New website brings the sharing economy to the music industry

For aspiring musicians, accessing professional recording studios and producers is often out of reach due to high prices and limited availability. However a new service called studiotime.ie is hoping to change that, with Airbnb-like listing platform for musicians, producers and recording studios. Recording studios will advertise their availability, details and daily rates, then musicians and producers can contact the studios for more information and to book a time. Booking studio time and musical talent this way is seen as mutually beneficial as it is a great way to fill cancelled spots at the last minute, often at a discounted price.

If you've ever thought about professionally recording those tracks you've been working on in your bedroom, you probably haven't. That's because getting studio time can be difficult when you don't have the contacts, the cash or any real knowledge about what you're doing (but just wanna lay down some sick tracks). But studiotime.io is aiming to change all that with their Airbnb-like listing platform for musicians, producers and recording studios.

The site works in the same way as any in the sharing economy. Recording studios will advertise their availabilities, details and daily rates, and then musicians and producers can contact the studios for more information and to book in a time. Just like Airbnb, you book and pay through the website, and you can leave feedback on the listing's page.

Booking in studio time in this way is beneficial to both parties, as musicians now have an easy way to lock in a day in the studio, and the studios can advertise last-minute availabilities to ensure they're always booked. It might even mean you can snag a bit of a discount if you're lucky.

The website initially launched last year in LA, New York and London, but it's quickly spread to other cities across the world. You can search for studios in Australia too, with listings spanning everywhere from Bondi to St Kilda to Wollongong.

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