Today we’d like to introduce you to Don Ringhofer.
Hi Don, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Back in 2005 I was drumming in a band and we were rehearsing in my living room. One of my bandmates back then was familar with rehearsal studios. Places you can rehearse that have studios fully equipped with musical gear (drums, guitar and bass amps and full PA systems). Designed for quick setup and breakdown and no need to bring those items with you (unless you had to have your own gear to practice with). Using my living room was getting old and it was hard staying focused on rehearsing the whole time. I started looking into rehearsal studios in town. Turns out… there were no rehearsal studios in Jacksonville. Right about this time my day job, I was working customer service for a large computer firm. As fate would have it, that company got bought out and the writing was on the wall… “your days are numbered here, start looking for another job”. So I decided to open up the only fully equipped rehearsal studio with 5 rooms in Jacksonville, FL. Stay Tuned Studios grand opening was on 07/07/07. Then one year later on my 50th birthday I was let go from my “day job’ and never looked back. The music community in northeast Florida has been awesome which has allowed me to stay open through the financial problems (housing market taking a hit, etc.) and COVID. In July we will start our 19th year in business!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve had our ups and downs. As a music studio, we cater to a limited clientele. Not everyone is a musician and within that community some are pros, some are weekend warriors and some come in to jam (kind of like bowling night or card night). Well, when times get tough “recreation” time can be put on hold and the studio suffers because people are watching their money and put music on the back burner for awhile. This happened during the 2008 housing fiasco and again during COVID. We stayed open during those times, but bookings went way down. Thank goodness the Jacksonville music community is so awesome. During COVID we had to ask for help with a Gofundme campaign and the the music community and friends of the studio came through in spades! The dollar amout we asked for was achieved in 3 days.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We opened on 07/07/07. We were the very first premiere music rehearsal studio in northeast Florida. Each of our 5 studios are fully equipped with backline gear (guitar amps, drumsets and full P.A.). Things started off slow, but gradually picked up as we started offering other services. We started offering audio and video recording services along with equipment rentals and sound engineering.
What’s next?
We plan on staying true to our beliefs. To continue to help the music community by being a reliable source of support for their craft, stay up on current industry technology and to keep our services affordable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.staytunedstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staytunedstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staytunedstudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@staytunedstudios904
