The Virus-Resistant Audio Business | A Full-service Podcast Agency - With Launchpod Media

Brian Hood (0:00)

This is the Six Figure Home Studio Podcast, Episode 124

SPEAKER_2 (0:04)

You're listening to the Six Figure Home Studio Podcast. The number one resource for running a profitable home recording studio.

Brian Hood (0:19)

Welcome back to another episode of the 6 Figure Home Studio Podcast. I am your host, Brian Hood, and I am here with the co-host substitute slash special guest, DK Waddell. Unfortunately, Chris Graham couldn't make it today. I'm sure a lot of you are aware that there's something out there called the coronavirus.

And because of that, the entire state of Ohio is locked down right now, and Chris has a family to take care of. So I'm by myself this week, and I'm joined with my friend DK here.

There you go. It's like super hype, man. DK, for those who are not familiar with who you are, do you just go by DK?

DK Waddell (0:55)

Yeah, I just go by DK.

Brian Hood (0:57)

I really didn't even realize your last name was Waddell until I saw the calendar invite and it had your last name on it.

I've just always known you as DK. So for those who don't know, DK is the host of a podcast called Mixing Music, and he is the co-founder of Launchpod Media.

DK Waddell (1:14)

That's right.

Brian Hood (1:15)

We're going to get into all that business side of things. Before we get into that, it's probably worth just chatting about what's going on in the world right now, because I haven't really gotten a chance to talk about this. We talked about it a little bit on the intro of the last episode, and it is incredible how much has changed in just a week period. The amount of cases that have blown up, how that affects our recording studios, the amount of countries that are on lockdown right now, all of the rumors that the US as of Wednesday, March 18th, I got to put the days now, because in a matter of days, things change so quickly. As a matter of March 18th, it is rumored that we will soon, as Americans, be under lockdown with some sort of quarantine coming, and that is really going to affect a lot of studios. It's already ruined a lot of tours, a lot of musicians are out of work right now, a lot of touring musicians, or anyone related to the live music industry, so sound guys, anyone. And so this is affecting a lot of people in the industry.

And Dee, I know you are involved in the music industry. What have you done at least so far?

Let's actually take away from the business standpoint. What have you done personally to prepare for some of these things? Are you the kind of person that's like, it'll blow over, or it's not that big a deal, or it's like, I'm the prepper who's got 16 pallets of toilet paper getting shipped across the world on a boat from Cambodia, because that's the only country still available right now with toilet paper. What are you doing right now?

DK Waddell (2:29)

Dude, to be honest, I am not deliberate in almost anything that I do, and I don't plan. I'm just that guy. I like to be honest, like my business has not changed. Things are going normal. Luckily, most of my clients are online, or they send me stuff anyway, just like you kind of with your mixing stuff. So it hasn't really changed too much.

Brian Hood (2:48)

That's fortunate.

DK Waddell (2:48)

Very fortunate.

Brian Hood (2:49)

Yeah, for some of us, we are in the boat where it's not a huge impact to our business, at least not directly. Long term, we'll have to see where that goes, because if businesses are affected, then obviously Launchpod Media will be affected. If the whole music industry is affected, then us as recording engineers, even if we're remote, will be affected. And on the podcast, I'm sure week to week, if there's any emergency episodes we need to do, I've heard some podcasts doing like emergency episodes. As fast as this stuff's moving, we'll try to keep people up to date, because I think a lot of people are worried right now. And I'm hoping what we can cover today is something that's going to be a solution for some studios to move towards, at least temporarily, if not pivoting your business totally.

I think there's hope for some of us if we can just figure out a way to pivot our businesses.

So real quick, D, you've been listening to this podcast for a while, right?

DK Waddell (3:33)

Oh yeah, big time fan.

Brian Hood (3:34)