So when I meet people and we start talking about career, the question undoubtedly comes up. What was it like to run the largest recording studio this side of the globe?Closely followed by:“Who’s the most famous artist you’ve met?”“What was Katy Perry like?”“I bet you’ve got some wild stories…”“Did you ever sit in on sessions?”“What do you think of autotune?”As I step into a new chapter, building new ventures, backing others and exploring fresh ground, I’ve been fighting the urge to revisit the past. (See my last article, <a target="_self" class="SDioOwnxzAPcXDcyylAHpexfgnUpHLY " href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dont-play-hits-more-questions-than-answers-ron-haryanto-uiqcc">Don’t Play the Hits.</a>)This week, however, I felt like giving it space.So here are some of my biggest takeaways, lessons and challenges from the eight years I spent running Australia’s largest and oldest recording studio, Studios 301.Check your ego at the door 🦅Let’s start with what people always ask: Out of all the international artists, who were the biggest names, and what were they like? In my time, from Coldplay, Kelly Rowland, Elton John, the Weeknd, Delta Goodrem, Kid LAROI and everyone in between.Honestly? Most were great. We tried to build a creative sanctuary - a safe space, no press, no ego, just a space where artists could be themselves. And when you create that kind of environment, you see people at their most honest self.Post Malone - Probably the nicest person ever. You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat assistant engineers and interns. Across the board, the feedback was, “I think Post might be the kindest artist we’ve worked with.”Unfortunately (and I hate to say it), the biggest egos I experienced? Generally came from local artists or people early in their career.Most famous person I met? Chris Martin from Coldplay. Person I probably “stanned” the most? Daniel Johns (it’s a Newcastle thing).Relocation &amp; Rebuild2017, the relocation year was challenging. For 14 months, we had no physical studio. Just a story we had to keep alive.When we finally reopened a new studio in Feb 2018 the real work began. People had moved on. Life didn’t wait. We had to rebuild the community, the culture and the energy, from the ground up.When I say community, I mean the entire ecosystem: engineers, artists, producers, partners and the culture that makes a place worth showing up for.So I went all in: Social Events. Masterclasses. Courses. Open days. Keynotes. Brand collabs. Free trials. Anything that gave people a reason to feel connected again. New and old alike. Alongside building new, I reconnected with anyone who had ever been part of the brand. Whether their experience had been good or bad. As far as I was concerned this was a chance to start fresh.“You don’t build a studio. You build the energy that lives inside it.”<img src="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5612AQHMNfeD8B2ogg/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488/B56ZZ2jKC2HAAQ-/0/1745745655227?e=1756339200&amp;v=beta&amp;t=3fK28wo782UW_vGR9akWpNlbFslVRqCQ7740uF_wrqM" alt="Article content" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-style: none; border-width: 0px; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; background: none 50% center / cover repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, &quot;Fira Sans&quot;, Ubuntu, Oxygen, &quot;Oxygen Sans&quot;, Cantarell, &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, &quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Symbol&quot;, &quot;Lucida Grande&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; object-position: center center; object-fit: cover; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 632px;" loading="lazy" class="ivm-view-attr__img--centered reader-image-block__img evi-image lazy-image ember-view" id="ember74" draggable="true">2018Yesterday’s price is not today’s price: The pricing trapHere’s a hard truth: when you lead with free, it’s hard to circle back to full price. We gave away a lot - discounts, comps, trial time - because it built trust and goodwill. But converting that into sustainable income? Tough. Sometimes, damn near impossible.Lesson: community is vital, but clarity around value is too.The Old vs New (And a Pandemic in Between)Being asked to lead a legacy business in a shifting industry is a minefield.You inherit the old ways, systems, mindsets, staff, revenue models, feelings, while trying to create something new. Often, no matter how creative or innovative your ideas are, the foundations pull you back, and people resist change. Especially when the old way feels familiar - even if it no longer works. That resistance isn’t personal, but you have to learn how to push forward without losing people along the way.The model was still built around selling hours and space. Everything else - events, culture, partnerships - was ‘nice to have’. To me, those were the things that actually made the brand matter. Or they were a convenient distraction.Then Covid hit.We all went into survival mode, but one moment still stands out, clear as day. A group of engineers came to me and said:“We’ll do whatever it takes to keep the studio alive.”That was when I knew we’d built something real. Something people believed in.The Double-Edged SwordHere’s the part people don’t talk about: Your love for an idea won’t love you back.A building won’t check in on your mental health. A mixing desk doesn’t care about burnout. And a business based on booking space and time won’t automatically value people over profit. (It can’t)We built something special - and we gave everything to it. But eventually, I hit a point where I felt stuck. Like I’d reached the ceiling.Also Burnout is real. And it doesn’t always look like exhaustion, it can look like indifference, like a spark fading.We made huge progress, but for every win, something suffered. My job became choosing what not to let break and that was the hardest part.Leading with Vision, Even When It’s Hard“If you’re not going to lead for best-case scenario, then why are we here?”That’s something David Drummond, one of our directors, and my self-appointed mentor, once said to me. It stuck.So I always led with that in mind. I felt the weight of legacy. I felt the responsibility - to the team, the artists, the brand, the history. I never took that lightly. Still don’t. But it was a constant challenge.Midway through, I also took on a second role, CEO of Abbey Road Institute Sydney, while still leading the studio. What a lot of people also don’t know is that during this whole run, I was also gigging a full schedule around Sydney and releasing original music. I was leading by day, and onstage by night. Building systems and stories at the studio, and chasing my own as an artist. Both parts mattered. I always felt like I needed to be an active participant of everything to be relevant.What I Know NowSo I’m gonna keep it brief. There’s a lot I could unpack from those eight years, but here’s what I know for sure:<ul><li>Say yes to big, scary opportunities. Even if you’re underqualified. Especially if you’re underqualified. The best moments in my career didn’t come from having all the answers, they came from figuring it out along the way.</li><li>Double down on people. The right relationships will carry you through the hard seasons, especially when you’re too tired to carry it alone.</li><li>Build community by any means necessary. It’s not about how many clients you have, it’s about who feels ownership. Who feels seen and who wants to show up again. That’s the difference between a space and a movement.</li><li>Be obsessed with your journey. You can’t fake the drive. I made sure that my business values mirrored my personal values. Make sure that it all means something to you, and show up, even when no one’s clapping.</li><li>Understand the real cost of leadership. It’s not about job titles or wins, it’s about the weight you carry when things go wrong. It’s about owning the invisible pressure. The moments you shield others from chaos. Being the face a of something that’s not a guaranteed success. That’s the part no one talks about.</li><li>Find great mentors and people who challenge you. I wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did without people like David Drummond pushing me to lead with bigger vision, even when I didn’t feel ready. Even when he challenged the shit out of me.</li><li>Learn how to turn mess into momentum. So many of the best ideas came from breakdowns. When things stopped working. Innovation never came from safety, it came from necessity.</li><li>Don’t be afraid to lead. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when you’re the youngest in the room. You don’t need permission to take the wheel, people want to be led.</li><li>Know when it’s time to evolve. Letting go doesn’t mean failure. Sometimes the only way to honour what you’ve built is to walk away before it burns you out.</li><li>Leave the door open behind you. So the next person walking in has a little more room to dream, build and do it their way.</li></ul>As much as I like to stand high on the inspiration soapbox, I’m sure I’m the villain in someone’s story. That’s part of leadership. But wherever I showed up, I hope I lived out this mantra:Leave the industry better than you found it.If you’ve got any questions, drop them in the comments.And yes. If you’ve ever seen the movie ‘Get Him to the Greek’ that’s exactly what running the studio was like.<img src="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5612AQF2-VsVolzaAQ/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488/B56ZZ2jhLyGoAQ-/0/1745745745531?e=1756339200&amp;v=beta&amp;t=Clq-pL3bfws81V-mZvVllopO7aQCmRXRQHFqVFa_-xU" alt="Article content" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-style: none; border-width: 0px; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; background: none 50% center / cover repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, &quot;Fira Sans&quot;, Ubuntu, Oxygen, &quot;Oxygen Sans&quot;, Cantarell, &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, &quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Symbol&quot;, &quot;Lucida Grande&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; object-position: center center; object-fit: cover; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 632px;" loading="lazy" class="ivm-view-attr__img--centered reader-image-block__img evi-image lazy-image ember-view" id="ember104" draggable="true">Zedd and my puppy Sir Charles Barkley (2018)

So when I meet people and we start talking about career, the question undoubtedly comes up. 
"What was it like to run the largest recording studio this side of the globe? "

What It Was Really Like Running the Largest Recording Studio in the Southern Hemisphere

Across multiple different short form content streams, our Founders and Industry Leaders explore their key takeaways from industry events, challenges that creatives face, and everything in-between.

What It Was Really Like Running the Largest Recording Studio in the Southern Hemisphere

What It Was Really Like Running the Largest Recording Studio in the Southern Hemisphere

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