50 l August 2012


www.prosoundnewseurope.com industrytalk


A NEWmood is sweeping through London’s studio community, typified by the bullish attitude of Metropolis CEO Ian Brenchley. Joining from the Universal Music Group at the end of 2008, Brenchley had spent several years as director of audiovisual there and carried this multimedia spirit into a studio complex already geared up for new digital media projects from DVD authoring to graphic design. Taking these initiatives much further, Brenchley’s vision chimes with the creative community ethic currently espoused by rival complexes like The Hospital Club, Strongroom and even Wisseloord in Holland. Most of all, Brenchley is resolutely positive about one thing: forget the doom and gloom of the Noughties, and we can build a new media production industry with audio as a key partner…


Is there something in the air that’s driving forward these ideas? Not so much something in the air, as nothing in the bank. There’s simply no money in studios, in the traditional sense, any more. There’s no margin unless you adapt, and we’re busier than ever now. To survive, you must diversify.


But what aspects of a recording studio, as it was once designed, can now be adapted? The fabric of the building means that what we’re doing now is a natural extension of the business. Its history is still inspirational, it’s aesthetically one of the most pleasing interiors in the business, and the rooms work for the well of talent, old and new, that we have here. The first time I walked around here, I immediately had scores of ideas about what we could do.


In one form or another, video seems to be the key to this… That’s my immediate background. At Universal,


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“There aren’t that many facilities of this size left, and we’re not sitting back and waiting to be the last one standing. We’re actively seeking new business, and trying to pave the way”


Ian Brenchley, Metropolis


Are those customers still discerning about the audio gear you have? There was a period of under- investment, but we’re now in a very targeted R&D and investment phase. We’re trying to get ahead of the game with equipment, and not just react. Opinions are very fragmented, and there’s no single technology to hang your hat on, but we want Metropolis to be as pioneering as it always was.


Metropolitan line The


Metropolis CEO Ian Brenchley talks to Phil Ward about the need to diversify to survive


we commissioned, shot and commercially exploited about 750 DVD titles while I was there, along with TV sales and generally wringing every last penny out of digital content. As DVD waned, online business became established. Audio is an essential part of this, and has come out of its own ghetto into an integrated market.


What attracted you to Metropolis?


I used to be a client – which was good and bad. At Universal I must have put hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of work this way, but when the service got so bad I stopped using it. I got a call asking why, was invited to a no-holds-barred meeting and, after I’d had my say describing what they


should do, they asked me if I’d like to do it! I thought very carefully about it, and decided the opportunity was unmissable. If you can take anyone else’s content and get money for it, why not make your own and take the margin? Plus it’s a great brand to attach yourself to, with its history and its reputation for great audio quality. So if I could improve the service of the core business, and bring in this new business, the possibilities are infinite. There are obvious synergies.


There is a sense of déjà vu, given that attempts had already be made to ‘go multimedia’ at Metropolis… I think you’re referring to when Laura Traill was here, who came from Channel Four. There was a great deal of success with


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audiovisual content, helped also by Mike Gillespie when he was here. But they were also combating a sense of elitism, a sense that rates deserved to be high because the facility assumed it was the best. Well, I’m afraid that in this day and age that attitude doesn’t work for any customer. You have to be very competitive, very flexible and provide service excellence. Since I’ve been here I’ve tried to break down that ivory tower culture and establish a new one in which the customer is always right.


And the customers are there? Our occupancy is very high. There aren’t that many facilities of this size left, and we’re not sitting back and waiting to be the last one standing. We’re actively seeking new business, and trying to pave the way.


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Roland UK has set up a demo suite and a ‘Silent Stage’, within the facility (see PSNEurope July 2012). Where else can you be ‘pioneering’? A good example is our mastering for iTunes service. We must be one of the first to offer that. This also represents a new attitude: it’s not enough to decry consumer standards; we have to supply the best that consumers want. Complaining that compressed audio is not as good as vinyl, for example, is not going to make us any money. We have specialists in every department looking at where the cutting edge is, from audio to 3D graphics, online content management and cameras. Our new studio in Qatar has huge budgets, and will be a major statement in state-of- the-art technology.


Is going international part of diversification? Absolutely. It’s about global brand building. We’d like to be in Tokyo and LA within the next 18 months, but Qatar will open soon following our deal with the Qatari government. This is an orchestral facility, like Abbey Road.


Wow, aim high… When I started at Virgin Records, all I heard was ‘you should have been here five years ago’ – and that’s what you keep hearing in this industry. I just think you can sit and moan and fall by the wayside, or you can do something about it. As small as we are, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. n www.metropolis-group.co.uk


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