JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Recording Studio and Gear Forum The democratization. of everything.

I've read a ton of posts on how downloading and streaming are killing songwriters financially. I would agree that that's true. Its also true that people copy hard drives full of music which is never talked about. With that gotten out of the way...how do small, independent recordists make any money? I live between 2 world class studios and 1 private studio that both attract national artists. In between is one pro studio that has taken to giving studio time for free in return for publishing. On the low end side are people who bought a low quality recorder or downloaded some recording program or another and expect pro quality despite the deficiency of their gear and knowledge. In the middle are people like me who know what they're doing and have the equipment to achieve it. Like lots of the songwriters on here we have worked for years perfecting our craft and with the ease of the internet it's all gone in a flash.

The expectation of both writing and the finished product has taken a gigantic hit with the advent of the internet. Its a sad day when people refuse to pay for knowledge and experience.

The Internet like everything else on this Planet is a double edged sword.
Look what ISIS has been able to do in the Dark Web...
SO it's certainly a conundrum and there is no good answer. IF you want to be a Songwriter make sure you are the singer and or also a musician in a Band with a great singer to be able to perform OR Find a Great Up and Coming Band that does your songs. There is NO MORE Money in recorded songs but there IS money in Performing....

I appreciate your response Barry. I don't particularly want to be a songwriter though I have written a couple of songs that are pretty good. I also agree that performing live is the only choice anymore if you want to make anything. Unfortunately I live in an area that wants to hear the same old 40 year old songs (PLAY SOME SKYNYRD). There's nowhere to play original music here. Really though, the point of my post was how do recordists (engineers) make money any more when no one wants to pay for being recorded by someone who has the equipment and knowledge to give them a quality product.

You are no different from all the people who have faced competition from larger companies, faster computers, etc. Like a mom and pop store next to a Walmart. The smaller studio recording guys I know struggle to bring in enough business and they have been around long enough to have a rep and a client list. Unless you want to start a price war buying business by cutting prices, you have to carve out a niche, focus on a particular market segment and gain credibility within it. Is that possible in your location? I don't know. Maybe not. Supply and demand and all that......