Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Hibard.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Emily. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Back in 2008, there weren’t (and still aren’t) very many economical opportunities for up and coming musicians, singers or songwriters in the Los Angeles area. After a million conversations with friends pursuing careers in music, I knew it was the right time. I started by securing a 1,000 square foot space that would eventually be converted into a commercial recording studio.
With that, we mapped out a floor plan to include everything we would need – a larger tracking room, a smaller vocal booth, a control room, an artist lounge, a multi-purpose space, and a conference room for meetings.
With our floor plan confirmed, we hired an electrician to come in and prepare the space for the electrical demands we’d be putting on each outlet. Plus, we wanted to swap out those archaic fluorescent lights for moody recessed lighting throughout the future studio. Construction was slow, but wanting to ensure everything was built correctly, we were okay taking our time. We wanted the rooms to be perfectly soundproofed, so knocking down walls and re-framing them for the soundproof windows took a little while.
To stay within our tight budget, we shopped around and compared prices on everything – sound boards, cables, microphones, pop filters, talk-back systems, stands, couches, conference tables, decor, etc.
Idle Tuesdays Recording Studio was launched in 2012 and, immediately, the line was out the door. Since then, Idle Tuesdays Recording Studio has become a 501c3 nonprofit organization and serves local artists with low-cost solutions to our recording studio.
A few years later, again, because of the need, we opened a publishing division and helped singer/songwriters get their music published. We recently had 11 of our songs placed on a single film: “Honor Project Documentary,” a film about fatherhood.
Through Idle Tuesdays Recording Studio, we’ve had the opportunity to work with Amy Krebs (American Idol, Top 24, Season 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U529GAJ1_Yo), Megan Tibbits (Rising Star https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWSpdjYEJ_s), Justin Bieber’s Mykell Wilson and many others.
A few years after launching the studio, my friend and music business guro, Henry Alonzo, encouraged me to join the Recording Academy (Grammys) Los Angeles Chapter. So now, I have the opportunity to meet with LA’s top music executives, producers, and artists and expose them to the nonprofit work we do at Idle Tuesdays Recording Studio.
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting anything from scratch is an uphill battle. It’s hard. It’s discouraging at times. It’s expensive. And oftentimes, I was the only one there late at night, trying to solve an impossible problem. But as an entrepreneur, it’s the battle we choose.
It wasn’t until my mid-twenties when I even realized I was an entrepreneur. I figured I was just ancy or easily bored. When I embraced my identity as an entrepreneur, it was like grabbing a bull by the horns.
I’ve found “my people” and my world is all the better for it.
Please tell us about Idle Tuesdays Recording Studio.
Idle Tuesdays Recording Studio is a nonprofit, commercial studio located in East Los Angeles. It’s on the second floor of my for-profit packaging company, Spiral Paper Tube & Core, where we make toilet paper tubes. Yep. I’m the girl who makes your toilet paper tubes!
Our studio is most known for supporting up-and-coming recording artists get their music recorded and published at little to no cost to them.
In order to keep the lights on, we rent our studios out to anybody needing a place to record everything from singles to audiobooks.
As a nonprofit recording studio, we’re a lightning rod for local schools, colleges, and universities with students looking to get hands-on experience in a recording studio. We run internships throughout the year and give students the opportunity to do things bigger studios would never allow.
I’m most proud to be the owner of the only nonprofit recording studio in the country that exists to help artists launch a career in music.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is a great place for nonprofit studios looking to help up-and-coming artists get their music recorded! As the entertainment capitol of the world, the list of artists looking for low-budget solutions is endless!
Contact Info:
- Address: 5200 Industry Avenue, Pico Rivera, CA 90660
- Website: www.idletuesdays.com
- Phone: 323-641-6680
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idletuesdaysla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idletuesdays/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/idletuesdaysla
Image Credit:
Mat Fretschel
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