Verwirrte Interviews mit Musikstudiobesitzern

Todd Macaluso, Astoria Soundworks

I took some time out of my visit to New York to speak to Todd about running a studio in one of the most ethnically and musically diverse neighbourhoods in the world.

Starting out in a basement with a seed of an idea to create a space for friends to go and jam together, Astoria Soundworks is now a destination studio for creatives from all over the world.

With a burgeoning clientele from every music genre and a growing studio complex, we learn how this Queens-based rehearsal space pivoted to survive COVID and is facing down competition from ever-more sophisticated home studio set-ups.

What inspired you to start your studio? How did you get here?

I wasn't here when it started. At the time, my father owned the building. Our superintendent, who is a classically trained musician from Slovakia, had an idea to create a few studios for him and his friends and like-minded musicians to have a space to practise. It is below grade. It is square feet per dollar, the least valuable real estate in the building. There wasn't a whole lot of people that were dying for space that didn't have any natural light. And he came to my father with an idea. He liked it. Mars didn't have much of a business background; my father did. So, he said, ‘I'll build it, you run it, and we'll see how it goes.’ And it did well. And it grew and grew and grew into what it is today.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

It is below grade. It is square feet per dollar, the least valuable real estate in the building. There wasn't a whole lot of people that were dying for space that didn't have any natural light.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Todd Macaluso

Astoria Soundworks

Todd Macaluso - Astoria Soundworks

That was 1998. I moved up here, started helping out. And then took more and more responsibility, starting 2004. Mars is still the general manager of the studio, but I play a pretty big role as well.

And so how many rooms did you have to begin with? Do you remember?

I don't because I wasn't here. In 2004 we had maybe 10 or 12. We also had a recording studio and for a few reasons we sold that recording studio. And then we expanded into what is now the premium room area and that was three more rooms. And then we excavated into this area you see here a few years ago adding five more rooms to that and it was that growth over time that allowed us to expand, invest, improve, expand, invest, improve. That's how we got to where we are now.

So what does a typical day in the life look like for you?

A day in my life. It has a pretty early start. I get here, I review the business of yesterday and the past week. Plan for the future. Put out fires. Make sure the cash drawers have the bills they need and make sure the vending machines are stocked. Make sure the guys are getting paid. That kind of stuff.

I stopped really doing the manual prep work and more the administrative, whereas the guys will get here around 11:30am, start prepping and cleaning, making sure the rooms all look nice. Everything's tuned. Everything's in place. They'll operate and start closing around 11:00 at night.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

I stopped really doing the manual prep work and more the administrative, whereas the guys will get here around 11:30am, start prepping and cleaning, making sure the rooms all look nice. Everything's tuned. Everything's in place.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Todd Macaluso

Astoria Soundworks

Todd Macaluso - Astoria Soundworks

So what kind of musicians do you normally work with?

All of them. You name it. We have country, bluegrass, gospel, Spanish death metal, Bossa nova, jazz. Lots of rock bands, wedding bands, friends that get together. Experimental stuff. Teachers. Just every genre imaginable. Yeah, they come here and they love it.

Astoria, Queens, is, I believe, the most diverse neighbourhood in the world. And we have everything and that helps us out. Yeah, we run with it.

Have you had any famous bands, any notable ones?

Acts yes, we've had many, because we're a location. It makes Astoria Soundworks a very comfortable and easy place for people to get to either from the tri-state area, from Manhattan, from the airports. It's a lot easier for them to sneak into Queens, than it would be in Manhattan on those streets. So yes, we've had a lot.

So what is the biggest challenge in the industry at the moment?

AI is posing a lot of problems for writers and graphic designers that are a big part of the industry. Home recording solutions make it easy for people to think they can record themselves properly in their basement. And I really think iTunes and the other venues like them are exacting weird control over the outlets.

The world is what it is. It's changing so fast, it's hard for people to adapt. It will; it'll have to. That's the nature of things. But the change is coming on like a wave that's a little too fast. That's the biggest challenge for people that want to make music today.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Home recording solutions make it easy for people to think they can record themselves properly in their basement. And I really think iTunes and the other venues like them are exacting weird control over the outlets.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Todd Macaluso

Astoria Soundworks

Todd Macaluso - Astoria Soundworks

So how did your business plans change during COVID?

When COVID hit, we closed. Our customers and employees had an initial fear, a shock. When we were able to regroup, we installed the spaces in between people. We did discounted daily rates rather than hourly, so we could clean a room, get a band in and clean it, and let it sit overnight, because we thought that was what it needed. We bought a high-priced atomizing mist sterilising machine and we sprayed the whole studio down every night. We installed UV sanitation bulbs in the AC systems. We wore masks. We insisted the customers wear masks outside of the rooms.

We did everything they told us we were supposed to do and we hoped that was enough for people to feel comfortable to come into the space, use some other people's mics. We used special paper cap ‘condoms’ for the mics. It was a big change and it set us back many years at a time where we had expanded and invested more than we ever had before. So it was a really tough time to get hit by that and we still haven't fully recovered, yeah.

So do you have any advice to someone that wants to set up their own studio today?

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Make sure you own the property. Make sure you have a company that knows everything there is to know about acoustic construction.

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Todd Macaluso

Astoria Soundworks

Todd Macaluso - Astoria Soundworks

Make sure you own the property. Make sure you have a company that knows everything there is to know about acoustic construction. Make sure you have access to the right materials. The gear and figuring out the mix of which kind of amps is fun, but that's the last step. It’s constructing the rooms so that they are an isolated room in a room that doesn't transmit and bother anybody around you. That is the biggest challenge. But if you can get around that and you can tune it after you're done to sound a little live, not too live. Just get it right. That's all you need.

Do you have any like local up and coming bands that you're excited about?

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I'm rooting for everybody

Ein Bild von Todd Macaluso

Todd Macaluso

Astoria Soundworks

Todd Macaluso - Astoria Soundworks

We root for everybody. Yeah, it is more luck of the draw, I think, than raw talent that gives people an opportunity to get on the stage and I do hope that when our customers get their shot, they pull together and do things right and make the most of it. But I'm rooting for everybody.

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