So you’ve finally moved into an apartment or house that has enough space for a home studio. Whether it’s a spare bedroom, cellar, basement or shed out in the yard, things are going to get exciting very soon. A home studio means you can unleash your creative genius whenever it comes calling – no need to wait until you get to the studio downtown.

A music recording space needs to fulfill a whole lot of criteria; as well as being a stimulating creative space; it needs to work on a practical level.

Keep it to yourself

You don’t want to annoy your family, housemates or neighbors with loud music, so soundproofing is essential. Using materials that soften and absorb sound limits audio spill outside the studio. Fix acoustic mineral wool to walls and cover with fabric, quilting or even carpeting. In the old days, low-tech solutions such as cardboard egg boxes effectively broke up the sound waves and deadened noise – you could also try studio foam to disperse sound. If you have a decent budget then check out studio-build suppliers who will have a range of acoustic panels, bass traps and diffusers to create the best sound environment and soundproof the space.

Basement studios are ideal because there are no neighbors below. If your studio is above other rooms, lay thick underfelt and carpet on the floor. In classic recording studios, wooden surfaces have always been coveted for their great properties in promoting a warm and earthy sound. If you want happy ears, get as much wood in the studio as you can. From a paneled wooden ceiling, wooden monitor stands and sound desk to wooden shutters to help reduce noise, invest heavily in this music-friendly natural material. CONTINUE READING

Buzz Track: Best I Never Had

Colin Huntley’s video “Best I Never Had” has been nominated as a Finalist in the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Colin has become a Kings favorite and is an emerging singer/songwriter & guitarist based in Austin, TX. He released his first EP “ECLECTIC” in December, 2012, and his second EP “Best I Never Had” was released March 2014 along with the official music video for the lead single Best I Never Had. The band also released “Live At Roots” with 10 original songs recorded at Roots-Bistro in Georgetown, TX. Colin is currently writing material with members of Blue October. Colin is an artist to watch.
Contact: colin@colinhuntley.com

Taylor Swift
“Shake It Off”
23,984 paid downloads

Meghan Trainor
“All About That Bass”
22,438 paid downloads

Maroon 5
“Animals”
14,846 paid downloads

Tove Lo
“Habits (Stay High)”
12,651 paid downloads

Florida Georgia Line
“Sippin’ On Fire”
10,970 paid downloads

Nick Jonas
“Jealous”
10,367 paid downloads

Fall Out Boy
“Centuries”
8,341 paid downloads

Kings favorite Beth Spangler who we named a Top 8 Emerging Artist as well as an Artist To Watch is featured in the TV promo for NBC’s Season 7 of The Voice. She performed last night and her track The Best Thing I Never Had landed on the iTunes pop charts. Spangler who released the single Bigger Than Love, made the “popular artist list” on MTV and recorded her tracks in Atlanta with production team MATRAX (R. Kelly) and producer Chris “Deep” Henderson (“Blame It” – Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain). She captured the eyes and ears of songwriters and producers after building a name for herself through a vocal competition and she peaked at #12 on MTV’s popular artist list.
Contact: Beth Spangler

They spin music and they’re rolling in the dough to the tune of a quarter of a million dollars a night –sometimes even more. A new crop of celebrity DJs is making so much money they now have their own Forbes list.

Zack O’Malley Greenburg, a senior editor at Forbes who compiled the list, says all the money is coming from clubs and festivals where the DJs play in front of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people in a given weekend.

Calvin Harris topped the Electronic Cash Kings list for 2014, with a whopping $66 million, up from $46 million in 2013. Harris earned more this year than Jay-Z, Toby Keith, and every single actor in Hollywood except for Robert Downey Jr. O’Malley Greenburg says Harris made all that money writing songs, producing for stars like Rihanna, and playing club gigs in Las Vegas.

Former Parisian club manager David Guetta took the second spot with $30 million.

Dutch DJ Tiesto and Swedish DJ Avicii tied for third with $28 million each.

The only American in the top five is Steve Aoki, who made $23 million playing gigs and through endorsements with big brands like Scion.

The biggest cash cow? Those Vegas clubs. A few big ones like Hakkasan at the MGM Grand and XS at Wynn fight over the top DJs, paying them big money to draw wealthy young partygoers to their hotels and casinos.

And don’t forget about reality stars DJ Pauly D and Paris Hilton who are both DJs now. They didn’t make Forbes’ list but they’re still making decent money working the clubs. Last year, Pauly D made close to $10 million. Both Pauly D and Hilton are frequently at the Pool After Dark at Harrah’s in Atlantic City. Hilton is there next Saturday, October 11. (Fox 5 Business)