We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Landon Alley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Landon, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I would guess that everyone is resilient when they’re pursuing something that truly matters to them. I feel incredibly blessed to work in a field that I love; I’m passionate about helping artists record and release their music. So whenever something knocks me back a step, I’m eager to get back up and make forward progress again because of the fulfilment I find in the work itself. That wasn’t the case when I was working other jobs solely for the paycheck.
I also have well-defined goals that keep pushing me forward. I know what I want my recording studio to be one day and I’ve set daily, monthly, and yearly goals that will make it happen. Before I sat down and actually wrote those goals out, it was easier to get trapped in survival mode after a tough day or a tough week. But now that I’ve clearly defined what I’m working towards, I’ve found it easier to push through resistance.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I run a recording studio in Utah that specializes in working with singer-songwriters. One of the things that I find most rewarding is collaboration. Most of my clients are individuals who have written their songs on piano or guitar and want to build them up from there. So I get to bring in other musicians and production elements to bring the track to life in the way that the artist had always imagined but never heard. I love it, it’s my Disneyland.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Whatever success I’ve had can mostly be attributed to networking, organization, and God.
Networking is a constant need in my business. I’m always connecting with more musicians for my clients, or other engineers and producers that can help me get the right sound on a certain project. When I was in college, I met peers and faculty that I still rely on years later. It’s a little strange in the recording studio world, because many of us are self-employed and work alone in our homes and studios. So connecting with others in the industry is also very rejuvenating and creatively inspiring.
Organization is also critical for my business. The music industry is largely made up of creative-minded people who are stereotypically bad at deadlines, file organization, finances, responsive communication, etc. I’ve found that I can set my studio up for success and apart from the competition by simply being organized. I’ve worked with many artists who have come to me from another studio and turned into lifelong clients simply because they know I’ll always keep them updated, respond quickly, and make the process of creating their music as efficient as possible.
And ultimately, God has made this career possible for me. I’ve turned to Him in the process of building and growing my studio and truly feel that the opportunities I’m blessed with come from Him. I know that He cares about me and opens doors as I work hard to provide for my family, contribute to the community and find personal fulfilment.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
This is a big question that I’ve faced as my studio has grown. Do I narrow my services to better serve the few, or focus on broadening my skills to serve the many? I think that a level of basic competency and understanding in a wide range of styles is required in my industry, but at the end of the day I’ve leaned toward specialization – partly out of a desire to make my studio unique and partly out of a desire to do what I find most fulfilling.
When I started out, I was recording everything from heavy rock to audiobooks and found that I was happiest when working with a specific kind of artist. I also looked at the people and businesses that I personally resonated with and saw that they were usually focused on being great at one thing. The session musicians that I bring in for my clients are phenomenal to work with because they’re so proficient on their instrument. I found myself preferring to bring in a pro drummer, and then a pro guitarist, and then a pro (fill in the blank), rather than learning to do all those things at a merely acceptable level myself. I’m a big believer in collaboration, and I think that the project is best served when everyone is contributing the thing they’re best at.
That being said, I do want to constantly improve myself. Collaboration should never be an excuse to plateau. If there’s something I can learn that will give my specific clientele a better studio experience, I will absolutely pursue it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.SoundBridgeStudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sound_bridge_studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoundBridgeStudio/
Image Credits
Alyssa Alley
