The law and running a studio

[twistedtom]

Right now I have a small , almost 300 sq ft room to record in. I will be moving to a very large 7 bed room home in the country. I will be a long way from any other house as it is on 21 acres. One of the rooms is close to 1000 sq ft. and would make a fine studio, It has an ajecent room that could be a control room. Dose any one know what I would have to do to set up a recording studio retreat?

[johnnytucats]

Sounds like you'll be away from any city zoning laws to prevent you from running a "walk-in" business, but check all those including county and state.

[SMP2005]

Twisted -

Do you mean the acoustic aspect & design of your room ? Or are you speaking about the zoning issues alone?

Shawn

[SMP2005]

Hmmmm

I just noticed your title... "the law".... so, yeah... you mean zoning, obviously.

Disregard my babbling!

S

[twistedtom]

Yes also what some of you may have gone through to get zoned for a recording operation. What are the hurdels and pit falls you've encounted.

[KungFuLio]

Multnomah, Clackamas, or Washington county??

[m2]

21 acres?!!! 7 Bedrooms?!?!! I don't think the neigbors are gonna be close enough to turn you in! Unless your clients are coming in 500 at a time or landing a jet in the yard.

Hell,if you can afford the place , you can afford to pay off some local concilman to give you a zoning variance! Now let's talk about you adopting some us!

sorry. . .had to have some fun. . .

[Releaux]

There are frequently rules that apply differently to a "drive up" business where you have customers coming to your site. The one that jumps to mind is parking. Many municipalities/counties require so many parking spaces per square foot, and the ADA requires that a certain percentage be designated handicapped, etc.

You might also run into accessibility regulations required by the ADA (wheelchair ramps, etc.). The chamber of commerce for your area can probably give you a quick rundown of the most important regs you'll have to meet.

Also, you mentioned "retreat." You should contact a business attorney if you're thinking about having a place where artists stay in the house while recording. You might run into the various laws that apply to hotels or bed and breakfasts. An attorney can help you determine if these apply to you, or might be able to suggest a different classification or legal structure that would minimize all of that.

Being "in the country," however, might also get you a waiver for various things.

<small>[ March 03, 2005, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: Ray Toler ]</small>

[twistedtom]

Kungfulio I will be in Clack a my ass county. Ray thanks that is helpful.

[KungFuLio]

OK, ADA seems to be less of an issue than Multnomah also the permitting process will be easier.

You could be going into a good endevor but expensive. A boutique studio would be good to have in this area. Have you seen Big Red in Corbett? Is that sort of the model for you except with lodging available to clients? Have you thought of staffing issues? Dealing with payroll? Atracting top notch assistants to help with out of town engineers is essential. They gotta do outstanding documetation or you will get a lame reputation and those high dollar clients will spread the word and not return. Another business model could be Sage Arts just outside of Seattle. There are also a few Studio/lodging facilities that are very nice in Marin County in CA.

Beware of the saying, the way to make a small fortune in the recording business is to start with a large one.

All that said, I wish you luck and keep me apprised. It'd be great to see another good facility in the area.

[twistedtom]

Yes the logistics are a bit much. I will have to think hard on this.