Divine Sound and Imaging will be a recording studio catering to independent artists in Cincinnati, Ohio. The studio aims to serve as a partnership that drives success for artists. While DIY recording has risen, streaming and social media have positively impacted music distribution. The target market includes entrepreneurs aged 18-38 who create music. Key competitors offer major label services but lack focus on independent artists, or emphasize instruments over production. Divine Sound will position itself as a resource for artists to develop their craft and career.

1. SITUATION ANALYSIS 1
Situation Analysis
Dawann Jones, April 16th,
2023
Full Sail University

2. SITUATION ANALYSIS 2
Situation Analysis
Marketing Analysis
Market Summary
Divine Sound and Imaging will be a recording studio for the type of music business I am
presenting. The North American Industry Classification System code (NAICS) is 512240 for my
selected sector of the music industry. The NAICS website states, “This industry includes
establishments that provide audio production and postproduction services to produce master
recordings” (para. 1).
According to Statista (2021), the recording industry’s revenue reached $23.1 billion
compared to $7.4 billion reported in 2019. During 2020, the majority of the world was forced to
become more self-sufficient due to Covid-19. In low-involvement decision-making, the
consumer perceives very little risk, low self-identification with the product, and little or no
personal relevance (Macy, Rolston, Allen, Hutchison, 2015). With that being stated, a lot of
musicians had to build their own recording studios to fit their artistic, creative, and personal
needs. Furthermore, a high percentage of those artists accomplished this DIY method at an
inexpensive cost compared to traditional studio pricing.
This recording studio element is based on the cognitive and emotional decisions of an
artist. Barrett (2015) shares that if you turn up to a recording session and have no idea about the
song, the parts, the structure, or the key, it’s going to be less enjoyable for all involved. I like
people being prepared, having a vision, and knowing what they want (para. 9). Working with a
recording studio is more than just a business transaction; it is a partnership that drives the success
of all parties involved.

3. SITUATION ANALYSIS 3
I believe that the needs and motives can vary by the musician when it comes to
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs being associated with a recording studio. For example, an artist
may physiologically feel that they need to record music to feel at peace when one’s work.
However, this also includes self-actualization for an artist as well.
Market Trends
A positive trend impacting my sector is that since the digital wave of streaming and social
media, many artists and record labels have changed the way that they distribute and market
music to the public. An article in TechxMedia (2021) describes that Content creation and
distribution remain one of the most significant reasons for social media to remain a key part of
the music industry (para. 4). Streaming services and social media are very essential for aspiring
and established artists to help with a successful single or album rollout.
A negative trend impacting my sector is creatives becoming what’s known as DIY artists.
DIY artists feel that there is no longer a need or want for record labels or recording studios to
further their careers. According to HipHopUnwrapped’s 2020 article, “While the internet and
inexpensive home studios offered musicians significantly more freedom, the fact that people
stopped buying music was the first nail in the coffin for major record labels, opening the
floodgates for artists to become independent” (para 2.).
Target Market
Our target market includes males/females 18-38 years of age in the Cincinnati area with
an income of less than $500,000 per year. These individuals have moderate to heavy social media
use and have an entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, our target market also includes independent
creatives with experience working in a recording studio. The benefits sought are to inspire a
more diverse and monetized music industry.

4. SITUATION ANALYSIS 4
Customer Persona
Jasmine is a 22-year-old aspiring R&B singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, Ohio. She
recently graduated from College and wants to take on singing as a full-time career. Jasmine is a
heavy social media user who usually posts TikTok’s and YouTube Shorts of her recording in her
in-home studio to get feedback from friends, family, and fans. To get inspired to write songs,
Jasmine paints and photographs. Jasmine has recorded several songs in her home studio but
wants to take her sound to a professional level.

5. SITUATION ANALYSIS 5
Competitor Analysis
Competition
Timeless Recording Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio would be a direct competitor of Divine
Sound and Imaging. Timeless Recording Studios offers various audio, music, and video
production for their clients on a major record label tier style. An indirect competitor of DSI
would be 3rd
Street Music in Hamilton, Ohio. 3rd
Street Music offers recording services but
mainly offers music lessons and music instrument purchasing (i.e. guitars, bass, etc).
Competitors Strengths
Timeless Recording Studios is a well-known music production facility in Ohio whose
primary focus is production. This recording studio has recorded major talents like 50 Cent, K
Camp, Adrian Bronner, and more. Even their video production highlights the effectiveness of
bringing the audio component to a visual for consumers. Timeless even offers on-site and virtual
workshops for songwriting and sound engineering.
3rd
Street Music is a one-stop shop for all musicians, amateur and professional. 3rd
Street
offers the purchasing of certain equipment and will then teach a musician how to use it. In
addition, 3rd
Street uses vintage-like recording methods to give a nostalgic feel to creatives.
Competitors Weakness
Timeless Recording Studios’ weakness is that their services are essentially for established
artists instead of amateur artists. For instance, some of their most promoted work comes from
label services, event hosting, artist development, etc. When trying to book a consultation on the
website it’s $100 for one hour with no specification on what will/will not be accomplished. Most

6. SITUATION ANALYSIS 6
artists, especially non-established artists, do not $100 just to spend on an hour-long conversation
with no agreement that the conversation will lead to anything.
3rd
Street Music’s weakness is that they primarily focus on musical instrumentation
instead of the actual audio production element. Upon visiting their facility, it felt more like a
store than a recording studio. There is an array of instruments for sale but at first glance, you
wouldn’t even be able to tell that it was a recording studio based on the initial presentation. Also,
their website has no mention of mixing or mastering songs after recording.
Positioning
Divine Sound and Imaging will act as a machine for amateur and established artists to
turn music creation into monetization.

7. SITUATION ANALYSIS 7
References/Citations:
3rd Street Music. (n.d.). https://3rdstreetmusic.com/
About Timeless Recording Studios. (n.d.). Timeless Recording
Studios. https://www.timelessrecordingstudio.com/
HipHopUnrapped. (2021, December 10). Why We Need to Leave Record Labels Behind in 2020
| Cultured. Medium. https://readcultured.com/why-we-need-to-leave-record-labels-
behind-in-2019-bfa1db45036a
How Social Media is helping musicians. (2022, October 8). TECHx
Media. https://techxmedia.com/how-social-media-is-helping-musicians/
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) U.S. Census Bureau.
(n.d.). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=recording+studio&year=2022&details=5122
40
O’Toole, J. (n.d.). Why recording studios will always be necessary in the music industry.
Northern Star. https://northernstar.info/79164/lifestyle/why-recording-studios-will-
always-be-necessary-in-the-music-industry/
Recorded music industry - global revenue 2021 | Statista. (2022, May 25).
Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272305/global-revenue-of-the-music-industry/
Rolston, C. P. (n.d.). Record Label Marketing, 3rd Edition. O’Reilly Online
Learning. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/record-label-
marketing/9781134705559/xhtml/Ch03.xhtml#sec3_5
Soundtrap. (2020, July 2). woman in red and black plaid dress shirt and blue denim jeans sitting
on bed.
Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/GxH1DSxzons?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medi
um=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

8. SITUATION ANALYSIS 8
The Most Common Problem You Come Across When Recording an Artist? | with Abbey Road
Engineer John Barrett. (n.d.). Abbey Road. https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/the-most-
common-problem-you-come-across-when-recording-an-artist-with-abbey-road-engineer-
john-barrett-2783
Timeless Recording Pricing. (n.d.). Square. https://squareup.com/appointments/book/9804ec70-
2939-4622-8224-0c149b87f13a/92JA8XNK6PSAD/services