Audio Works turned 6 years old on Sunday, 16th April 2017. I only realised 5 minutes ago. I'm sorry.
It's hard to believe that we've been going for 6 years. You get so lost in the day to day running that you don't think about the past, just what's on today's to-do list.
In the beginning I set out trying to make a space for bands to rehearse with 3 simple but important features in mind;
- Reliability
- Professionalism
- Friendliness
I've repeated those words so many times in the last 6 years, partly to remind myself that I need to maintain standards, but also to put out there what we offer so people that want those features know where to come.
I didn't want Audio Works to be the cheapest place (in any sense of the word), I also didn't want to create a space for huge stage rehearsals at thousands of pounds a week to hire. I had used rehearsal spaces before, some were great, some were terrible, so I had a good idea about what I thought was important. So, I borrowed money, then borrowed money against that money and got cracking.
6 years down the line and I think we've got the balance right, it requires daily work and constant improvement but Audio Works is in a good place.
- Our Reliability rate is 99.9%. I made mistakes on 2 bookings a couple of years ago (out of roughly 8,500 total bookings (both bands got free sessions as is the policy)).
- Professionalism and Friendliness go hand in hand. While we want people to feel comfortable in this creative space, we also want people to feel that their time and money is being taken seriously, both are usually in short supply. Less dodgy warehouse, more recording studio.
Obviously, we'd be nowhere without any of you guys, so...
THANK YOU!
In business, like music, you always ask yourself 'will anyone want this?', and the answer for lots of people is no. Not everyone wants the same thing, but fortunately there are enough like minded people to enable different things for different people (both business and art). I like to keep Scroobius Pip's advice in mind...
"We might not be for you, and that's OK."
Thanks again for your support, here's to many more years and hopefully we'll see you soon.
Josh.