Community based Recording Studios

The recording studio provides support services for musicians and artists that will enable them to create web sites, introduce their works to international audiences, place their works on the sites for downloading, offer merchandise, share information about themselves and build a following. This then leads to work, tours, possible record deals and careers with the producers and managers.

Up until recently, the cost of putting a studio together ran far too high to be considered as a potential community-based project. Further, the idea of providing free recording services to musicians and artists was not a widespread ideal for most. A community-based recording studio is a facility that will provide free recording services for musicians and artists to record their works. Residents of a community and surrounding communities will be able to use the facility without charge.

Local control over the studio

Within each community, there will be local control over the studio. Programs that meet the needs of the local communities will be developed and coordinated with the facility. Such programs might include music-related programs such as music history, music genres and recording basics, but they also could include programs addressing internet and web site development for marketing, as well as distribution strategies used by the musicians and artists.

Volunteer contractors are the primary source of labour and equipment, expertise and assistance. We also recommend corporate sponsorship and donations for donating equipment and upkeep of the studio, as there is ample room for such sponsorship and participation. For those communities that are not able to raise sufficient local resources, the central resource will assist and, in some cases, provide the facility for the community. By providing free recording services, musicians and artists will be able to create demos, record works and develop skills that will carry them through if they choose to pursue careers in the recording arts and sciences. In return, the musicians and artists must place their works on the sonic eye website. After all, the primary purpose of this model is to broaden the base of our web-based library of music. It also positions the musicians and artists to participate in an exciting service, found only through these sonic eye recording studios, that relates to marketing their works.

We have described, in the most general terms, a community-based recording studio model that doesn’t require communities to have all the resources in place at the same moment in time. A central organization provides the missing pieces and supports those communities that need additional help. The model also provides free recording services to the residents of the community and surrounding communities.