kitchen a local studio Complete Music Studios Rehearsing in Brooklyn Can Be Comfortable By Paolo De Gregorio Mike Marozas started a cartage company soon after high school in 1985 and after 4 years spent building connections, in 1989 opened the Complete Music rehearsal studio/storage facility on 26th St. in Chelsea, attractig clients that included David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Keith Richards. In 2000, with 7 years left on the Chelsea lease he started looking for a building in Brooklyn, with plans to buy it: in 2001 he found what he was looking for in Prosepct Heights (on St Marks Ave.), and waited for the neighborhood to catch up. In April 2004 he decided to try 3 small rooms; things worked out, also because many musicians and Chelsea clients had already moved to Brooklyn. Currently Complete Music is one of the few “upscale” but still affordable, by the hour rehearsal studio in Brooklyn. <strong>The</strong> 24/7 warehouse-share type of studios are all a function of space and the cost of space. <strong>The</strong>y can be very inexpensive when 3 bands are sharing a $1500, 400 sqft studio. <strong>The</strong>n it’s all about whose drums, what time slots you get, how much gear do you feel safe leaving t<strong>here</strong>. At $500 a month you can get 20 hrs of time in the least expensive room, change a rehearsal time if something comes up. So which are you more comfortable with? Many bands will switch to the hourly set up “when they can afford it,” or want to afford it. Also all of these facilities are just renting space, they don’t own the buildings, leases are finite. I have also noticed a few hourly spot open up around Brooklyn, they all seem to be recording studios with extra space or under-utilized space. Who are the most successful artists who used your facilities? <strong>The</strong>y include in no particular order: <strong>The</strong> National, John Legend, LCD Sound System, Citizen Cope, St Vincent, <strong>The</strong> Hold Steady, <strong>The</strong>y Might Be Giants, Oh Land!, Holy Ghost, Sufjan Stevens, Maxwell, Chrome, Living Colour, Antibalas, Estelle,Santigold, Care Bears on Fire. 24/7 rehearsal studios have become extremely popular in North Brooklyn and Gowanus, while rent-by-the hour ones seem to be more popular in Manhattan? What made you thinka bout opening your studio in Prospect Heights? Prospect Heights is all about location, it is very accessible, 2/3, Q/B, C & G are all nearby. Park Slope, Ft. Greene are all adjacent neighborhoods. Also it’s 15 minutes to drive to the Lower East Side and t<strong>here</strong> is parking available everyw<strong>here</strong>. T<strong>here</strong> are no other large scale rehearsal facilities like Complete Music outside of Manhattan and I was very lucky that many Chelsea clients came out <strong>here</strong> with me. What’s the advantage of renting by the hour vs. having a 24/7 walk in situation? Do you have plans to expand to other neighborhoods or services? I don’t think so. First I think I have pushed out as far as one can go, geographically. And second, I would never open a business without owning the building, I could never buy this building today. Being a small business owner you can’t make the numbers work anymore on this kind of business in New York. It’s too bad, but I’ll be <strong>here</strong> as long as I have good staff and musicians still live in New York. www.completemusic.com the deli_40 fall 2010
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