Self Storage Rehearsals for Bands
We’ve covered quite a few reports of people using self storage in more creative ways than the traditional “lock up and leave” approach to storage. These days self storage can be used as a small patch of business space that can act as a stock room or indeed a facility where people can meet up and do things together. And we’ve also looked at storing musical instruments at the facility near you when not in use. The next logical step therefore, might be to use self storage for playing music?
It may sound unreasonable to have other customers listening to your racket when they are going about their everyday business, but many storage companies are open to the idea, and with a bit of discussion with them you might be able to get a unit slightly out of the way and soundproof it accordingly. There is an increase in musicians turning to self storage in order to fulfil their rehearsal needs, and some even make a bit of vital cash carrying out music lessons from self storage.
The history of band rehearsals in garages is well known, and this is a logical extension to this. Whilst rehearsing amongst residential premises is frowned upon, industrial spaces can be easily converted in order to do this. Bands in some parts of the world will hire out their own piece of business space or a railway arch in order to rehearse and store musical gear, others in more expensive cities will rely on dedicated rehearsal studios where rehearsal time is paid of on an “as and when” basis with perhaps an extra benefit of storing some small items thrown in. Whilst rehearsal studios can be very cost effective, as several bands use them you cannot usually leave your equipment set up between sessions. The time spent packing up and down, and the extra hassle of transporting equipment might make you lean more towards finding some space you can call your own.
When choosing a self storage unit it is worth thinking about what you are intending to use for rehearsals to make the best use of the space available – it may not be absolutely necessary to have all bells and whistles on the drum kit, and a combo amp may have to do. Or you may want to store all your gear in the rehearsal space, even if it means having to play on top of one another. Look into storage spaces that will offer wide opening hours, preferably 24/7 so that you can enjoy the benefits of late night lock ins when working hard on new material, and be accessible for putting instruments back in storage in the early hours after playing a gig a few cities away. You will, very importantly, also need to consider the methods and costs of putting up some soundproofing materials and structures in the room to keep things civil with your storage neighbours!
People plus instruments that take up space to play means that you might be looking at storage spaces that are slightly out of your financial means. The best way of overcoming this is to share your room with other bands, and develop a roster for rehearsals at different times. This means that more space is possible, but the downside is that borrowing of each other’s equipment may start to get out of hand, and insurance on musical instruments in storage might be void if others have access. So unless you can figure out a way around that, it is likely that you may want to keep the rehearsal space a bit more low key and just for your own projects.
Put a bit of thought into the practicalities, and for goodness sake soundproof to keep your music for your ears only! Have fun and make great music!
Posted in: Fun