By Natasha T. Brown
“At House Studio, you can just feel this thing that you can’t really put into words, and you feel like wherever music is headed, these cats will be a part of that.”
–Omar Kashif, Alleyhouse Entertainment
Before an independent artist hits the stage, secures a team, builds a fan base and records a track, one has to figure out how to accomplish this all with a relatively small budget and limited resources. With the emergence of independent studios around the nation, very few offer the quality, reputation, resources, and opportunities for independent artists as those at House Studio DC, located in Northeast, Washington.
Its latest opportunity for artists is the House Studio Artist Grant, a program that will offer six talented musicians (from anywhere in the US) an opportunity to take their careers to the next level, with full recording, video, marketing and a production package from House at no charge. This investment from House Studio is a $30,000 value for each artist selected.
“We’re looking for the complete package, someone who is ready to go to the next level with their career, someone who needs a break. Maybe they have talent, strong drive, but maybe they don’t have a serious creative team or the funds to get the project made,” said House Studio CEO Yudu Gray, Jr.
The House Studio Artist Grant Application can be downloaded from www.houseartistgrant.com. The grant process is quite simple, and one that any independent artist who is serious about his/her artistry should take advantage of. The deadline to apply is January 8, 2013, and recipients will be notified in February, with three to six months of production commencing that same month.
Next year will be the first official class of House Artist Grantees, however Gray said that, “This has always been in the DNA of our company. Before now, we kinda looked out for artists, but we were actually doing more damage than good by hooking artists up with free studio time, because that isn’t how the industry is designed.”
For those who receive the grant, there is very little room to take it for granted, because there is an actual program with classes in financial management, time management, publishing and trademarking, in addition to studio time and video shoots.
“The goal,” according to Gray, “is to create a well-packaged artist and not just someone who has good music.”
Artists that House Studio has supported in the past include Soul Singer Reesa Renee, popular band Black Alley, Source-featured hip-hop artist Javier Starks; Spoken Word Artist Drew Law and recent X-Factor Contestant RaTheMC.
“Besides providing a platform for everything that I have going on, the fact that House Studio works with so many musicians and the guidance that they gave me made it easy for me to get into the swing of recording,” said Javier Starks. “The artist program helped me reach further extremes and get better as an artist.”
Omar Kashif, Manager of Black Alley, mirrored those sentiments about the collaboration with House on Black Alley’s Soul Swagger Rock Sneakers album released in March of 2012.
“One of the main things House Studio provided us was a very competent and capable engineer by the name of Jake, and what I like most about the place is the young energy…. The way they mix and their ideas are really wonderful for DC’s music scene,” Kashif said.
Gray would like all artists to apply for the grant, especially those who may want support from House Studio and access to its resources, which include 2 large studios, space for recording live instrumentation, lounge/event space, producers, engineers, a video team, and a comfortable environment with cozy amenities including a kitchen, shower and much more.
“Even if an artist doesn’t get the Artist Grant, but if they at least show that they applied, it lets me know that they are serious. If they don’t try to get it, it makes me question their dedication as an artist,” said Gray. “If you are an artist and you feel like you would like help with your career, I beg you – please apply.”
Natasha Brown is a writer and founding communications strategist of Think Brown INK, a creative think tank and strategic communications agency in the Washington area. Follow her on Twitter @TBINatasha or @ThinkBrownINK