For 25 years, I have owned and run a commercial business, Jackpot! Recording Studio, in Portland, Oregon. During this time, I have developed a set of particular ideas of how to present my studio (and myself) when meeting new clients for the first time, especially if our initial encounter is at the start of their first session. Some of this presentation is simply about how the studio comes across to someone when they walk in the door for the first time. The other part is about how people are perceived in this same moment. Besides being a studio owner, much of this protocol has been informed by my earlier life as a musician working in various spaces, by my later life working in other studios, and from my hundreds of visits to various businesses and private recording spaces. It's also likely informed by my 12 years of working in food service – see Tape Op#98's End Rant, "Welcome to the Service Industry." I would think much of my "rule book" below could inform all of us in how we present ourselves in the music and recording worlds.
The Studio Space
Jackpot! is a professional studio that is open for all sorts of music and players to make use of. It cannot come across as a "middle-aged man's clubhouse" or as some glorified hobby. The studio must appear as a blank slate that the artist will make their own as they inhabit the space and work on their music. This is the dictum for how I wish to present myself and my business in a professional manner. A client is making a financial investment when using a space like this, so I take it very seriously and want others to feel that from the moment they walk in.
On that note, the studio must be clean and well-organized at all times. No dirty dishes in the sink. Trash cans should be empty, or close to empty.
Restrooms should certainly be clean, and paper towels, hand soap, and toilet paper must be stocked.
There are a few album covers from records we've done over the years on the walls of the lounge as one first walks in, but once you enter the rest of the studio most of what you will see is not related to any specific artists. Would any guitarist want to be recording a solo and look up at a picture of Jimi Hendrix? I doubt it!
A refrigerator with plenty of room should be ready, with no gross leftovers, or other clients' beers or items left behind. The client should be able to freely store their food and beverages without having to work around you, as you are there to service them.
Interruptions are the worst. Deliveries should be minimal or ideally none at all – we use a PO Box for most deliveries and mail. If something large is scheduled to arrive, we notify the clients at the top of the day and make an apology. If someone needs to drop off instruments, hard drives, or reels of tape, we schedule this for the time before or after the session. I've freelanced in studios where people – most of whom I was never introduced to – wandered in and out of my sessions. I've even shown up at other studio's start times to find I had to wait for a tech to repair the gear I'd requested.