Suggestions for finding a rehearsal/studio space?

[henryrobinett]

I'm putting my band back together. It's a continuation of what I had started many years ago. I had a great "business plan" in place. Now I have the guys and the willingness and excitement.

We need to find a space where we can leave stuff set up, recording gear too, rehearse and record. I don't want to BUILD a recording studio at this time. I hate those rehearsal rooms for rent. But I have more gear at home than I need. Likewise the pianist/keyboardist. Drummer wants to have a place where he can keep his drums, practice and record tracks. All FANTASTIC MUSICIANS.

So I need some ideas of where to look for space. Ideally I'd find a long lost friend who in into real estate and as a basement in some office buildings, or a cheap loft somewhere.
Any ideas where I can look? What I should look for? What I ned to avoid?

Up to now I've been very excited to not have a large overhead as an expense. It''s partially why I've been able to stay in business. Low expenses.

[dbbubba]

One of the best rehearsal spaces any band I ever worked with had was warehouse space in an industrial complex.
The drummer had a woodworking/cabinet making business and he worked a deal with his landlord where the band could rent the warehouse space in a nearby office/warehouse complex the landlord managed.
They only had use of the warehouse (it was 10K sq. ft.) and a single restroom.
The agreement was month to month and if the space was rented/leased they had to move.
They were there for over a year!

[MarkRB]

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

All FANTASTIC MUSICIANS.

Naturally.



I'm no help at all, I know.

Hope you can find a space.

[henryrobinett]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

One of the best rehearsal spaces any band I ever worked with had was warehouse space in an industrial complex.
The drummer had a woodworking/cabinet making business and he worked a deal with his landlord where the band could rent the warehouse space in a nearby office/warehouse complex the landlord managed.
They only had use of the warehouse (it was 10K sq. ft.) and a single restroom.
The agreement was month to month and if the space was rented/leased they had to move.
They were there for over a year!

Now THAT'S the kind of stuff I'm takin' about. That's the idea. That sounds great. Now I just have to get one of those guys in the band!

LOL. That was the old problem, like back in the old days. Why is that exceptionally lame bass player in that band? He owns all the gear and the rehearsal room!

[henryrobinett]

MarkRB -- was that a picture or a youtube thing you posted? I can't see it.

Oh, I see your reason for editing. OK. Thanks anyway!

[ebot9000]

Pay CLOSE attention to security!! Too many sad stories to tell here, but lock that shit down – buy a heavy duty lock for the door, and install a good hasp to attach it to. Make sure windows are gated, etc. Crooks target that sort of thing.

An industrial or commercial space is a good creative way to avoid being in one of those crowded & noisy monthly rehearsal studios. But they're tricky to find, especially since noise may limit who'll take you in, and potentially more expensive than a monthly spot. You might even want to ask around. Sometimes people have a basement or something that they're happy to make a few extra hundred bucks off of, but isn't legal for residential tenants.

Only other advise is to make sure it's a month to month situation so you can split if it doesn't go well. (That's another tricky aspect to commercial/industrial spaces, since they'll often want a longterm lease)

Good luck and have fun!
-e