Comment by Cthulhu_ | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Cthulhu_ | Hacker News Reader

> Sam Phillips opened Sun Records in a tiny rented storefront on Union Avenue in Memphis in 1952 with the slogan, “We Record Anything-Anywhere-Anytime.” For a few dollars, anyone could walk in and make an acetate dub of their choice, usually a song or a special message for a loved one.

Do places like this still exist? I can imagine there would be a market for a small storefront in a mall or wherever where people can rent a studio and do a recording or live stream with rented "pro" gear like lights, cameras and microphones. The only risk to the person renting it out would be hygiene and damaged or stolen property, but nothing an entry gateway, ID requirement, a deposit and payment method registration wouldn't deter I'm sure. It could also have tiers, like a "free" / open photo area at the front for random instagram passers-by, a cheap tier for teenagers, and a pro tier for people that want to rent the facilities for a few hours.

The barrier of entry is much lower than back then, so there probably just isn’t that much demand. These days you can record a whole album at home on your phone or computer and that can already sound very professional.

Some places like you describe do exist though (e.g. here in Berlin [1]), but I wouldn’t consider them cheap and the one I linked to is geared more to rehearsal than recording. You can rent equipment and rooms per hour.

Another thing that comes to mind is the recording booth at Third man records [2], although it is more of a retro novelty.

[1] https://noisy-rooms.com/en

[2] https://youtu.be/vlFysAciLrU?si=tfEwE85oP1knRgwG

Hell, they'll do all that and more! Some places will even write you a song and film a music video with their equipment:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0&pp=ygUGZnJpZGF5

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find a bowl and some cereal.

People building and renting out home studios is actually quite popular and I know more than one person who does it, though I have doubts they're actually making much money.

> storefront in a mall

rent for "storefront in a mall" > any revenue you would make even if your door never closed 24/7

The county pubic library were I live has a media studio that provides much of this, plus training.

https://mesacountylibraries.org/services/970weststudio/

Places like that definitely exist.

For that vintage feel, Third Man Records in Nashville has a booth that anybody can use to record a 2 minute record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e1Rwk1kpLM

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