Indie artists with their own home recording studios are no longer the exception. Home music production is fairly common these days. A lot of indie artists choose the home studio route because they are nervous about giving up creative control by signing with an established label.
Their concerns are well-founded. More than one big musical act has talk to the media about a lack of creative control. They surrender that control in exchange for the resources and reach of their music labels. But if they had to do it all again, they would not surrender control so easily.
The good news for modern indie artists is that there are ways to avail themselves of pro services without giving up control. It is all in who the artist works with.
- Using an Online Recording Studio
One way to circumvent control issues and still avail yourself of pro services is to utilize an online recording studio. Supreme Tracks, out of New York City, is a prime example. Artists can work with Supreme Tracks by way of a list of customized services designed to help as little or as much as the artist wants.
If all you want to do is purchase guitar licks and drumbeats online, you can do it. You can hire the company to take your basic piece and arrange it for you. You can have them do the entire recording if you like. Supreme Tracks will even help you package your music for presenting to industry reps.
- Buying Studio Time
Indie artist do not have to go through record labels to get their music recorded, engineered, and produced. They can buy studio time on their own. This is a pricey option, but it gets the job done without forcing you to give up control. As the customer, you ultimately decide what you want. The studio provides it for a fee.
You can bring your own producer and utilize the studio only for recording and engineering. You could simply record and handle the engineering and production on your own. You could hire the studio to handle everything from start to finish. It is really up to your goals, your vision, and your budget.
- Hire Just the Help You Need
Yet another option is to utilize your own home studio and hire only the help you need. Bring in a studio drummer to lay down your rhythm tracks. Or play all the instruments yourself and hire an audio engineer to make it all sound pretty. The point is that you can mix and match as you see fit.
- Start Your Own Label
The last option is arguably the most expensive and time-consuming: start your own label. An independent label allows you to maintain total control over everything. At the same time, you can also help other budding artists. Just note that doing it right will require a substantial investment up front.
Consider raising money from friends and family who might be interested in getting in on the ground floor of your studio. If that’s a wash, look for venture capital and angel investors. You can also take advantage of crowdfunding. There are as many ways to secure financing as there are to record new songs.
It may be more difficult to produce your music under any one of the suggested scenarios, but that is the cost for retaining creative control. Some artists are more than willing to pay the price because control is so important to them. As for you, no one can make that decision on your behalf. You have to decide how much control you want over your music.
