Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Olson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ryan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
I feel like what sets me apart from my competitors is how I treat my clients and build relationships. Building relationships with my clients is one of the main things I focus on when recording or meeting someone new. The better relationship I have with someone, the better I understand their goals and what they want to achieve with me. I try to treat them like family! Making music is much more personal than many other services so I want my clients to feel comfortable and open to making the best music possible.
Ryan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Long story short, I am 26 year old that moved to Memphis, TN from Indianapolis, IN a little over three years ago. I have been a musician since I was very young, I think I played my first show when I was 13-14. My mom’s side of the family are all the musical type so I think I inherited some of that from them. I knew I wanted to be working in the music business from a young age. I never really wanted a “real” job but I wanted to find something I could make money at while enjoying what I did. Luckily, I had great parents growing up and when I was eighteen they convinced me to go to school for Audio Engineering at Azmyth School of Music Technology. At first I didn’t think I would like the behind the scenes stuff, little did I know! Ryan Adkins is the owner of Azmyth and I remember the first day I sat behind a Neve console. I couldn’t believe all the buttons and knobs! It was like all the studios you see in the music videos and some movies but I got to play with it! So from that first day I was hooked! I learned as much I could there. Eventuality, I moved to Memphis, TN. I didn’t know a single person when I moved here. I knew Memphis was rich in music culture so I was excited. After a year or so I finally got my bearings and made some connections. I started a studio out of my house and started building! Month by month I gained more clients and connections. In September of 2020, Rachel Henderson reached out to me on behalf of Jackson Henderson to be on his podcast “Romera Records.’I didn’t realize how meeting Jackson was going to change the course of my future. After talking on his podcast I realized we had a ton in common and re both extremely driven people who want more out of life. So me being the sales person I am, I talked him into opening a business with me in Bartlett, TN. We named it Damage Media Group. We are a music label that does everything from recordings to videos to music publishing! I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished so far and we are just getting started. Our plans are to make one of the biggest labels in the mid-south. We want to help empower artists by understanding the music business, making better decisions and making more money! We want to change the world, one song at a time!
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I turned my side hustle into a career! I have always been a hard working, driven person who wanted more than I had. While I would be working full time and going to school for Audio Engineering, I would also be trying to build my business in Indiana after all that. At first I would only be doing two to eight hours of sessions a week if I was lucky. it took years to get to the point where I was confident enough to really put myself out there to start making realm money. After moving to memphis and starting another home studio, my confidence and desperation to succeed paid off. I was getting so booked up that I finally quit my day job and focused on the studio full time. Quitting my day job was the best and scariest thing I have done. It was the best because it allowed me to concentrate all my attention on getting better and building my portfolio. It was scary because income is never promised, you have to work for it! Nothing is promised when you are an entrepreneur. I love that. I love the idea that if I work my butt off and make good decisions I can be rewarded by meeting awesome people and making money! My next big milestone was when Jackson Henderson and I opened Damage Media Group / Uproar Recording in Bartlett, TN. Having a physical building that wasn’t my house was a huge step. Home studios are awesome but having people you don’t know it your house all the time can be nerve racking! We have even started to accumulate some world class gear like the famous Avalon 737 Preamp and Empirical Labs Distressor compressor! It has been and is a rollarcoaster of emotion, but I am down for the ride!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The biggest reason I have been successful in Memphis is because I do my best to communicate with my clients. It sounds simple but a lot of people don’t do it! I make it a point to find out what the goals of my clients are so I can help them get there. I also try to teach my clients the “lingo” I use so we can be on the same page when we are recording. This is important because it gives them the confidence to tell me what they are thinking and what they want, wether that is an effect or some type of vocal harmony, I want to make the song sound like the one they hear in their head. Another reason people come to me is because I am honest and give them constructive feedback. A lot of people in my position just get people in and out. They don’t care about helping the artist create the song that could take them to the next level, they just want a pay day. I will never be like that. My mindset will always be focused on the big picture for my client and myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: uproarrecording.com and damagemediagroup.com
- Instagram: Ryanolsonbro , uproarrecording , and damagemediagroup
- Facebook: uproarrecording
- Twitter: uproarrecording
Image Credits
Jackson Henderson