Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Nightingale.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started Nightingale Studios in 1990 after paying rent for a monthly rehearsal studio with my bandmates at another place for a couple of years in the late 80’s. It was costly back then, and doing a bit of simple math, I figured I could build a place that would be much nicer for the price than what we were getting at the time. So I took on a couple of partners, found a building to lease, and created Nightingale Studios. It was a rough ride for the first few years. Neither myself nor my partners knew much about construction; especially when it requires a high degree of sound insulation. We all read a lot of books since there was no such thing as “The Internet”! But we got it done, and it was a hit. Sure, we made some mistakes, but we learned from that. That original location was eventually lost 11 years later due to a dispute with the landlord. That is another story. We also acquired a second location in North Hollywood in 1997.
Again, a dispute with the landlord resulted in losing that place in 2015. In 2002, I lost the two partners and ended up running the show by myself. I took all the lessons learned building out the previous two locations and developed my current location in Burbank, CA. My strategy from the beginning was to provide a safe, cool, convenient, efficient place to rehearse. But also I wanted to support the overall music industry. Many of our customers are following dreams to be successful in this industry. Some, including teachers, music producers, sound engineers, lighting techs, etc actually make their living under our roof. Many have moved on to bigger things. I know that over the last 30 years, Nightingale Studios has been an integral part of some of the great successes of our customers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The last 30 years have definitely been challenging. The struggles include quite a few things. The fact that we had to lease real estate rather than purchase it resulted in property values increasing quickly, lease rates get higher, and eventually properties get sold. New property owners are not required to renew existing leases once they come to term. With all the money spent on building studios, I realized that owning the property is imperative to prevent getting asked to leave. Another struggle is simply dealing the creative minds and personalities of artists and musicians. There is a wide range of these human traits, and it can be difficult to make everyone happy. So we just try to make “most” everyone happy. Also, it is a challenge to keep all the equipment in good working order. Drum sets, guitar rigs, bass rigs, keyboards, and the studios themselves are exposed to a lot of traffic on a daily basis. This results in stuff being mistreated, and the repairs can add up fast. 99% of our client list are respectful and mostly polite. However, the remaining 1% can cause quite the headache! Finally, in the past, we had many cancellations even though our policy was made perfectly clear. Now, with our online booking platform requiring a valid credit card, we have effectively eliminated most of these cancellations.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Nightingale Studios provides a place for musicians, bands, performers, producers, and other artists to perfect their craft. It is also a facility for folks that just want to play loud music and not bother the neighbors. We provide stellar services to allow these people to have a wonderful experience while working toward their goals. Of course, there are competitors out there, but very few have been around for 30+ years. We are proud to boast that our customers not only enjoy the studio that they are paying for but the general atmosphere of the facility, which is quite unique. We have several indoor and outdoor comfortable lounges where people from different groups can mingle, have fun and network. There is a huge video screen outside where folks can even catch movies or watch YouTube videos if they want. We have 35 studios in our facility. Most are rented out by the month, so these customers come and go as they please and can make their space whatever they like. There are also eight short-term or hourly-type studios. These come with most of the equipment needed to practice their music. Drum sets, guitar rigs, bass rigs, and great-sounding sound systems are included with these studios. If there is a need for more equipment like keyboards, or cymbals, or drumsticks, we can provide that also. It is a very convenient set-up. There are some folks who have been regularly coming here for over 20 years.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Without question, as the saying goes, word of mouth has been the most powerful method of advertising. We previously were running repetitive ads in a music magazine. However, it turned out to be unnecessary. With the age of Facebook and other social media outlets, we do not spend a dime on advertising. Monthly studios that occasionally become vacant are usually filled in less than two weeks. I think that the fact that we have endured 30+ years with this business means that we are known throughout the music industry. We have formed great relationships with music stores, musical instrument providers, record companies, and a variety of music producers. What has worked well for us is continuously being respectful of our customers who are following a dream or just want to be better at whatever they do. Keep in mind we do not “make” anything. But we do provide the path for people to “make” something for themselves.
Pricing:
- Hourly studio rental from $24/hr
- Monthly studio rental $425 to $3000/mo
Contact Info:
- Website: www.NightingaleStudios.com
