About Scream Studios

Scream has always been owned and operated by Randy Badazz Alpert. Randy grew up in the music business as his family created A&M Records when he was 7 years old. Randy has been a musician his whole life and has worked with a rather wide variety of artists. From writing and producing, at age 22, his uncle Herb Alpert's #1 Grammy winning hit "Rise" to co-writing Notorious B.I.G.'s #1 hit "Hypnotize" to mixing Queen's "Somebody to Love". Over the years Randy has worked in dozens of recording studios and approaches the running of Scream from a musician, producer, songwriter, point of view which is rather unique being that most professional recording studios are owned and operated by businessmen who have nothing really to do with music.

During the 15 years of operating Scream, Randy has been involved in the coordination of every recording project, (664 albums and singles), that has come into Scream. Both ground breaking and or acclaimed records by Nirvana, U2, Madonna, Ozzy, Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine, Sublime, Hanson, Sugar Ray, Hootie & the Blowfish, Janet Jackson, and several dozen others. 34 Billboard #1 pop, r&b, rock, and country records have either been mixed and or recorded at Scream.

Scream has NEVER advertised. We have always been a word of mouth recording studio. From Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, New York, Dublin, London, Paris, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, and Canada, our clients have come to mix at Scream on someone else's recommendation. We have a great sounding control room with great equipment that is always maintained and in proper working order. We also employ the best people we can find. People who are honest, friendly, down to earth, skilled, efficient, warm, and caring. Our rates are usually a bit lower then our competitor's rates and our business dealings have always been fair, honest, and straight ahead. We are extremely loyal to our clients and, fortunately, our clients return year after year, record after record.

Consulting

The recording business has always been fun, exciting, and extremely competitive. The business has become rather difficult during the last few years, because record sales are down 32% and the labels are making fewer records. The records that are being recorded are being made on greatly reduced recording budgets.  Ad agencies are also on a cost cutting mission. Our equipment costs, maintenance costs, insurance, and employee costs have all risen. It's very expensive for studios to provide a great service. Every advantage is to your advantage. It's war out there, so hire a great general and formulate a winning offense.

 

"After years of consulting my clients in the formation of their own private studios I am  currently consulting other professional studios, primarily new businesses, in formulating their 'Game Plan' by helping to set-up the 'business workings' of a recording studio. I am available to consult either before a location and construction have begun, or after your studio has been newly built. I can help to advise new owners who are purchasing existing studios, or people who are remodeling and re-equipping an existing studio in order to reach a new market, and even people who are putting studios in their homes for either personal or commercial use. I am not an architect or studio designer/builder. I can help and advise with the finishing touches and sound of your room and, should problems arise, I can suggest acoustic specialists to remedy any potential problem.  Whether you will be constructing a multi room professional studio, a small demo or voice-over/over-dub studio, or even your own personal project studio I may be able to help with the 'nuts and bolts' of setting up and operating your new business".

Randy Alpert

 

Through our experience we can help you to:

Organize and set-up every facet of operating your studio in an efficient and smooth manner. We help you to lay a solid business foundation before your first session even begins.  We can help you avoid many of the mistakes that both inexperience and "not knowing" can bring. We can help you foresee many potential and costly problems that can occur when setting up a new recording venture such as:

 

Tailoring your equipment and business to the particular market and clients you are seeking. What will be your niche?  Who are the potential clients in your area/market?  What other existing studios/businesses will you be competing with? 

 

What works well in New York, equipment-wise and business-wise, will probably not work in St. Louis or San Francisco or even Los Angeles. What equipment should you buy, what equipment should you not buy, and where should you buy it?

 

We can help you choose the proper staff. The people and personalities you'll have working for you will be the most important assets you'll have in running a successful recording business. Equipment can be interchangeable from studio to studio and city to city, however, your employees are "your business". Find great ones and treat them like gold.

 

We can help you create both a good impression and great vibe for your clients. You can never make a "first impression" twice. Everything needs to run smoothly, efficiently, and professionally from your very first day.

 

We can help you set-up Invoicing, Daily Work Orders, and logging programs to efficiently operate your business.

 

We can help you price the services you offer in a fair and competitive manner. How much should your hourly rates, lock-out rates, engineer services, supplies, CD/hard drive copy services, etc. be?  When do you negotiate rates and how much flexibility should you have during the current business climate?

 

What amenities and client services do your clients want or expect?

 

We can advise you with everything concerning cash flow, including: Invoicing, Purchase Orders, setting the billing terms and more.

 

We can advise you in the budgeting of your money and help you formulate and prioritize equipment purchases, equipment repairs, client amenities, supplies, etc.

 

We can help you interact and interface with both your professional and your "not as yet" professional clients: top recording artists, local "demo" bands, producers, engineers, record companies, ad agencies, and management companies. Interfacing with both creative people and business people require different people skills and attitudes. After all we're in the recording business, we're not running a bank.

 

What kind of insurance is needed and how much?

 

We can advise in the marketing of your studio. Both traditional and non traditional. We will help you foster great Word of Mouth. Word of Mouth from your clients to their business associates is Gold.

 

Should you wish further information on what we can do for your studio please feel free to call  Lacey at 818 505 0755 or e/mail Lacey and we can set-up a time to talk.