Rehearsal Spaces- Market Research

[willlin]

I'm going to put this topic here but not sure if it's the right place for it. Oh well.

Basically I've been thinking for a while about opening up a rehearsal space next to my 'rent's house. We've got an old barn in the garden that's decent sized. Ie. House sized, two floors, about 12 metres by 6 metres ish. It needs converting into something and if I want it, they'll let me turn it into a rehearsal space. It needs new floors, windows etc, and the roof needs sorting but anyway. There's quite an active amateur music scene round where I live even though it's pretty rural. Kids in bands often end up practicing in school which pisses teachers off or at home where it pisses mum and dad off. I reckon there's a market for it anyway.

So really I want to know what kind of rehearsal spaces you Shortscalers use. Where and when do you use them and what kind of gear/ stuff do you expect to be provided? How much do you normally pay?

Any input would be very much appreciated. Like I say this is a very distant pipe dream but hey.

[James]

There are a couple of threads about what people use. One from a year or so ago, one from a month or so. I don't remember anyone listing prices, but it will certainly give you a good idea of what people use. If you find the most reccent thread it contains a link to the older thread.

[James]

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18620

That's the original one. I couldn't see the newer one.

[stewart]

i think what most rehearsal spaces lack, and what i really want from them is a locker where i can keep an amp and a guitar securely. most spaces i've used have gear that's scabby and trashed, because it's constantly used by stupid cunts who go to rehearsals and get boozed up or smoke weed, and haven't got a clue what they're doing. drumkits are usually in the worst state, held together with gaffa tape and cigarette papers. so i'd like to use my own gear where possible, but not have to cart it back and forward all the time. i wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for that facility.

also, where possible, have mics that can be cleaned, because i for one hate singing into something that smells like a pub toilet.

oh, and some sort of removeable noise absorbers on the walls would be good. some people like live sounding rooms, some prefer dead rooms (i'm in the latter camp). if you have limited space it's nice to have the option of both, because different bands will want different things.

[laterallateral]

i think what most rehearsal spaces lack, and what i really want from them is a locker where i can keep an amp and a guitar securely. most spaces i've used have gear that's scabby and trashed, because it's constantly used by stupid cunts who go to rehearsals and get boozed up or smoke weed, and haven't got a clue what they're doing. drumkits are usually in the worst state, held together with gaffa tape and cigarette papers. so i'd like to use my own gear where possible, but not have to cart it back and forward all the time. i wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for that facility.

also, where possible, have mics that can be cleaned, because i for one hate singing into something that smells like a pub toilet.

oh, and some sort of removeable noise absorbers on the walls would be good. some people like live sounding rooms, some prefer dead rooms (i'm in the latter camp). if you have limited space it's nice to have the option of both, because different bands will want different things.

This is why I have and always will rent my own private spaces. Obviously, you have to make concessions on size and in my case, cleanliness and safety and will have to provide your own boring, yet mandatory equipment (like PA systems) but in my experience, having that level of control over what goes on in there and flexibility in terms of when you can and can't be there far outweighs any of the inconveniences, financial or otherwise.

I've never had trouble finding private rooms in the $250-$400 range, altough Montreal is particularly well endowed in this respect. Split that in three or four and you're spending what most places charge for a bi-weekly slot in a shared room.

[DanHeron]

I was just at a rehearsal last night. It was £24 for 5 hours. The room was fairly small, could fit upto a 5 piece band i reckon but there was only 3 of us so it was fine. It had a PA and 2 mics w/stands included in the price. We also rented a drum kit (extra £5) and i took my own cymbals, but they could be rented for another £3.

The first time we went I took my own drum kit. It was a bit of a hassle having to pack it in the car, up the elevator into the room, build it. Then take it all down and re-pack it in the car at the end. Also it meant we had to go in 2 seperate cars which was a pain. So, renting a kit is much easier and even though it wasn't the nicest kit for just £5 it was fine.

At the rehearsal place they sell bits like cables, picks, drum sticks, drum skins etc. The kind of things that people forget/break whilst practicing. Having a supply of those to sell/lend to bands is pretty useful.

[stewart]

i think what most rehearsal spaces lack, and what i really want from them is a locker where i can keep an amp and a guitar securely. most spaces i've used have gear that's scabby and trashed, because it's constantly used by stupid cunts who go to rehearsals and get boozed up or smoke weed, and haven't got a clue what they're doing. drumkits are usually in the worst state, held together with gaffa tape and cigarette papers. so i'd like to use my own gear where possible, but not have to cart it back and forward all the time. i wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for that facility.

also, where possible, have mics that can be cleaned, because i for one hate singing into something that smells like a pub toilet.

oh, and some sort of removeable noise absorbers on the walls would be good. some people like live sounding rooms, some prefer dead rooms (i'm in the latter camp). if you have limited space it's nice to have the option of both, because different bands will want different things.

This is why I have and always will rent my own private spaces. Obviously, you have to make concessions on size and in my case, cleanliness and safety and will have to provide your own boring, yet mandatory equipment (like PA systems) but in my experience, having that level of control over what goes on in there and flexibility in terms of when you can and can't be there far outweighs any of the inconveniences, financial or otherwise.

I've never had trouble finding private rooms in the $250-$400 range, altough Montreal is particularly well endowed in this respect. Split that in three or four and you're spending what most places charge for a bi-weekly slot in a shared room.

private rehearsal spaces here are like hen's teeth, as rents are extortionate (people pay £1000 a year for A PARKING SPACE ON THE STREET in some areas) and there's almost no industrial areas/warehouses left, as everything's been turned over to development/office building/residential etc.

i'd like nothing more than to have a lock up where we could have all our gear set up permanently but it's unlikely. at the moment we pay £96 a month for 12 hours, which could be worse, but as i mentioned above, we're kind of limited to using whatever shitty gear is lying around.

[willlin]

I'd really love to turn the barn into my own rehearsal space. At the moment my room is jammed with bits of drum kits/ guitars/ amps and it'd be really useful to have a place specially dedicated to jamming and rehearsing. It's just that to convert the barn myself isn't financially viable unless I can make some money from it, and the best way to do it is to hire it out.

Like you said, it's better to rent a private rehearsal space where you can leave you gear set up securely, but on the flipside, it's better for the owners to have more people using the space more often.

Thanks for your input. It seems that some method of securing gear in the building are important, as well as maintaining the more general stuff, PA systems/ mics/ drum kits etc.

[johnniespring]

location is really important.
a barn in the middle of nowhere is greta for the few people that live in the middle of nowhere but is unlikely to make money for you (or even to pay for cost of conversion in a short period). For your own use it would be great though.

[willlin]

location is really important.
a barn in the middle of nowhere is greta for the few people that live in the middle of nowhere but is unlikely to make money for you (or even to pay for cost of conversion in a short period). For your own use it would be great though.

This is exactly it. I'm never gonna make serious money from it, most likely it'll be school kids and local bands where I live but hey.

It seems like a really good excuse to build myself a cool little practice space without getting on everyone's tits.