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The article itself is organized by presenting the question and then displaying selected answers from each professional. Here are the questions and my answers:
1. What's the biggest issue facing your studio's economic survival today?
Investing in the right technologies. When resources are limited, selecting the right gear is crucial. Studio equipment is as much of an investment as the studio itself is.
2. Is the MP3 and its reduced audio quality a thorn in your side?
The fact that 44.1 kHz is still the audio standard is what's frustrating. We're sitting here working with $3000 mic pre's and the ability to do 192k on the digital recording side of things. The CD quality standard is woefully overdue for an update. We've barely progressed past the wax cylinder stage of digital audio. MP3s that are properly converted at a higher quality bit-rate are virtually indistinguishable from their CD counterparts.
Home recording has become a part of the process. I've talked with several home studio owners that appreciate the opportunity to work in a commercial facility where they can concentrate on the project and not have to keep reminding everyone to jiggle the toilet handle. We provide an environment where creativity is king, and try to stay out of it's way.
4. What is the future for recording studios in Nashville?
A recording studio is a service business. You simply can't have sustained success without satisfied clients walking in and out of your door. That aspect tends to weed out studios that aren't being driven by a sincere appreciation for music and the process of creating it. Clients are looking for efficiency, and a limited budget demands it.
5. Has country music's sales growth trickled down to your bottom line? Why?
Growth in any part of the music industry will ideally help support all the other links in the chain. Obviously, if the record companies are making more money, that's more money they can invest in new talent. Investing a reasonable percentage of the profits back into what you've done to make those profits in the first place is usually pretty sound advice.
6. Do you believe that DRM (digital rights management) is a long term solution for the music industry?
DRM and it's implementation is still evolving, and will continue to evolve in some form to remain valid. Those that are truly determined to get around protected media are going to remain determined. Digital media should be protected enough to be an effective deterrent and to make it clear that it is indeed protected.
7. What is your favorite color?
I'm quite fond of green.
Well, they didn't really ask me that last question, but I thought it was important.
