Joe Wadsworth: The Online Recording Studio

I grew up in a very musical family. At that time, both my parents were working in musical theatre and so a lot of my earliest memories revolve around music. As I hit my teens, I knew that I wanted to work in the music industry; initially as an artist but quickly realised I was more suited to the production/management side of things. I went to study Music Production at Leeds College of Music and, during my first year, I started The Online Recording Studio – then called My First Single.

I would connect with singer/songwriters on Instagram and offer to produce their music for a nominal fee of about £50 per song. I would take care of all of the production and recording in my dorm room, either by myself or with the help of other production students on my floor.

Quickly the number of tracks that I was getting booked became too much for just me to take care of so I started enlisting other students to handle the production. This bloomed into having a consistent stream of artists booking for production with a growing roster of production students.

I saw the potential of becoming the broker between the millions of artists posting on social media each day and the producers around me who were looking for consistent work and so decided to leave my degree and focus on the business full-time. I changed the name to The Online Recording Studio (saved time explaining what we did to people!) and started enlisting more experienced producers, session musicians, designers, marketers, PR consultants, and more.

We have now produced well over a thousand tracks for artists around the world, secured number ones on various charts worldwide, had artists featured in Netflix shows, and secured tens of millions of streams for our artists.

Having come into the world of business without any formal training, I wanted to get to grips better with the non-musical side of the business. I found the Accelerate programme to be incredibly helpful in mapping out the structure of the company, properly organising my ideas, and understanding the strategies needed for success.

Being surrounded by other entrepreneurs from a range of businesses was a great motivator too. The lasting impact has been one of understanding the value of taking a moment to consider the different long-term outcomes of any strategic decision and not rushing into anything without fully preparing.

We work with a range of artists from around the world. All from different backgrounds and experience levels, different genres and sounds, ranging from ages 15 to 75. Some come to us because they are building a career in music whereas others just want to let off steam or have something to leave their grandkids when they're gone.

Over the next quarter, we are launching a new higher-tier service for artists that want all the freedoms and opportunities of a record deal, without being tied into a long-term percentage-based deal and having to give away half their revenue. We are currently building our deck and will be seeking investment in the new year.

If you are an entrepreneur in need of proper strategy skills, or are perhaps lacking confidence in your business skills, this is such a great programme to be a part of. I valued my time with Accelerate so much and almost wish I could do it all again knowing what I know now. The team is so helpful and really cares about your success in the long term. Plus, you'll make some great friends who will understand the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship.