident, etc. A discretion clause may even be included in the space's (force majeure) cancellation policy. The Riff Factory in Stoke-on-Trent states on its website an unattended rehearsal will be treated as a cancellation... [but] a cancellation fee may be waived at the manager's discretion. Whenever possible, it is perhaps best for a space to re-arrange a session as a one-off goodwill gesture to maintain a positive relationship. So Called Studios Sanctions To discourage late cancellations some spaces operate a sanction. For example, So Called Studios in Birmingham posted on its Facebook page: "We know sometimes things go wrong that cannot be helped. However, if you cancel on the same day, your band will be given a yellow card. If your band has been given a yellow card, you will be required to pay upfront for your next rehearsal. If it happens again after this and you get a second yellow card, you will need to pay upfront for each rehearsal after this." In March 2022 Rewind Rehearsal Rooms reported an "altercation which ended with banning someone who didn’t agree with this [the terms of its cancellation policy] and became abusive." Rewind Rehearsal Rooms prides itself on operating a safe space where abuse to anyone while they are on the premises will not be tolerated. The UK's Association of Independent Rehearsal & Recording Studios has operated a naming and shaming system. The names of musicians/bands that flout the rules of a space or are abusive to staff are circulated amongst the association's members. As a band you do not want to get a bad reputation. Conclusion Many musicians are serious about their music-making. They often block-book sessions to get in to the habit of attending regular rehearsals which is both good for the musician and the music space. So long as a music studio's cancellation policy is fair, consistent and reasonable, and everybody knows its terms, you can't go wrong.

Jimmy Mulvihill London’s Bally Studios’ owner, Jimmy Mulvihill, walks us through the do's and don'ts when auditioning that all-important addition to your band. Over a thousand bands have used our studios since opening in 2005. About 40-50 of these have held auditions for new band members. It is impossible to see so many and to not learn something, especially when band members have sought our opinion of their potential new band mate: “What do you think, mate, how do you think they fit in with us?” Here’s some things to keep in mind to improving band auditions. Musician advert 1) Selecting the right person The most fundamental factor in a band's success is the people in it. If you don’t get that right then no matter how much you rehearse, how much money you invest or how many connections you have, if the band does not have the right members then it has little chance of working. Every aspect of the band can be compromised, songs cannot be re-recorded and you may not be able to return to a venue. You cannot have a band member that does not fit and hope it will somehow improve. The decision needs to be correct from the start. If they are not the right band member now, they are not going to be next year. You cannot incrementally improve your decision on how suitable a person is for your band. On the other hand, there are times when you just know the person who walked into your space is right. It just feels natural. It is hard to explain why, it just does. In that scenario choosing the right band mate is the easiest and most natural decision to make. band rehearsing 2) Nerves If you are nervous about auditioning, remember in most cases the band members are nervous too. They could be about to meet the person with whom they will make music, work and socialise with for years to come. They would not have planned the audition if they did not think it had potential, so it is perfectly natural for the band members to also feel nervous. Any lack of nerves could be viewed as a sign of apathetic ambivalence, whereas showing nerves reveals the auditionee cares. The presence of nerves is healthy and a natural part of the process in focussing the mind. If band members seem relaxed upon arrival they are doing a great job in hiding their nerves. This does not mean it is the end of the world if those auditioning cannot do the same. The contrived process of the audition creates nerves amongst all those involved. Avatar Rehearsal Studios Even simple things can throw someone who is about to audition. Having never visited the rehearsal space can ignite nerves, whereas the band may have rehearsed there for years. Not knowing the equipment may also unsettle the auditionee. None of this should phase those auditioning. Case Study 1 The musician auditioning should already know the band's music. If they turn down the chance to join, it will likely be due to the personalities in the band rather than musical style. Whereas if the band members felt the auditionee's personality was not a fit they have the diplomatic get-out-of-jail-free card: “You’re a great musician, but the musical vibe just didn't click…..” The auditionee should think carefully if they like the band's musical style. band rehearsing 3) You may be one of several people auditioning Case Study 2 I have had occasions where two guitarists are auditioning for a band within the same session. I’ve shown the second guitarist into the studio, just as the first guitarist is finishing their audition. Both let out a surprised, “ohh……..” upon hearing of the existence of the other. This is a common mistake. Musicians do not realise they are one of many auditioning that day. Perhaps band members have not made it clear this is the case. Absolutely nothing wrong with auditioning multiple musicians in a session. It can actually allow band members to make a direct comparison between the different applicants. At the same time, however, the band should let auditionees know this is the case. Lizard Lounge Studio Joining a band means committing a lot of time, money and emotional energy to your new bandmates, so finding out at your audition they are keeping their options open is going to hurt. If you are a member of a band auditioning a new member try to leave at least a 15 minute gap between different candidates. If you are auditioning to join the band then it should be taken for granted other musicians will be attending that day. It doesn’t reflect badly on you the band is keeping their options open, especially if they have never met you before. Stage 2 Studios lounge 4) Should the first meeting take place in a rehearsal space? The musical ability of a band mate is often just one of many factors to matter. Consider for example Meg White in The White Stripes, Bez in The Happy Mondays or Sid Vicious in the Sex Pistols. Sometimes a band member will bring more to a band than can be measured by the notes they play. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Guns ‘n’ Roses lost important band members and had their pick of the finest musicians in the world to replace them. In both cases they were able to pick amazing guitarists to fill the void left by John Frusciante and Slash. Yet it was still impossible to replicate the magic of the band member they had lost. Part of the magic came from the connection between the band members. Band members do not necessarily need to rehearse with a potential new recruit to find out if they have common interests. Chatting to a potential band mate(s) for an hour down the pub or a cafe may be a better way to decide whether they are a good fit. If a potential band member is an incredible musician, but doesn't click musically with the rest of the band, then it is just not going to work. Even if they do click musically, but their personalities clash, then sooner or later it will become an issue. This could put at risk the progress the band has made up until that point. Casemates Rehearsal Studios Case Study 3 We had a band that played very angular 2-minute songs with staccato riffs and lyrics about politics and poets from the 1960s. Its members wore white shirts and short black ties with immaculate hair. They were in their early 20s and took their band very seriously. They were auditioning for a new band-mate, adding a second guitarist to the band. Against my advice, they decided not to include a list of their musical influences in the advert. Instead leaving notes about wanting someone “who could immerse themselves in the music, and who sees being in a band as part of their identity, and is able to connect with people on an intense level.” They were rehearsing in our studio 1, the furthest from the office. When the guitarist auditioning for the band arrived, I instantly knew this was going to be one of the most ‘interesting’ auditions we ever had. band rehearsal The guitarist was in his mid 40s, had bleached blonde peroxide hair falling past his shoulders, played a purple and yellow Jackson 7 string guitar with Floyd Rose bridge, wore a West Ham shirt and sunglasses, and brought with him a six-pack of Stella Artois. As I led him from the office into the studio he confirmed he was auditioning for this band. Upon entering the practice room the four existing band members, who were stood in a circle drinking Roibos tea, all turned to look at their new potential band member. They looked him up and down, and it was clear both the band and their potential new band-mate knew this was not going to work. Within 30 seconds I could see their personalities clashed. Whilst the band was to be commended for thinking outside the box to broaden their sound, the audition was going to be a write off. The musician auditioning for the band seemed like a lovely fella and a skilled guitarist, but 45 minutes later he was on his way home. Soon after, one of the members of the band came to the office to make another round of herbal tea. He put his hands on the back of his neck, and let out a long sigh: “Ooooooohhhhh God, that was paaaaaaaaiiiinnnful!” 5) Ensure your ambitions are in line with other band members Practical factors to be considered when auditioning include the logistics involved in attending band practices. Despite finding the right musician, family and work commitments may mean a new band member may not be able to attend regular rehearsals. Also bear in mind how long a potential band member can commit to the band. No-one wants to carry out a second lot of auditions because the initial replacement forgot to mention they had a commitment in six months time. Basement Studio Being a member of a band can be a reward in itself, whereas to other members it can mean something else altogether. Band members may have differing levels of commitment, expecting to achieve separate goals from the band. Dissimilar aims can be obstacles impossible to overcome that could have been anticipated. It is a good idea to discuss what all members want from being in the band. Ensure there are no factors to cause problems further on down the line, or at least if there are, then all the band members know they need to be addressed at some point. Case Study 4 I have seen a trio whose members worked in jobs they disliked. They viewed their band as a means of survival until their musical career took off. Their attitude was they were willing to do anything to make the band a success so they could leave the jobs they hated. By contrast, their last band member owned a building firm that paid him a good income. He saw his membership of the band as a means to let his hair down in his free time. When the band was offered an opportunity to play 20 gigs in one month supporting an established band, 3 quarters of the band were salivating at the thought, whereas the builder uttered the words: I’m not doing that, I’m scheduled to be doing a double story extension in Muswell Hill that month”. It was clear he had differing levels of commitment and expectations. It was an obstacle impossible to overcome and should have been anticipated. Corsi di chitarra 6) Learn to play the band's songs This may be obvious, but it is often overlooked. Ask for the chords prior to the audition to relieve any nerves and to impress the band. Auditionees ought to listen to all the band's music and be able to practice it before the audition. 7) Tread a carefully If auditioning to join a band that writes and plays its own music, play in a way that is sympathetic to its musical style. It needs to add to the band's style, not detract from it. If the band members intend to keep the songs written prior to the audition, it clearly sees the new band member as a continuation of its style. Those songs are the band's identity, without which the band is nothing, so respect should be shown to the music. For the audition to be successful there needs to be agreement how a new member should complement the band's sound. Is the new member auditioning to move the band in to new musical pastures or maintain the same style? That could be discussed in advance. giant pedal board Case Study 5 A vivid memory is a band recruiting a new bassist. The band had a stripped down approach, one guitarist doing simple bar chords, a drummer just playing hi hats and a single crash ride, no rack toms, just sticking to the beat with no frills. The auditioning bassist got his 6-string bass out, plugged in to a plethora of pedals, and started to warm up with an exercise playing 8 notes a second, running up and down the fretboard with all four fingers and on his other hand smacking the strings in turn. The bassist had said he loved the band's songs wanting to “bring an extra dimension to them”. In doing that he would be changing the minimalist style of the band. There was no way he could bring his new style to the band without disregarding what had gone before. Pro9ect Studios 8) Pay attention Whilst effort needs to be put in by both parties, if you have to fight hard to be taken seriously, then it is probably not meant to be. Upon arrival the auditionee should act as if they had already been accepted into the band. The auditionee can ask the band members for help in making them feel comfortable. The balance of power where the band gets to decide whether to accept a new member into their fold can be intimidating. There is little point in joining a band where its members are not willing to help the new band member perform at their best. This should never be taken for granted. Anyone auditioning to join a band should respect the dynamic of that band, but its members should also respect the feelings of the auditionee. Sound Grounds The auditionee is unlikely to know the subtle personal and musical dynamics in play in a band, either in advance of, or, at the audition. The successful auditionee should begin to note how the musicians relate to each other, make decisions, their behaviours and reactions to situations. An auditionee should be made to feel comfortable in asking the band members the circumstances of how the position has become available. If a previous band member was kicked out due to a “lack of commitment to the band” ask them what level of commitment is expected to ensure you do not fall into the same trap. Band members should be careful to not push any emotions left from a previous incumbent on to the new person. It is not the fault of the new person joining the band a previous member left for whatever reason so they should be treated fairly. Both the band members and new member should be aware such emotions may exist and to face them immediately. Crash Rehearsal Studios Case Study 6 I remember one particularly unsavoury situation where a four-piece band rehearsing at the studios with a classic singer/ guitarist/ bassist/ drummer line up added a second guitarist to make them a five-piece. From the outside it looked like they wanted a new band member because they had hit a brick wall in terms of personal dynamics. They reasoned introducing a new member was the easiest way to inject new energy into the band. They had an established line up for half a decade and as a result felt territorial when anyone joined the band. As the new band member was “only playing bar chords”, any mistakes he made were unforgivable. Over the next six months the band went through five rhythm guitarists. Its members reasoned the songs were already written so there was no need for any creative input. They felt this gave them license to churn through guitarists, pushing each to their limit. They knew if the rhythm guitarist left the band there would soon be a replacement. It became clear the four members were so tight, both musically and as friends, they were using the revolving door of the fifth band member as a metaphorical punchbag. They should have vented their frustrations at each other, rather than viewing a succession of rhythm guitarists as disposable. I also suspected the band did not want a fuller guitar sound, but wanted a new member to mix-up the band dynamics. 9) Be punctual and know the location It is rare a band will ask the person auditioning to arrive at the practice room at the start time of the booked session. The band will usually plan to arrive at least half an hour beforehand to set up their equipment, chat with their band mates and go through a few songs. The rehearsal space staff may be in the room setting up the PA system. A boring one, but nothing makes a worse impression than turning up half an hour late, hot and flustered from trying to find the rehearsal space. Perhaps worse, the auditionee now only has 30 minutes to impress the band instead of the allocated 60 minutes. Using the excuse of not being able to find the music space may not create a good first impression. There is nothing worse than an unreliable band member. The auditionee should try to arrive at the rehearsal space early, not least to give time to chat to staff there, to tune your guitar, select the amp to use, and prepare to rehearse. Smiling drummer 10) Enjoy it and keep things in perspective Life is hard enough without taking the joy out of playing music you love, with the people you love and in front of people who love it. If it works, having someone pay you for it is even better. Never lose sight of how amazing that is. When things do not go to plan, do not take it to heart. Consider the potential payoff of being in a successful band. Accept there are going to be times when musicians are not right for each other. There is little point in being in a band you are not right for. If the band members feel the audtionee is not right for them then they are directing them towards another band that is a better fit. If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. Abridged from an article first published on the Bally Studio's website - https://www.ballystudios.co.uk/single-post/9-ways-to-make-band-auditions-better ).

Rumble Rehearsal Studios Worried no bands will book your practice room? Think your space might not be up to scratch? Are you prepared for a rent increase? Running any kind of business, there are risks associated with rising costs such as rent, wages and bills. Sarah Evans at the UK's Base Studios said: "Our main issue is rent potentially doubling and the fixed rate for our electricity has increased four fold". However, although spaces are far flung and mostly focussed on serving local clients, many share similar issues. music practice room The music rehearsal space sector The sector can be characterised by independent and mostly un-connected entities. They are individually developed in operation, styling and pricing often the result of the demands of the local musician community. Their strength lies in their multitude providing greater choices for musicians. More by accident than design, this has meant the sector has no central representative body. The resulting fragmentation however does not mean music rehearsal spaces do not share common challenges. They are simply not communicated. Here at Bandspace we have carried out three surveys of the UK music rehearsal space sector. The results have helped inform our website. The findings can be found here: Survey 2023 Survey 2022 London survey 2006 It is likely the live sector and recording studios are more dominant in artists' careers. It is in these areas where musicians derive their income, whereas renting a music rehearsal space in the short term is maybe seen as a necessary expense to achieve hard-won income. However, music rehearsal spaces continue to be an important place for musicians to hone their performance, communication and ensemble skills. unloading band equipment Worried no bands will book your practice room? Our 2022 survey findings suggest 70% of musicians are using a space to prepare to perform at local gigs or simply to enjoy making music with friends. It follows many music rehearsal spaces are therefore reliant on local, semi-professional, enthusiasts hiring their practice rooms. Musicians' disposable income, sometimes earned from playing local gigs, perhaps pay for their rehearsal sessions. Rehearsal spaces represent an entry point for musicians to the wider music ecosystem in the form of live performance careers and recording. For many musicians using a music rehearsal space is the start of their career. Early career musicians have already learnt to competently play their instrument and perhaps begun playing with other musicians. They require somewhere to rehearse to build their live set. By the time they are playing live, t hey have begun to stimulate demand amongst audiences. Musicians using these spaces, together, help create local scenes. pile of music gear Music rehearsal spaces, perhaps more than live music venues and recording studios, have a greater footfall of musicians meaningfully using their space. Especially those spaces with multiple practice rooms visited by numerous bands. Having a captive audience of musicians makes it easy to market additional services such as retail, repairs and refreshments. Such additional services will represent a convenience for many musicians, thus making the space more attractive. Music spaces are often located in a converted building, not custom built for the purpose of rehearsing bands. This means there may be compromises in its layout, the acoustics and its location. High sound levels and vehicles coming and going late at night predicates the location of the space to be some distance away from residential areas. Consequently the location may require public transport or a private vehicle to get to, thus making access an important issue. Music rehearsal spaces usually do not figure in local authority or city cultural development plans. Whereas the development of spaces where music is presented to the public takes precedence. In such plans, at best, the allocation of a rehearsal space is a subsidiary to a performance or presentation space. These are common challenges faced by music rehearsal spaces. Not helped by a wider ignorance of the significant role they play within the wider music industry. Rubber Soul Think your space might not be up to scratch? Owners of a music rehearsal space put in as much effort as possible in maintaining attractive practice rooms for rehearsing musicians. There are inevitably compromises. There are also many challenges out of their hands. In 2022 PRS for Music, a body that collects royalties for songwriters, reported royalties from live performances of music fell roughly 30% in 2021. The Music Venue Trust also report many grassroots venues are at risk of closure. Pubs, bars and venues perhaps find it more profitable to offer food or sports TV to their customers rather than risk the expense of hosting a live band. Where audiences exist for live music, an appetite for the familiar such as tribute acts or open mic spots, is an easier option. The competition for people's time and money represents a risk affecting demand for live music. Breakages For those musicians using a practice room, occasionally a piece of kit goes wrong or is broken during rehearsal. Even more infrequently, the musician(s) responsible may not tell those on the desk of the fault. A broken snare skin, a blown guitar amp or faulty mic stand needs to be reported so staff can repair or replace in advance of the following users. Spaces can be busy at times, often turning bands away who are seeking a last minute rehearsal slot. If staff are alerted before the next user arrives they can deal with it quickly. Kit does and can break, and being forewarned helps staff run an efficient and safe space. Sticking a notice up on a wall in each room lets users know your intentions. Apart from the inconvenience of having to repair or replace the piece of kit, breakages are an expense to the music space. Pirate Studios Pirate Studios Pirate Studios started out in Bristol in the UK in 2014 and has grown worldwide. It raised $20 million from Talis Capital, a London-based venture capital firm, to operate 24/7 self-service music studios. In 2022 it boasted over 700 practice rooms across 27 music rehearsal spaces in the UK, five in the US, three in Germany and one in Ireland. It has nine locations in London alone, which represents potential competition to those music rehearsal spaces with limited funds wishing to expand. With three more spaces earmarked in the US it is clearly meeting a demand. Obviously the space is a very important issue. Finding a suitable building to start a music rehearsal space with the potential to expand can be a challenge. There is a greater potential for the business to grow if the building has more rooms in which to expand. Alaska Studios Closed spaces Although somewhat dated, our Survey of London's music rehearsal spaces in 2006, suggested there had been a steady increase in their number since 1976. The results found nearly three new music rehearsal spaces are established every two years. They tended to be concentrated in deprived areas where rent prices were lower. The survey did not account for those that ceased trading during this two-year period. Although anecdotally, since then a number of spaces have closed in the UK: Alaska Studios, London Altered Studios, Bexhill Apache Road Studios, Bristol Artisan Music Studios, Stoke Backstreet, Islington, London OTR Studios, Hackney, London Stomp Studios, Hackney, London Dream Recording & Rehearsal Studios, Swindon, Wilts Aardvark Music Services, Kent Diamond Studios, Wakefield Dixon Street Studios, Glasgow Music Cities Resilience Handbook Are you prepared for a rent increase? Consultants Sound Diplomacy , working for the UK government culture department, looked in to the challenges facing music rehearsal spaces in 2021. In its publication Music Cities Resilience Handbook published in 2020 it found rent and business rates (taxes) made up the greatest proportion of operating costs and increases due to urban regeneration. Not surprisingly it was seen as the primary cause for closures. It also found rehearsal session rates had declined and/or stagnated compared to 20 years ago, not helped by a reduction in record label budgets and in turn demand for studio services. Rehearsal spaces had been the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic as there was no viable alternative to a physical service and a greater proportion of operating costs for space rental. There have of course been technological changes in the sector in the past two decades and opportunities for business. Home recording, online booking and live streaming have all, and continue, to change the sector. The expense of buying kit, for example, for live streaming may pay off. The outlay in buying air conditioning for enclosed spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a benefit to musicians. Sound Diplomacy reported studios have diversified their revenue streams by introducing new services. Rehearsal spaces were more profitable than recording studios with an average annual gross income of £132k given the number of rooms available and the versatility of clients and services. It found there remains a desire for better coordination amongst rehearsal spaces and the wider sector as a whole. By sharing experiences and finding common issues can surely go some way to strengthening music rehearsal spaces.

Based on many years running a space in London, Jimmy Mulvihill at Bally Studios offers his thoughts on the small improvements a space can make to improve their service. Sasquatch Music I’ve been running Bally Studios since 2005. Before that, the studios traded as Sync City Studios. When I took over, the key to the studio was left with the bands using the studios. Staff members set up the PA system and then went home, after asking clients to lock up and shove the key under the office door at the end of the session. If the bands needed any help or cups of tea during their sessions they were out of luck. On my first day of ownership I cleaned up filling six large industrial bin bags. Vacuuming left tracks on the grey carpet to the point where I could spell my name. Six of the 10 light bulbs in studio 2 were blown. One bulb was a 150 watts which generated enough heat it doubled as a heater. Ellis Music Studios My team and I worked 15 hours that first day. We were rewarded by the reactions of band members when they came in to rehearse. Even the smallest of improvements was noticed. And so began “the law of diminishing returns”, where as you increasingly improve the space and service, eventually the rewards become less evident. Expectations were raised. The bands using the practice rooms brought their own backline. This got us out of a hole but limited the number of bands we could attract. I sold a Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty guitar, which I still miss even today, to buy a Premier Cabria drum kit and drum hardware. I spent £850 in the first week to attract bands that had ceased using the space because there was no useable drum kit. These three sessions earned us a paltry £168. That’s a 20% return on investment in one week. These additional sessions however generated cash for a studio that would otherwise have been empty. repairing a snare drum Spare snare The next few years were spent improving the studio bit by bit, investing money where needed. In the early days every penny spent made a difference. With three rooms and only three snare drums meant everyone had their own snare. But it left us open to pausing a band rehearsal when a snare skin needed replacing. Buying that fourth drum snare meant we could quickly swap it out with a broken one allowing the rehearsing band to continue their session. We also eliminated the stress of needing to quickly fix the snare. The same benefit does not apply when I bought the 5th, 6th or even 10th snare drum. Having more snares is better, sure, but such improvements do not accrue as much as the purchase of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd snare. Pretty soon I was spending money to change equipment not necessarily to improve the stock. The cost of improvements needed to be balanced against an increase in the number of band sessions to pay for them. I reached the point where I needed to be more creative in how I improved our facilities. Survival Studios Confession time There were times when I would book a short session in a newly opened rehearsal space in London. Usually under the pretence of needing to test a new guitar amplifier, but really to take a look round. I visited 19 rehearsal spaces in London, seven as a band member, and 12 under the premise of “needing to test an amplifier”. I have never hidden the fact I booked sessions in other studios to get a perspective on Bally Studios. I paid for my session after all. There were plenty of improvements I would have loved to incorporate into my studio during these reconnaissance missions. A communal area with a pool table, a licensed bar or even natural light in the office would have been great. Yet adding any improvements would have meant taking on more units within our host building. To cover the extra cost would mean we would have needed to increase the number of sessions by 25%-30%. This would have been difficult when we were at 93% capacity already. Bally Studios Taking on more units to provide more practice rooms to cover an increase in sessions would also have meant going over the VAT tax threshold. This would mean passing on 20% to the cost of our studio prices to our clients to account for the purchase tax. Suddenly you are pricing yourself out of the market, not to mention the extra time needed to complete all the paperwork. It would also mean having to improve a building we did not own that one day we may walk away from. These may not be great concerns if you own the building and are already VAT registered. You could keep on adding practice rooms so long as the demand is there. But we are not in that situation. Running a business at our level means making improvements within our physical limitations. Still, there are plenty of simple improvements rehearsal spaces can offer bands. Here are my recommended nine improvements rehearsal studios can make. 1) Creating a Band profile spreadsheet The best investment a rehearsal space can make is in extra planning, not spending extra money. Whenever a new band comes to us we add their details to an internal spreadsheet that lists as much information about the band as possible. This includes how many microphones they need, whether the drummer is left or right handed, what guitar amps are used, which practice room they prefer, and even from where they are travelling. This helps us to get the room ready for them before they arrive. We also let them know if there are any transport issues on the day of their session. If a band needs four guitar amps we grab ones not needed from other rooms. Bally Studios' band profile spreadsheet The spreadsheet helps us plan. If swapping a couple of guitar amps over means each band gets one they prefer, it is two minutes of our time well spent. It helps band members to get more out of their session. Upon arrival the room is ready straight away with no need to spend 20 minutes quickly running around grabbing equipment for five bands all starting their session at the same time. A rehearsal space can make no better investment than a simple spreadsheet to record a band’s needs and preferences. Bally Studios' whatsapp booking messages 2) Communal WhatsApp messages Few bands do this, but every band that comes to us has the option of starting a WhatsApp group with all their bandmates. Our studio mobile phone number is added to the group so any band member can book a rehearsal session via WhatsApp. The other band members can see the session has been confirmed instantly, without the need for more messages. Putting all the communication between a band and the studio in one place cuts down on the need to pass messages on. Whether it be needing different equipment for their session, reminding band members they owe money, or sending receipts for sessions, group chats can make communication a whole lot easier. 3) Sanitizing microphones In 2020 everyone suddenly begun wiping everything down with disinfectant spray. We started disinfecting our microphones the end of every session in 2007. The lips and tongue of a lead singer is going to touch a microphone for four hours, and the singer in the following session will do the same thing. Not only is it gross not to clean the mic, but an easy way to catch a virus. If the band's singer falls ill, the band may cancel their next session with us. It costs us very little to buy enough disinfectant to clean every microphone every day. If you prevent one cancellation every two years then it pays for itself. Bally Studios' drum keys 4) Drum spares in a box, and drum keys on a chain Drum spares in a box started at Bally in April 2015, drum key on a chain started in March 2006. Many of our staff members are drummers, including our studio manager who is a drum teacher. It is important drummers can get good results from our drum kits, and that includes ensuring we have enough cymbal felts, wing nuts and hi hat clutches. However, if you have worked in a rehearsal studio you will know how often these things go missing. If a few bands pocket a few of them each day, the cost soon adds up. Playing Aloud We have used lagging insulation as drum cymbal felts and fish tank oxygen tubes as cymbal protectors. They have helped get us out of a bind, but they are not as good as the real thing. Giving each band a box of drum bits at the start of their session, and returning it at the end, means we can count each item to make sure nothing has gone missing. We save money on not having to replace drum bits, it helps to keep session prices low and drummers always get what they need. This way all the essential drum kit pieces are all together, and drummers are more conscious about what they borrow, and what they return. Taylor's Shure 5 Studios 5) Stage lights We bought our stage lighting nearly a decade ago to help bands prepare for shows under “match conditions". I once had white gaffer tape on my guitar amps and pedals, with all my preferred settings written in red pen. During the first song of a gig, to my horror, when the stage lights went red it was impossible for me to see the red pen. I managed to stumble through it, but realised if I had rehearsed under stage lights in the practice room then that wouldn’t have happened. It was then the decision was made to invest in stage lighting. A modest one-off investment was enough to fit all our practice rooms with basic stage lighting. Since then the cost of LED lighting has dropped dramatically. There is no reason for a rehearsal space to not install stage lights in their practice rooms. We have never had any problems with our stage lights and they make an attractive feature at a price we can absorb without raising our session prices. Ascape Studios We have thought about adding multiple lights to each room, maybe even a DMX controller. But we decided against it on the basis band members may spend more time fiddling with the lights and less time rehearsing. Offering a standard LED light system with an in-built automatic lighting program means bands get a stripped down version of what they are likely to get live. This comes without an extra cost or the time needed to work out how to use it. Mistakes are caught ahead of time, which is the whole point of a rehearsal session. mixing desk 6) MP3 connectors on the mixing desk We connect a cable with a headphone jack on one end and two mono quarter inch jacks the other end to a single stereo channel on the mixing desk. This allows band members to play tunes on their mobile phone through the desk while setting up/packing down. We use a cable tie to clamp down the cable so it cannot be removed. This has proved, at a small cost, a big benefit. Bally Studios' availability calendar 7) Availability calendars There are companies happy to act as a middleman between rehearsal studios and their customers. They can take as much as a 12% fee offering bands to see what rehearsal sessions are available at a space. We’ve spoken to some of these businesses that say that they offer the “latest technology” that allows them to do this, but here’a an alternative: Google Spreadsheets that are set to “view only”. It’s simple, it does the job, and it’s free as well. socket tester 8) Checking all plugs with socket testers, as standard This is such a basic thing that it should be done in all studios as standard. But incidents such as London's Grenfell tragedy have shown us that nothing can be taken for granted. Important safety checks should be double and triple checked, and this is the easiest of them all. plugging guitar cable in to amp For less than £10 you can buy an electrical socket tester that instantly reports if any wires inside a plug have come loose. We use two different testers to check on a regular basis all the electrical sockets in all our rooms. It takes five seconds to test each plug socket, ensuring our rehearsing bands are kept safe. It not only protects the band members themselves, but their equipment too. If a rehearsal space can't supply a plug tester to a rehearsing band member wishing to use a power socket, you should start looking for a new rehearsal space sharpish. purchase using phone 9) Not using credit card machines Most businesses are happy to take payments from their customers by credit/debit card. We don’t offer that option at Bally Studios due to the extra costs. When you take payments via a card reader, the money is going via a middleman company such as Visa or Mastercard. For most businesses it is a necessary cost so they will raise their prices by 5% to account for this and the convenience. By contrast, customers who pay for their sessions via bank transfer, direct from their bank to yours, pay no fees. musicians' credit card All the customer has to do is set the studio up as a contact on their bank account/banking app. We simply ask bands to put "Band-Name-Studio#-Date" in the “reference” section, making it easy to know who paid what for a session. It also provides instant notification the payment has been taken. It is a wonder more spaces do not ask their customers to bank directly. Adapted from an original piece first published on the Bally Studios kindly given permission by Jimmy - here .

Jimmy Mulvihill reflects on how good life can be at London's Bally Studios. I just love a job where I can chat to band members about guitars over a cup of tea, as members of one band arrive, and another leave. That aside, there are plenty of other benefits from working in a rehearsal space. 1) You never need to buy plectrums Proverbs 14:23 in the New Testament bible tells us ‘All hard work brings a profit’. Never is this more apt when cleaning a rehearsal studio. Going that extra mile cleaning down the side of cushions and underneath the mixing desk are great treasure troves for plectrums lost by their owners. If you don't collect at least three plectrums when giving a good clean to all our practice rooms, then you're not doing it right. Apollo Audio 2) Getting the low down on the local music scene Nowhere equips you better than a rehearsal space in finding which venues to play and which to avoid. I would say most of the time members of different bands agree on which are the favourable venues and those to steer clear. Pretty quickly your knowledge of venues grows. I remember speaking to musicians about a promoter that promised they could use a bass amp at a particular venue. When the band turned up to play the gig they were told they would have to pay £20 to use it. The promoter switched the tables and said: “You didn’t think I would provide you a bass amp out of the goodness of my heart? I have bills too…….” Basement Studio Upon hearing this, I was able to give advance warning to members of another rehearsing band due to play at the same venue. When this band contacted the venue, the promoter asked: "Did you speak to another band about that?”. Other tips from working in a rehearsal studio come my way. For example, which promoters promise longer stage sets, then reduce their stage time on the day. Or a guitar shop that adds big fees to amp repairs, and or on the positive side which venues pull a good crowd. When you get up to 100 bands a year rehearsing at our space, you get 100 different points of view on many matters. Chatting to staff at your rehearsal studios can be a great way to help you make decisions for the benefit of your band. Cohere Bandwidth 3) Learning about musical equipment Most guitar amps get used 4-6 hours a week at low volumes by its owner. Whereas in a rehearsal studio amps can be used 30-50 hours a week at loud volumes by different guitarists playing disparate musical styles. Staff at the studio get to see these amps played loud and hard daily. We learn which amps are well made and which ones look good in a store window but aren’t built to last the rigours of being pushed to their limits. If you’re thinking of buying a guitar amplifier by a certain manufacturer, chat to staff at your rehearsal studios to see if they’ve used them in the past, and if so, what their opinion is? They will know much better than most people how certain amplifiers stand up to being driven hard. They will have first hand experience of working with a wide range of amps. London Road Studios We have 40+ amplifiers here from 14 different manufacturers. We receive feedback about them by loads of different musicians that use them. Believe me, if there is something wrong with one of them, we hear about it! We contact the amp manufacturers directly and we’ve had lots of them ignore our requests for help, while others have offered to fix our amplifiers for free. We deal with amplifiers day in, day out, and we don’t make a commission from selling them either, so we’re able to give unbiased and honest advice about the amplifiers we use. Most musicians head to a music store to get their advice, forgetting the amps are tested quickly before being sold. By contrast we’ve owned and hired guitar amps for a decade, used for thousands of hours and regularly serviced.  Not only do we see the amp in use, receive feedback from the user, but the repairman throws in their opinion too. Advice about amps or drum kits from staff at a rehearsal space can be informed by lots of experience of their use rather than a sales quota. band rehearsal 4) Having a free place to rehearse All staff members that work at Bally Studios get unlimited free rehearsal sessions at times when the studios would otherwise be empty. Some staff members have used the time to do a 12-hour multitrack recording session, borrowing mics not used in other sessions. Staff can buy instruments and equipment they would otherwise spend on paying for rehearsal sessions. Sessions can be stretched out as long as their schedule allows, with less pressure to achieve as much since they’re not paying for them. Staff can also store their gear at the studios for free. If you’re in a band that rehearses as much as possible its a good idea to recruit a band member who works at a rehearsal space that offers free sessions to staff. That band member can then negotiate all the other tasks to their band mates, such as driving and loading the van. musicians talking 5) Discovering new bands Working in a rehearsal space is like working at a youth academy in a football club. We’ve had bands rehearsing with us for two years before they’ve been signed to a record label. There has even been times we’ve read in music magazines about “New Up And Coming Bands” that had their first rehearsal with us half a decade ago. You get to know bands months before their first gig, hear snippets of songs left off albums and other songs develop from two minute instrumentals to 6+ minute epics with a horn section. Rehearsal spaces are where bands build their craft and experiment. Working at a space means we get to peek behind the curtain of what is happening to a level other people never can. It’s like those “The Making Of……” videos you see on YouTube about how bands form and how albums are made, but in real time and in person. 6) Not pretending to be interested Most chats we have with musicians are interesting. Guitar pedals, record shops that will sell their music, studios offering cheap recording sessions, how a signal booster effects a Big Muff pedal, how Squier guitars compare to the more expensive Fender equivalents.... are the sort of conversations with friends we would have down the pub if we weren’t working here. We work in a rehearsal studio because we’re interested in these conversations, removing the need to feign interest. 7) Learning from other people’s mistakes A bonus of working in a studio is that you learn from other’s mistakes. There must be hundreds of lessons we’ve learnt which we’ve applied in our own bands. For example: Over-ordering a print run of 1,000 vinyl records when 8 years later you have 850 still stashed in your cupboard Agreeing to play at a venue without attending a gig there in advance to see how well suited it is to live music Blowing your guitar head after adding an extra guitar cab and forgetting to switch the impedance rating to compensate for the extra load Not mastering your recordings prior to distribution to achieve consistent levels and to prepare them for different formats, such as vinyl, MP3/AAC and streaming services Spending four years paying expensive lawyers to remove a clause you didn't understand when you signed that record contract Turning down gigs in some European cities that don’t appear to offer much, only to find out later from other bands about multiple fantastic gigs they’ve played there The best way to learn from musicians is to meet them at rehearsal spaces.  Best of all, since the music industry is constantly evolving there is never a time when you stop learning. There is always something new to learn. musician solo face 8) Working in the evenings Not many musicians are morning people. One perk of working at a music rehearsal space is the reversal of the usual 9-5 job schedule. The weekends can be our busiest times at the studios and weekday evenings are busy too. Whilst other people are dreading Monday mornings, our staff members can lie in and catch up on the TV they missed over the weekend. Working late in to the evening to lock up the studios at 11:15pm means getting up later the next day is common. Whilst it can take getting used to, such a lifestyle can mean cheaper off peak cinema tickets, shopping when there are no crowds and not travelling on packed trains. Brazen Sound Studios 9) Getting session work and band roles Bands will replace band members from time to time. Working at rehearsal studios means you may know band members on a personal level for weeks or months at a time. This allows you to build up a rapport and get to know their music, putting you in a great position to potentially join a band if a member leaves. We’ve had staff members playing in 3, 4 or 5 bands at once at times. If you play an instrument in high demand, like drums, you may get the opportunity to offer your services for extra cash as a last minute replacement at a gig or for session work. In an industry where “being in the right place at the right time” counts for so much, working in a rehearsal studio is literally the right place. The more you work there, the more chance you’ll be there at the right time. guitarist with arm in air 10) The joys of going in for your shift early, or staying late In many jobs. you arrive, do the work, and get out as quick as you can. But when you've got drum kits in empty rooms waiting to be thrashed, pretty soon you'll find that a 20 minute practice before or after your shift is not only a great way to build up your drumming chops, but also a great way to burn off energy and tension. Had an argument with the other half?  Stick that guitar through a double muff and a 200w head into 4x12inch cab and feel the tension slip away. There's few jobs that offer the same benefits as the ten benefits to working in a rehearsal studio. Thanks go to Jimmy Mulvihill who owns Bally Studios established in 1989 as Sync City, and trading as Bally Studios since 2005. Used by 1,100+ bands, with over 40,000 sessions. Run by musicians, for musicians.

Bandspace carried out a snapshot survey from December 2022 to February 2023 to see how musicians use music rehearsal spaces. The questions were based on a survey undertaken in 2021, answers to which were compared to reveal any trends. Previous survey results can be found here . Highfield Studio We suggest our findings should be seen in the context of the local ecology that shapes the nature of a music rehearsal space. Each space is unique, often determined by its users, available buildings, income streams and other variables. Therefore, drawing comparisons between individual music rehearsal spaces should be carefully considered. The findings offer a generalised overview of the UK’s independent music rehearsal space sector. We added more questions after receiving suggestions from last year's respondents. In addition, we have added a brief review of the past year, supported by our conclusions from the survey results. Findings We asked six questions receiving 80 responses from music rehearsal spaces, representing around 18% of the UK’s network of independent music rehearsal spaces. Last year we received 50 responses to a similar survey. Although we urge caution in drawing too firm a conclusion from our findings, they nonetheless provide a starting point for further research. 1. Roughly, what is the end purpose of musicians using your music rehearsal space? Purpose of musicians using a music rehearsal space Answers to this question suggest half the groups were using an hourly/session practice room in preparation to perform local gigs. A further third were making music for ‘fun’ with friends or rehearsing prior to making a recording. A smaller number were rehearsing prior to touring. Income derived from professional music touring or recording plays a small part in most music rehearsal spaces. Comparing the results to the previous year's survey reveal small increases in the number of groups rehearsing before recording and other purposes such as dance, podcast, photography, etc. There was a small decrease in the number of sessions where friends were rehearsing for 'fun'. However, we suggest the small differences in proportions are an insignificant variation to last year's survey due to the larger sample size (outlined in the table below). Survey year Preparing to play local gigs ​Rehearsal prior to recording ​Bunch of mates doing it for fun Pre-production prior to touring Other purpose 2022 ​49% 16% 16% 12% 7% ​2021 ​50% 14% ​20% 12% 4% 2. Generally speaking, how do musicians book your music practice room? How musicians book a practice room Over two thirds of music rehearsal spaces reported they received bookings to their practice rooms using either an online source or telephone. The remaining third of bookings came from email, visiting and other ways. Comparing the results to the previous year's survey show there has been a small decrease in spaces reporting the use of online booking. A small increase in bookings when musicians are visiting suggest a variance in repeat and block bookings. Again, the small differences in proportions are an insignificant variation to last year's survey due to the larger sample size (outlined in the table below). Survey year ​Online Phone Email Visit Other booking 2022 35% 35% 13% 10% 7% 2021 42% 33% 14% 6% 5% 3. Approximately how many cancellations or no shows do you receive per week? (session-based spaces only not lockout/residency rooms) Uprawr Studios This question was requested in last year's survey by respondents following the effects of the global pandemic. We also felt this an important question to determine how common cancellations are in affecting the business of running a music rehearsal space. Any cancellation, especially late cancellations, can bring insecurity to a business. For spaces with a smaller number of available practice rooms, cancellations can represent a serious challenge. Just over half the respondents reported one or two cancelled sessions a week. Over 80% of respondents said they took between one and five weekly cancellations. A small number of music spaces reported a high number of cancellations (between 5 - 20 weekly cancellations). One space ran 16 practice rooms so inevitably it received on average more weekly cancellations than a music space with fewer rooms. Three respondents cited between 5 to 10 cancellations per week. Each of these had between them 4 and 17 practice rooms. The questionnaire did not seek to find out how these spaces handled this higher than average cancellation rate nor users' reasons for cancelling. We did not ask if these were late cancellations, for example, within 48 hours of the session start. Number of cancellations per week Spaces reporting this number of cancellations Percentage of spaces who responded 0 10 12% up to 2 42 53% between 2 - 5 23 28% ​between 5 - 10 3 4% between 10 - 20 2 3% 4. Estimate how many bookings in an average week you received over the past year per room and what percentage of those were block bookings (3 or more)? bookings per room per week Over the past year, 29 of the 80 responding music spaces (36%) reported on average each individual practice room was booked 10 or more times each week. This was by far the largest single segment to this question. A second and variable segment of 38 respondents (48%) said each room was booked between 3 to 7 times per week. block bookings per room Of these bookings, we found nearly half the spaces (49%) said 30% of bookings were blocked booked (three or more sessions). A third of the respondents said 10% were weekly block bookings (26 spaces). Three respondents reported all their weekly room bookings were block-booked. Two of these respondents are based in the US. It's interesting to compare results from UK spaces with those from rehearsal spaces from around the world. Nightingale Studios in California has 25 lockout rooms and 8 hourly rooms. These are all 100% blocked booked. TK Rehearsal Studios also in California is a lockout studio service operating over 300 rooms in three locations. All its rooms are lockout rooms so are 100% block booked. 5. How do you think users find out about your rehearsal space for the first time? ​ Word of mouth Internet search Other Passing by/reside locally Poster/leaflet ​Number 78 57 14 10 6 ​Percentage 98% 71% 18% 13% 8% Overwhelmingly, 98% of respondents reported first time users find out about their music rehearsal space by word of mouth. Nearly three quarters of respondents also thought first time users found their music space through a web search. Undoubtedly word-of-mouth is one of the most effective forms of marketing, inferring a positive recommendation. Caution should be taken in drawing any conclusions in these statistics - responses are not from first-time users. 6. In your opinion what are the biggest challenges in running a music rehearsal space? Answers to this open question did not seek to assess the depth of the reported challenges, but rather their range. The reported challenges faced by music rehearsal spaces can be split in to the following four areas: Managing the business Challenges associated with business overheads was commonly reported. Utility bills including the increase in the cost of electricity was mentioned as the major challenge for nearly a third of respondents (29%). A quarter cited rent/lease costs associated with not owning the property was an issue too, followed by business rates (23%) and insurances (15%). A sample of the comments were: We can't increase our prices by 480% to cover the same increase in our utility costs. A challenge is keeping the costs down for musicians whilst trying to pay your own personal rent and bills. With rehearsals generally being such a low income industry it's hard to staff successfully at times due to cancellations and long hours. I've had to pad out the studios income with other aspects of the business such as the recording studio, PA system hire, repairs and small shop for spares etc. There is only so much you can increase prices to cover costs before it becomes unaffordable for bands, or they rehearse less often. Independent studios are often self-funded and an integral part of the music industry as a whole. It's where all bands start out before they grow. As the cost of living bites the number of gigging bands reduces. Other challenges reported were staffing issues (6%), work/life balance (5%), lack of government support (4%), collecting payments (1%), meeting loan repayments (1%) and diversifying income streams (1%). Managing assets Maintaining equipment, repairs and replenishing with spares was the biggest issue (31%). Upkeep, decorating and maintenance of the fabric of the building was mentioned (9%), alongside cleaning and keeping rooms hygienic (9%). Available parking was a lesser issue overall (3%). One respondent said: "If the business were about attracting bands, cleaning rooms, replacing blown speakers and maintaining the studios for bands then the amount of stress that we'd have would be reduced by 95%, but sadly the overwhelming amount of challenges is from the lack of government regulation and the opaqueness in the rules that surround small businesses in the UK." Live MK Rehearsal Bookings Cancellations, no shows and weather-related cancellations resulting in non-payment were a significant issue affecting overall bookings (25%). Competition from other studios and leisure opportunities were a lesser challenge (10%). A small number of spaces reported they did not have enough rooms or different types of rooms available during peak periods (9%). Other issues cited included a lack of consistent or seasonal bookings (6%), room turnover meaning shorter sessions (5%), finding suitable premises (3%) and a reduction in the number of bands wanting to use a rehearsal space (3%). A sample of the comments were: We have maintained the cautionary approach adopted during the pandemic of leaving a half hour gap between room bookings which has resulted in fewer hours being available to book out, which is a challenge financially. Finding warehouses in industrial areas close enough to major cities where they will give you a long term lease as they are typically looking to sell to residential holdings at the moment. People are generally less wealthy and rehearsals can be seen as a luxury. We don’t want to price ourselves into extinction. Soundlab Studios Relations Although this was a less reported challenge, positive relations with users of a music rehearsal space is important (5%). Time to market the space, including using social media, was mentioned too (4%). Not reporting broken kit (4%), missing kit (4%), bands not arriving on time (1%) and noise complaints from neighbours (1%) are included in this section. One respondent said: "The biggest challenge recently is overcoming the loss of many of my steady customers who built their own studios during Covid and have not returned." Conclusion Teeside School of Music The findings to our Survey 2023 - Music Rehearsal Spaces suggest most musicians using music rehearsal spaces in the UK are likely to be semi-professional or amateur preparing to play local gigs or mates rehearsing for fun. Many musicians using a professional practice room do so as a leisure pursuit with no intention to perform in public. If this is indeed the case, it is likely the independent network of spaces in the UK is dependent on musicians' personal incomes. Organising and paying for a session suggests a healthy level of motivation amongst rehearsing musicians. There continues to be a mix of ways in which musicians book a practice room with online and telephone booking the most common. Most individual practice rooms (84%) are booked at least 3 times per week. This suggests there is collectively a considerable amount of unused capacity amongst rehearsal spaces. Further work could be undertaken to compare booking rates over successive survey years. Nearly half the spaces said 30% of their sessions were block booked. The significance of positive personal recommendations and a music space maintaining a web presence remains. All Time Low Dependent on the quantity of practice rooms and local circumstances, we suggest a cancellation rate of between 1 to 5 cancelled sessions per week is probably the norm. It is the first time we have asked this question of music rehearsal spaces so there is no comparison data available. This question deserves further investigation to monitor and compare cancellation rates over successive surveys. Business overheads (utility bills, rent, property taxes/rates and insurances) was a major challenge for music rehearsal spaces. Maintaining equipment and the impact of cancelled bookings also took a significant toll on the cost of running a space. Music Garage One astute respondent said: "The largest challenges I've found are the work life balance of the managing director vs costs of staffing a venue. As an elevation to this, spaces would need a critical mass of 5 - 6 studios to comfortably cover a FTE wage who could actually take proper pressure from the shoulders of a studio founder. Fundamentally, I'd wager many studio owners end up locked in working FOR their studios, rather than ON their studios. This will mean many rehearsal spaces will never scale beyond their original business plan as their profit-making potential is limited to how many bands they can simultaneously cater for during peak hours. This also leaves a huge gap in the market for franchised spaces to swoop in and saturate an area with availability at peak times, damaging all independent studios in an area." Our research reveals there is small number of spaces specialising in professional tour pre-production, residencies and lockouts including large-scale production work for international touring artists. These spaces are not represented in this survey. The Sound Garage Bedford Methodology The survey was conducted on hourly-rate rehearsal spaces via an online questionnaire on the Bandspace website. The survey was launched on 7 December 2022 and closed on 24 February 2023, lasting 11 weeks. We received 80 responses, 70 based in the UK. At the time of the survey we estimated there were 398 spaces in the UK. We conclude the survey received a good response rate from UK spaces at 18% strengthening our conclusions. A good survey response rate ranges between 5% and 30%. To promote the survey a bulk email was sent three times to 403 email addresses on the Bandspace database. 306 of these emails were opened representing an open rate of 76%. This was an improvement on last year's open rate at 50%. This may be due to fine tuning our target audience. Online sources suggest a good email open rate should be between 17-28%. We therefore conclude the email open rate to the survey was excellent. The response rate could be improved. We made a number of posts on the Bandspace social media pages to promote the survey to music rehearsal spaces. We made 23 posts on the Bandspace Facebook page, and a smaller number of similar posts on the Facebook AIRRS group page and the Bandspace Instagram and Twitter accounts. Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage proportions in their answers. The percentage results were aggregated and divided by the number of respondents for each question to give a mean average. Answers to these questions were reliant on estimates given by the music rehearsal spaces, rather than directly canvassing musicians using or intending to use a practice room. Next time Practice Sheffield Our surveys have questioned those who run/own music rehearsal spaces. It would be interesting to explore the relationship between a space and its users. We would need to seek the views of those running music rehearsal spaces and their musician-clients to do this. An important area is the prevalence of new developments and activities such as the level of interest in live streaming, requests for instrument/equipment repairs, education & training activities and marketing initiatives. The Rehearsal Room, Texas Question 3 (cancellation question) did not ask the number of weekly sessions each respondent offered. Answers to this question will enable us to compare the number of cancellations against available sessions, giving a cancellation rate. Our next survey could also ask respondents to estimate how many were late cancellations eg, within 48 hrs. To ease the task of completing the survey we could replace the answers to the challenges faced by music rehearsal spaces with tick boxes. To give a more dynamic representation we could measure the depth or rank for each challenge. Lastly, we could seek permission from respondents to attribute their answers in the published results blog. Comparing results over successive surveys will help us to measure the health of the music rehearsal space sector. Respondents We appreciate the contributions to help us complete the 2023 Bandspace Survey from the following music rehearsal spaces. ​ATMusic Group, Essex Lockup Records, Ireland RS Studios, Bristol The Boom Rooms, Yorkshire ​ApolloAudio, Hertfordshire ​Magnet Studios, Nottinghamshire Redwall Studios, Manchester The Cabin Rehearsal Rooms, Kent Arch Studios, London Medway Sound Creative Space, Kent ​Rewind Rehearsal Rooms, Leicestershire ​The Hen House Rehearsal Studios, Australia ​Ashby Academy of Rock, Leicestershire ​Mill Hill Music Complex, London Robannas Studios, Birmingham The Hive Rooms, Surrey ​Bad Habit Rehearsal Rooms, East Sussex ​Milltown Studios, Derbyshire Rock Hard Studios, Blackpool The Hodge Podge, USA Bally Studios, London Mushrooms, East Lothian Rocking Horse Rehearsal Rooms, County Durham The Music Shed, Inverness-shire Beardfire Studios, Ireland Music City San Francisco, USA ​Silver Lining Studios, Manchester The Practice Roomz, Hertfordshire Brunswick Mill Studios, Manchester New Cut Studios, Bristol Simian Audio Rehearsal Rooms, Manchester ​The Soundroom, Tyne and Wear C T Studios Rehearsal Room, Kent Nightingale Studios, USA Slane Studios, Ireland Tonegarden Studios, Edinburgh Cellar Rooms Rehearsal Studios, West Midlands ​Noiseboy Studios, Manchester ​Sort Rehearsal Rooms, Liverpool Tower Studios, Staffordshire ​Dubrek Studios, Derbyshire Old Chapel Music, Leeds Sound Inc Studios, Newcastle Transmission Room, Glasgow Ellis Music Studios, Ayrshire ​On Track Audio, Devon Soundmagic Music Studio, Ayr, Scotland Twenty Two Studios, Bedfordshire Fomo London Studio, London ​Paulshalls Studios, Glasgow Stage Studios, West Midlands Unit 3 Studios, Devon Green Rooms, Wales Plug Studios, Norfolk Stalkers Studio, Northamptonshire Unit 5 Studios, Nottinghamshire GreenRoomStudios (Witney), Oxfordshire ​Pocket Money Studio, Somerset Stave Rehearsal Rooms, Nottingham Untapped Talent, Southampton Groove Studios, Lancashire ​Powerstation Music, Gloucestershire Storm Rehearsal Studios, London Vibrations Studios, Yorkshire House of Mook, Leeds Practice Rooms, Kent Supanova Studios, Yorkshire ​Volume Unlimited, London Jam on Top, West Yorkshire ​Premier Rehearsal Studios, Australia ​Super Unison Studios, London Vulcan Studios, Liverpool JamPot Studios, Australia Pure Rehearsal Studios, Southampton ​TK Rehearsal, USA Vulcan Studios, Merseyside K-Town Studios, London RMS Studios, London Taylor’s Shure 5 Studios, Manchester Whitehouse Studios, Berkshire Annual review 2022 The Sound Diplomacy report in 2021 for the UK Government concluded rent and business rates make up the greatest proportion of operating costs. It said music spaces had witnessed exponential increases due to urban regeneration seen as the primary cause for studio closures. The results of the Bandspace survey would support this conclusion. The Sound Diplomacy report also suggested rehearsal spaces were more profitable than recording studios given the number of rooms available and the versatility of clients and services. Our survey suggests some rehearsal spaces are an entry point for musicians in making a recording. Cancellations became an issue in 2022 exacerbated by rising costs, leading to some spaces reviewing their policies. Many spaces also reviewed their prices leading to small increases in hourly hire rates. A number of spaces complained about users' not reporting breakages and missing items from their practice rooms. The range and number of insurance policies available to spaces was another area of interest. In September 2022 Urban Jungle insurers found they had seen a 228% increase in the number of home contents policies to now include musical instruments. Although they cannot definitely pinpoint the reason for this increase, they suggested it correlated to the Covid-19 pandemic and people possibly taking up a new hobby/instrument during the resulting lockdowns. This would suggest there are many instrumentalists possibly just needing the right encouragement to rehearse with others. In 2022 a number of music rehearsal spaces in the UK closed. These included: Campbell Road Studios, Brighton North Road Music Centre, Bournemouth/Poole PlugNPlay, Wiltshire Rocket Park Studios, Cambridgeshire Soundspace Studios, Gloucestershire However, this was balanced by a number of new spaces and expansions: Bear Music, Cambridgeshire Coventry Rehearsal Rooms (changed ownership) Dubrek Studios, Derbyshire moved location Joy Diversion Rehearsal Rooms , Brighton Load Street Studios, Worcestershire Master Rhythm Studios, Oxfordshire expansion Quay West Studios , Hampshire (moved to new home) Stockport Studios, Manchester expansion The Cave Music Project, Devon (found suitable premises now in fundraising phase) White Noise Studios, Somerset expansion Bandspace has been active in recruiting members to the Facebook group for the Association of Independent Rehearsal and Recording Studios. 104 new members signed up bringing the number of members to 267 (Jan 2023). This concludes our survey and annual review of 2023.

According to the Oxford English dictionary the noun pirate "is a person on a ship who attacks other ships at sea in order to steal from them". Although this might be a strong metaphor of the Pirate (Studios) operation it goes some way to explain how it is disrupting the established music rehearsal space world. Indeed, it's Facebook page states it's: "Creating the future of rehearsal and DJ studio”. So what is Pirate all about? First, a little history. David Borrie (left) and Mikey Hammerton BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Starting in 2014 in Bristol in England as a single rehearsal studio in a converted police station, founders David Borrie and Mikey Hammerton hit on the idea of a self-service space after their studio reached maximum capacity hired out to local bands. Not long after, they moved to Hackney in London. Taking their lead from self-service gymnasiums and car-sharing companies, Pirate’s mantra was to trust musicians to access a studio without anyone from the company in attendance. By November 2018 it had become an independent corporate business securing $20m from Talis Capital, Eric Archambeau (Spotify investor) and Bart Swanson of Horizons Ventures to expand across the UK, Germany and the US As a corporate entity its shareholders were now electing a board of directors to oversee the organisation's activities. In 2019 its revenues nearly doubled to £3.6m but recorded an operating loss of just under £9m. In 2022 Pirate secured a further undisclosed amount of funding from Edge Venture Capitalists to continue growing. At some point Pirate’s revenue should exceed its operating expenses and its shareholders see a return on investment. By 2022 it had reached the milestone of 250k customers and one million bookings. In 2023 it managed 737 individual studios in the UK, Germany, US and Ireland employing between 101-250 people. The scale of such a music rehearsal space company has not be seen before. Dalston Studios' floorplan DESCRIPTION Pirate is one of, if not, the biggest providers of rehearsal studios and self-service recording studios for musicians, podcasters and dancers across the world. The company has grown quickly within only a few years to operate in 37 locations across four countries including seven facilities in London. The closest rival to the scale of Pirate’s network exists in the US where examples include Francisco Studios which has music rehearsal spaces in Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Tucson. Each of Pirate’s spaces is designed and fitted with soundproofing and acoustic treatments including bespoke steel frames separating corridors, rooms and ceilings, with double ply and rubber linings for increased sound proofing. All rooms have aircon and controllable LED lighting. Pirate has partnered with Pioneer DJ and Professional Audio to fit-out rooms with its industry standard DJ equipment, loudspeakers and subwoofers found in most clubs around the world. The music production suites are fitted with MIDI keyboards, audio interfaces, computer monitors and studio speakers. The scale of its operation enables it to negotiate prices with manufacturing partners. Pirate's use of technology extends to automated recording/live streaming where in some rooms users can easily record and stream their performance using built-in mics and cameras. A room kitted out like this brings fans closer to their favourite artist at work. Its success lies in the large quantity of rooms in each location available to hire by the hour, the ease by which they can be accessed, and their design for different uses. Lost is a friendly and helpful guy always available on reception in a characterful building, and in comes a space bristling with technology. Pirate's Senior Area Manager, Dylan Hughes, explained: "We have Site Managers who are in charge of specific Pirate sites. They look after kit, make sure studios are clean and help artists out. We are currently recruiting Site Assistants to support the Site Managers and improve our studio experience further. Once a day we have a full clean and studio reset by cleaners and/or Site Managers. We ask artists to leave the rooms as they found them and respect their shared space.” Bristol empty warehouse PIRATE THE BUILDER Its model is based around renting industrial warehouses and building individual studios within them. All Pirate spaces are built according to templates developed across its 700-odd rooms and its experience in servicing clients' needs - DJ booth, dance floor, podcast suite, recording or band rehearsal. Pirate's Senior Head of Marketing, Ira Krachanovskaya, estimated the split of different uses by its community across its sites: 38% DJ 37% band rehearsal 23% music production/recording 1% podcast 1% dance Specifications for each type of room are standardised for economy of scale, including the equipment. Interviewed by The Music Ally website David Borrie said: “We design all the studios ourselves. It’s only through the fact that we do it in-house that we can make it so affordable for the artists.” One of the challenges for those setting up a music rehearsal space is finding a landlord willing to sign a 10-15 year lease protecting a building from future development. This may mean looking to the fringes of an urban area some distance from a city's music scene. With the rising cost of property, future homes having a smaller footprint and limited soundproofing, demand is there for the hiring of affordable music spaces in urban areas (see Futurology: the new home in 2050 ). Pirate's UK locations Locating user demand for studio space is an issue too. Pirate has developed its own global demand index to determine where to place a facility. "Our global demand index is based on various sources of data to help us choose new regions," said Owen Conway-Hughes, Pirate's Senior Head Of Development & Design. "Once a region has been chosen, we get to know the cities and their music scenes to understand where exactly we would best be located to meet the needs of local musicians. It’s a balance at the end of the day in terms of location, cost, buildings available and meeting the needs of artists.” By building the physical spaces to create music and the technology to record it, Pirate is carving out a place and a price somewhere between hiring a music rehearsal space and recording studio. This makes recording the next killer track within easier reach of individual pockets primed for distribution across social media channels. Pirate has found by locating its studios on the edge of town has unwittingly had other benefits. A local pub close to Pirate's studios in London's Earlsfield area has reported a significant shift in their passing trade. REMOTE ACCESS The rise of Pirate has meant it has pioneered a technology to provide remote access to its session-based studios. This includes online booking, 24 hour key-code access, and other Internet of Things' controls for managing facilities. Prices are kept to a minimum by offering 24-hour access charging as little as £4 per hour, depending on the studio and facilities. Customers are able to let themselves in and out of the studio unaided. Unique codes can be sent for different locks, allowing a musician to access the front door, use a second code to open a personal locker and a third to enter their selected practice room. Pirate's use of innovative door locks enables personalised codes to be created via an online portal and sent remotely via SMS or email. Users are sent a time-limited access code which expires after a set duration. This allows users to pay to hire a room at times that suit them. The online booking also applies to on-site storage lockers. The access codes can also be used to create an audit trail, enabling Pirate staff to remotely view which users are using the rooms and at which times. A mobile app allows the locks to be opened remotely and monitored via a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. Without staff on the premises and using this technology minimises costs allowing Pirate to pass on the savings to its users. Pirate Studios Tottenham Its use of technology has also helped in its commitment to reduce its energy consumption by powering down its studios. “Each of our studios has a killswitch", said Dylan. "This is a custom bit of kit that links power to our booking system. This means that when a booking ends, the power is automatically turned off until another booking begins.” WHO USES IT The DIY ethic of sampling has come of age allowing DJs and music producers to blur genre boundaries with interesting mashes. Sampling is thriving in today's music world, used in many of our favourite tracks whether we know it or not. A recent study by Tracklib , a music platform that legally clears samples for producers, found one in five songs in the Billboard music charts contained samples ( State of Sampling ). And it is not going away. According to the report, there has been a 31% increase in samples compared to the three previous years. Pirate is tapping in to the appetite for recording with plans to create further opportunities. Ira again: “The plan is to keep making space for artists, improve the studios we have, and create as many opportunities for our community beyond the studios as we can.” Producing music no longer necessitates hiring a studio to compose a track. High quality tracks can be made in the privacy of your own home. As your skills improve, you will find the more you practice the easier it is to make great-sounding tracks. Access to the kit, and good kit at that, can be expensive. In steps Pirate.

Roger Tichborne recalls the beginning of Mill Hill Music Complex in London. Mill Hill Studios started in 1979 as a musicians collective. At the time there was nowhere to rehearse in our area of north London. We were all still at school so didn’t own cars. Having somewhere we could rent and leave our gear was a major benefit. Dav Davies in the derelict cottage Our first rehearsal room was a derelict caretaker's cottage, the plaster was falling off the walls and we hung up old curtains to deaden the room a bit. Our band shared our gear with two other bands so we could leave it set up at the studios. We didn’t own a PA system and the drum kit was constantly falling apart. Often rehearsals would end early when a string, drumstick or drum head broke. I recall one rehearsal before an important gig when our vocalist knocked over the mic stand breaking the mic. It meant we couldn’t rehearse properly for the gig. It was a great time and part of the journey, but in truth it wasn’t productive. We spent more time chatting than playing because there was no incentive to get on with it. As the studio evolved, we began stockpiling spare equipment. We realised if equipment failed before a key gig, it meant we could continue our rehearsal session. So we set up our studios to be as robust and resilient as possible. Director, Clare Harrison, who has worked at the studio since 1994, said: "We began charging customers in 1979, more or less as soon as the studio started. We rented sessions to bands when members of the collective were not using it to cover costs. We calculated our prices based on covering our running costs and paying someone to open and close up." One Saturday night, our band was booked for a local club. The support band was also a studio customer. Members made a passing comment that since they had used the studios, rehearsals had become productive and opportunities had come their way. They had previously been ‘jamming' in a mate’s garage until the noise complaints became a problem. This got me thinking. Could I run a professional rehearsal space? Peachstone Bingo! Ten reasons for using a music rehearsal space: No noise complaints from the neighbours, just as your band is getting going No need to lug your gear to the studio or worry about gear failure - a PA system and backline is available Break a string, drumstick or lose your plectrum. No problem, you can get another one Rooms should have some sort of acoustic treatment to get a good sound Good studios should have spare equipment, so if something fails it can be swapped out immediately Good studios have a noticeboard, so if a band member quits, a replacement is easily found Good studios have cafe/reception areas to allow musicians to network and exchange information Paying for a rehearsal session shows commitment to the project and an intention to be productive A good studio can offer help and advice on the local music scene, gigs and places to avoid Good studios have a history. When you use them, you become part of the story. Mill Hill Music Complex Since then, the studio complex has grown to house 17 multi-purpose studios, including a long-term rehearsal residency with The Damned who have been there since the mid 1990s. Clare continued: "Rooms now have different lighting, different levels and types of sound insulation. Some have minimal sound deadening, some are very dry, because different artists prefer different sounds." If you use a professional studio, you will be productive from the moment you walk in the door until you walk out. Equipment will work, you’ll be able to hear each other and you will feel inspired by being part of the story! Not bad for a studio with humble beginnings. Clare finished: "Amy Winehouse started with us a year or two before she was signed and we recorded early demos with her. She had booked time to record with us in the September of the year she passed away." This article is an abridged version of a blog written by Roger Tichborne which can be found here . To find out more about the illustrious history of London's Mill Hill Music Complex go here .

Owning and running a music rehearsal space requires a range of skills, including business planning, knowledge of music equipment and instruments, building and personnel management and legal matters. Some bands set up their own rehearsal space and hire it out. Suddenly, your town has a pro rehearsal space and you are making money from it. A place to rehearse and you get paid too — how much better can it get? Competition is good Jimmy Mulvihill, who has been running London's Bally Studios since 2005, suggests setting up a space in a town where there is already a rehearsal space is a good thing. He said: "There are small towns with only one rehearsal studio in them, and pretty soon all the bands gravitate towards bigger towns, and they're only left with bands that rehearse once or twice a year to blow the cobwebs off. Having more rehearsal studios equals a more thriving music scene, equals more people seeing gigs and being inspired to start bands, equals more bands looking for rehearsal slots, so everyone wins. Having lots of studios all around London is a great thing, which is why we are happy to be doing everything we can to help other studios too." Finding the right building Of course, taking out a lease or even purchasing property of an appropriate size and location is a major consideration for any entrepreneur: "Ownership or control of a building is perceived in the arts as ‘growing up" (p.117, ACGB, 1993)." Jimmy continued: “I was looking to find a building that lends itself well to becoming a soundproofed studio which speeds up the process. I needed to consider factors such as if you have a unit facing onto a pavement that has passing trade you will pay 30% more than a unit that does not. It is also useful to be situated next to businesses such as car mechanics who will usually make a lot of loud banging. Or bakers who usually open from 5am – 3pm and close for the rest of the day, so you can stay out of each other's way.” Bear in mind of course, often loud music rehearsal sessions and vehicles accessing the space can take place at unsociable hours. This can be a hindrance to residents living and working nearby. Soundproofing the premises can therefore be a cost to be factored in. Jimmy again: “I would compile a list of premises I think have good potential to be converted into studios. I would also check with the local council to see if there are regulations preventing the unit from being used as a music rehearsal space. This will be done in an informal way at first, where they may say there is nothing we object to in principle, but we would really need to see the plans first before giving any legal reassurances. There may be 50 reasons why a certain location is not good for a studio. It will be my job to check say 40 of them don’t apply to this building.” Music-making takes many forms, from rock to samba and hip hop to classical. It may be that you will need more than one space to cater for these different interests. Future proofing Technology plays an important role in the lives of us all. As advances in internet technology come about musicians can now play with other musicians from other parts of the world. This means, to future-proof music rehearsal spaces, they will need fast interconnectivity inside and with the wider world. Important to this development is having access to the expertise in using the equipment. Planning for a music rehearsal space survey Market research in to critical mass, or sizeable conurbations where there is likely to be a strong demand, will need to be undertaken. A business plan will also help. Carrying out a survey will help to gather information from a sample of people, from which you can generalise the results to a larger population. Surveys can take many forms but are usually a simple questionnaire. Your survey should aim to identify every music rehearsal space near where you think it will be well-placed. This may include contacting existing commercial rehearsal and recording spaces, music shops, arts and music projects, music services, venues and regional cultural development bodies. Although there may be sensitivities around supplying information, you should aim your survey to ask each respondent the following: Location Number of unit spaces Occupants and vacancies Occupants’ area of work Occupants’ tenure Management arrangements Facilities offered besides the space Information about the current condition of the spaces Access arrangements and conditions, including disability access Their music-making offer Making a music space sustainable means either being in a building where there is other general supervision already funded, or multiple rooms making staff supervision cost-effective. Planning your space The types of activity will control the characteristics of each space such as their size, accessibility, fittings, soundproofing and fixed equipment. Music-making can be split into three areas - participation, production and performance. It is likely most of the time musicians will want to participate and produce music. Rehearsal spaces are crucial to the amplified music sector. They also represent useful meeting places where people can meet with far-reaching artistic, personal and social benefits. Some may even have a small performance space, bar, coffee shop, recording studio or music technology suite. Bally Studios' website lists the kind of things that are consumed and activities taking place at a 5-room music rehearsal space in London. Visit Useless Facts on the Bally Studios website. Typical music spaces Providing a space is just the starting point. What matters is what people do in the shared spaces. A creative environment needs good communication and interaction to allow musicians to share, learn and adapt ideas quickly. You will need enough practice rooms for musicians to work independently in groups of three to six participants with instruments and equipment. This means you will need multiple rooms. In reality physical music facilities vary greatly, but typically they have any number and combinations of the following: Rehearsal space Music technology suite Performance space Social areas Live room with guitar amps, drums, mics & PA Control room with mixing desk Drum room Smaller breakout spaces Storage area As well as rehearsal and recording, you may want to think about using the building for workshops, individual and small group lessons in vocals, guitars, drums and other instruments. What different activities look like At a basic level your space will need to cater for an interest in urban/dance music and live bands. These popular music styles will dictate the needs of your space and its design. These two broad areas can break down further into different activities each needing specific equipment and design features: Music technology and production DJ/ MCing Singing Performance skills Band workshops Sound engineering – live and studio engineering Music industry and media related skills Urban artists, DJs or musicians involved in music technology or production do not pick up their musical skills in the same ways as musicians using instruments. Those involved in urban/dance styles are likely to be regularly exchanging opinions with peers where they informally learn creative and technical skills. Encounters are likely to be away from organised rehearsal or collective music-making activities. Meanwhile instrumentalists are likely to employ both a separate and a group approach in complementary ways. The role of group jamming and songwriting are of great significance in developing popular instrumental skills. Jamming usually occurs based on agreement among band members on the chords, rhythms and structure of the music. Much songwriting occurs as a group activity where every member has a major creative role. Acoustic treatment Architects usually deal with soundproofing for speech and sometimes for industrial noise, but live music has different characteristics which they may not fully understand. Technical sound reduction specifications of standard commercial wall, floor, ceiling and door constructions do not account for frequencies produced by the low sounds of a bass drum and bass guitar which can be difficult to cut out. The acoustic treatment of your music space is a different issue from soundproofing. Good acoustic treatment will control how well music will be absorbed or bounce around in your space. You should ensure the acoustics of your spaces are not too reverberant because this can be challenging for those with sensitive hearing or a hearing problem. A carpeted floor should be the minimum and some type of absorption and/or diffusion at best. You should make simple recording and playback facilities available in every room where participants can listen to an instant playback as part of their session. Ideally you should also have a wifi network allowing users to easily access the web. Having technology threaded through the space will appeal to users with an interest in related activities such as media. Heating and ventilation should not be secondary considerations, as heating and ventilation can be noisy, damaging to sensitive equipment, and unhealthy for occupants, especially in an environment in which acoustic considerations can result in windowless, enclosed spaces. You may need to think about when you will use the ventilation and access to controlling it. Lack of natural light can be damaging to performance, mood and ambience. Advances in technology make the use of glass in soundproofed situations much more of a reality. You should try to avoid harsh fluorescent or strip lighting, which can make some spaces unusable for people sensitive to flickering bright lights. Ideally there should be various lighting arrangements and they should all be dimmable without causing sound systems, amplifiers and computers to buzz. Access Musicians will want an accessible central place that supports their work unsupervised, where they can develop their own musical ideas. The practice room represents a significant role in enabling musicians to develop their own work independently. Speed of entrance and exit is clearly important. Doors need to be wide enough and easy to open when carrying for example a guitar amplifier. Positioning your main entrance so it’s accessible from the street makes it attractive to promote access. Personal safety, security and behaviour are important issues. Clear lines of visibility including liberal use of window space and wide corridors will allow overseeing of use. It is also important the space is open when people want to use it. You can achieve this by: Allowing users to book a room through a central booking system Allowing musicians to use the facilities independently Clearly advertising of musician wants/vacancies, posters of gigs, etc Making rehearsal space available every night and at weekends References How to Set Up a Rehearsal Space How do we keep the sound inside our rehearsal garage? Where Can A Band Practice? A Creative Future: The Way Forward for the Arts, Crafts and Media in England, Howard Webber, Arts Council of Great Britain, H.M. Stationery Office, 1993