Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Corey DeRushia. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Corey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

I try my best to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable having and sharing their opinions. The recording industry can be very male dominant. Though it is becoming a more inclusive space, historically engineers are predominantly male.

Being a male myself, I’ve had to learn vicariously through the horror stories from many clients about the struggles of female and non binary people in the industry. They are often belittled, talked down to and generally “mansplained” to. I do my best to remain an exception to that behavior under all circumstances and to learn from my mistakes, as they inevitably will happen.

As a result, I have strong working relationships with people from all walks of life. I have retained clients that left other engineers in pursuit of a more mutually respectful work environment. I think the golden rule applies under all circumstances. Treat others how you wish to be treated. Starting from a place of respect is crucial.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Corey DeRushia and my business is called Troubadour Recording Studios, LLC. What started modestly in 2011 as a part-time operation has grown to be the top rated recording facility in Lansing, Michigan. We work with clients from all over the country and are the go to facility for the Michigan State University Music department, particularly the Jazz Studies program. I occasionally guest lecture at the University and have made recordings with all of the faculty..

We are one of the largest recording spaces in Michigan, having recorded as many as 18 musicians simultaneously across our 7 room facility. Our relaxed atmosphere and ability to capture large scale live projects have set us apart from our competitors. We also have a wide variety of extraordinary instruments that live in-house, including a 1915 Steinway A Grand Piano, 1977 Fender Rhodes and a 1958 Hammond B3 to name a few! We also have a wide collection of industry standard microphones and are always adding to the collection!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth has been my absolute best help in growing my business. I try to have business cards and stickers at the ready, stickers especially are great free advertising. I have done a small amount of SEO with my website, but found that it was less quality traffic than that which comes from friends of previous clients, or ongoing relationships with the same clients. I am thankful to say that I have built some amazing relationships with clients over the years and have people come back to work with me even after they move to other states. I find it humbling honestly and I don’t take it for granted.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes, I was working as mail order department supervisor at Elderly Instruments when I started Troubadour. For the first year I was full time there and very part time in the studio. Gradually word started getting out (working in a music store definitely helped) and they were gracious enough to let me step down from my supervisor position into a part time sales position. Over the following year I gradually went from 4 days a week to 3, 2, 1, then eventually had so many clients that I had to leave entirely.

Going full time at the studio was a huge milestone. It took over 2 years to get there, but business has never really stopped since. I am now in my 12th year operating the studio, and a full decade of that has been full time gainful employment. I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to do what I do for a living.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.troubadourrecording.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/troubadourrecordingstudios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TroubadourRecordingStudios

Image Credits
Rie Daisies