What happens when a rapper and an engineer team up? They start a recording studio.
Shooting Moons Media is striving to cater to bands and artists who aren’t able to afford the recording studios with all the frills and perks, but still need quality recordings. They have the equipment and experience to offer that, yet remain affordable.
Founded
Evan Dunbar
Zack Tuck
The Problem Being Solved
Many artists need a recording studio but can’t afford the high-end facilities available. But, they need more than the basic, cheaper studios offer. “We offer a middle ground,” says Evan. “We have good equipment, an experienced engineer and the ability to record quality, professional audio.”
Where the Idea Came From:
Evan, a rapper and Alec, an engineer, met through All of the Above in Lansing and built a relationship, hatching the idea from their combined talents. They saw a building that they thought would be perfect for a recording studio and while they couldn’t get the building, the idea was planted.
Exciting Opportunities
Evan is excited to offer additional services that one doesn’t normally find in a recording studio. “We are reaching out to local businesses to contract commercials and be a brand for creative services rather than just music.” He believes if they can diversify their offering they have more room for profitability.
Target Customer:
Their idea customer is varied as they reach out to multiple audiences.
They want to appeal to bands that need recording space(help them get out of the garage), voice over artists, and also sell their services for commercial audio recording.
Biggest Challenge
Their biggest challenge was finding a location after they lost the spot they thought was perfect. “But, since that got fixed, everything has gone smoothly,” says Evan.
Surprises
Evan was surprised by the amount of bands that need practice space. “Without any prompting or advertising we were approached by a band that needed space.”
Funding
While a large amount of the project has been bootstrapped they’ve used additional resources such as The Hatch and a startup loan through MSUFCU to get started.
The Future
Over the next year, Shooting Moons will work to establish their brand and within the next three, they hope to own their building and diversify their services. In five years, they’ve considered the possibility of opening another location or moving to another city if they aren’t growing enough here.
“Right now we just want to get established,” says Evan. “Most fail in first 6 months so we need to get through that.”
Advice:
Evan’s simple advice for new entrepreneurs? “Learn how to sell.”
Whether it’s to customers or investors, selling is the basis of your funding. And selling to each is different.
More Questions? Shoot them an email!
