Converse opened Rubber Tracks studio in July of 2011. The studio is in Williamsburg which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The outside of the studio is all sorts of tagged up (graffiti) by local street artists Shepard Fairey and Mr. Ewokone. It's a professional recording studio staffed with engineers and producers to help the artist get the music out of their heads and into the headphones for everyone else.
Now here's where my mind blew up. IT'S A FREE STUDIO! In Brooklyn! Bands apply to record there and are chosen to come kick it and make some music Rubber Tracks style. The way of thinking here is to eliminate the main road block in getting studio time, that whole pay them money for time bit. Of course the studio can't accommodate everyone that's why the studio picks who gets to record from a whole stack of applicants. They chose bands in a 2 month window and have a 12 recording cycles a year. Applicants aren't necessarily chosen based on talent but more for how much they can bring to the table.
What I mean by that is exactly how much stuff they can fit on a standard 6' table and whoever can cram on the most gets to record. I know I shouldn't need to say that's not really how it works but for transitions sake, it was a joke. They are looking for how much presence you have on your social media platforms, the drive to compete, the willingness to be different, more or less that "spark" that makes you special and will make the music that's recorded special.
After applying you will be contacted, if chosen, within 30 days and the recording date would be about 2 months after the application is submitted. The band will get 1 to 2 days of recording and will retain all rights to the music created. However, the smart thing to do is to give Converse limited rights so they can publish it on their sites and help you promote it. I didn't just make that up, Converse actually explains they will do that on the Rubber Tracks site. Who wouldn't want Converses help in promoting anyway?
Aside from all this they have gear reviews from the artist's perspective and from the staffs perspective. I actually learned a few things from some of the videos talking about mixing and microphone techniques if you only have 2 mics. Being a broke musician this is pretty relevant. When I say broke I mean low on cash and literally a lot of the gear my buddies and I own is broke.
Converse did it right. Create a space for musicians to be musicians and they will come. From the companies stand point its smart because artists of all shapes and planets are anxious to create their music and Converse gets that content to turn around and promote their company. They also had the presence of mind to say, "Hey! Let's have videos on gear, the artists that have been here, and tips and tricks in the studio as well." They only thing I would say is to make Rubber Tracks website more of a BAM here's Rubber Tracks kind of feel. It sort of came off as being a little side project by being just a tab from the main website. Make a whole new website completely separate from the main Converse website. They have the right idea so far, as far as making it easy and simple to navigate, but with a little more flare to it, it'll really make the studio "speak".
From the artists stand point, IT'S A FREE RECORDING SESSION! That's all that needs to be said to the artist. The application process is nothing and they encourage you to keep applying if not chosen. As an artist you know your going to have to bang on that door until someone finally gets up to see who's making all the noise. I've had to borderline harass venues for shows and sponsors for money, it's just the nature of the business.
What I'm trying to explain is, Converse is looking for how much drive you have to succeed and at the same time telling you to keep applying if you really want to get there. If that's not a clue that reapplying is crucial for the opportunity to record at Rubber Tracks, I don't know what is. It really shows how close the company tries to stay to the consumer and how far they are willing to go to make the recording process easier and more enjoyable. In the long run, the atmosphere always comes through in the recording and I think Converse did a hell of a job here. I'd love to intern at Converse and you better believe if I have the option to apply I will be showing them this post. Because I can. The bands even get free Chuck Taylor's! How cool is that? Can you even imagine the kind of opportunities that can be made from having studios like this all over? Think about it.
Here's this weeks track of the week by Recess called "No Games"
P.S. these photos ARE NOT MINE. No need for a copyright battle or nothing please and thanks.
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