Frequently Asked Questions
What is Youth Recordings Chicago?
What is a 501(c)(3) pending nonprofit organization?
So is my donation tax deductible while the application is pending?
Why was this company formed?
Why is recording music such a big deal?
So why can’t kids just save up and pay for studio recordings on their own?
Who exactly will benefit from your services?
Is anyone doing something similar to YRC?
Where is your recording studio?
What is the name of your recording studio?
What kind of timeline do you have in mind for the official opening of your studio?
The recording studio is described as “YRC’s first project”. Are there other projects in the works?
How much money do you think you will need?
What are your donations used for?
How much money do the members of the board of directors make from YRC?
How do I donate money?
I would like to make a donation to Youth Recordings Chicago, but I would like more information first that I cannot find on your website. Is this possible?
You seem to need a lot of money to do this, but I can only donate a small amount.
I want to help, but I just can’t afford to give any money.
Do you need help running the studio?
What other services will you need help with?
I think I have a service I can provide, how do I get involved?
I want to record with you, what should I do?
We are a 501(c)(3) pending nonprofit organization based out of Chicago. Our mission is to support the musical youth of our city by providing them with professional audio recording services free of charge. Please see our About Us page for further details about the members of the board. Back to the top
Our company is a charitable organization, and none of our board members seek financial gain from the services we provide. The Internal Revenue Service requires a special application to be submitted by nonprofit organizations so that donations are not subject to income taxes. 501(c)(3) is the section of the IRS code that details how nonprofit organizations are treated. We have submitted our application, but it typically takes several months for this to be reviewed and approved. Back to the top
Yes! The IRS will retroactively consider all donations made during the review period to be tax-deductible on approval of the 501(c)(3) application. Back to the top
Please see the About Us page for a detailed explanation of this. Back to the top
There is something magical about creating a permanent recording of your music. Taking the time to fine tune and perfect the way your music sounds to the world is an amazing experience for a musician, and it opens up a whole new world of creativity. From a practical perspective, it is very difficult to move forward professionally without a recording to demonstrate your talents. Back to the top
With improvements in modern recording technology, it is no longer acceptable to have a low quality recording for promotion of one’s talents. Most bands and musicians now create high quality “demo” recordings, either with self-purchased recording equipment or (more ideally) in a recording studio. Both of these routes are tremendously expensive, and it is not uncommon for projects to cost thousands of dollars. For this reason, child and teenaged musicians are at an inherent disadvantage in the music industry, and this is why we have formed Youth Recordings Chicago. Back to the top
All children and teenagers living in the Chicagoland area. Whether you are six or sixteen, live in Lincoln Park or Lincolnwood, and are a rock band, string quartet, or hip hop artist – YRC is excited about helping you to create a recording that perfectly and artistically captures your musical talents. Back to the top
There is one studio in Chicago, a few in the midwest, and about a dozen in the United States that offer discounted recording services to either children or full-time students. To our knowledge, we will be the only studio in the country to offer professional recording services free of charge to children. Back to the top
Currently, the studio is in the “research and development” stage. We are having active meetings and discussions with local contractors and property consultants to determine which location will be optimal for our needs. What we can tell you at this point is that it will be in an accessible and safe area within Chicago. Back to the top
This is also in the brainstorming stages at this time. Please send your creative ideas to contact@youthrecordings.org or visit our Contact Us page for more ways to talk to us. Back to the top
This is going to be a long term project. Once we have finalized our construction, fundraising, promotional, and operational budgets, we will begin dedicating a majority of our efforts to fundraising. We hope to raise our target amount within eighteen months. Allowing another six months (at a minimum) for actual construction and preparation, it is not unreasonable to estimate that it will be at least two years before we open. The more successful we are in our fundraising efforts, the sooner we will be able to open our doors! Back to the top
Not at this time, but we ultimately see YRC as becoming a major resource for child musicians in multiple ways. At some point in the future, we see ourselves helping to promote and possibly even distribute these recordings through avenues such as internet, CD/DVD, and local radio. The possibilities are endless, but our first and most critical project is to help children to create these recordings in the first place. Back to the top
Our goal is to acquire 100% of studio construction/equipment costs and one year of operational funds prior to construction. While we are still formulating our budgets, we estimate that we will need $250,000 to achieve our goals. Back to the top
Hundreds of things. To run our company, we need to pay for phones, a post office box, a web site, ink and paper costs, stamps, envelopes, and other office necessities. We use about 10% of our donations to plan large-scale fundraising events (such as concerts and dinners), for fundraising mailings, and to create printed donor and media kits. Once we begin construction of the studio, the remainder of our donations will go towards construction costs, equipment, rent, utilities, and stipends for audio engineers and producers. Back to the top
Nothing. YRC is a charitable organization, and each board member is performing his or her role on a completely voluntary basis. All income from donations is used for corporate operations and YRC projects (at this time, the recording studio). Back to the top
Please go to our Donations page, and thank you for your support! Back to the top
on your website. Is this possible?
Absolutely! We are extremely excited and enthusiastic about our company, and we are happy to discuss any details you may have questions about. Please send an email to contact@youthrecordings.org and one of our board members will contact you. Or, please call us at (877) YRC-1972 and we will be happy to address any questions you may have. Back to the top
You seem to need a lot of money to do this, but I can only donate a small amount.
We welcome all donations, thank you so much for your generosity! Back to the top
That’s OK, please see our Donations page to see other ways you can support our cause! Back to the top
Yes! Once the studio has been built, it will be run by Tony Hoch and Ben Stull. However, they can only handle a job like this on their own for a short time. We will need the help of audio engineers to run our day to day operations. There will likely be a small stipend for their time. Ideally, we would like to eventually work with local music and audio engineering schools to hire interns for college credit. We will keep you updated on our needs once the studio is ready for business. Back to the top
Basically everything. In short, we will ultimately need the support of almost every aspect of the community to help our vision come to life. At this time, we would love to hear from graphic artists to help us design a media kit for distribution in our fundraising efforts. We will also need somebody in the printing industry to help us find an affordable way to create these kits. We will need the help of local restaurants to help us plan fundraising dinners, as well as local concert venues for fundraising concerts. We are always looking for musicians and bands who would like to play at these concerts. Back to the top
We would love to have you help us! Please email us at contact@youthrecordings.org or vist our Contact Us page and tell us how you can help! Back to the top
I want to record with you, what should I do?
We would love to have you record with us! At this time, we are still fundraising and planning our studio. We hope to open our doors by January 2012. Still, we would love to hear from you, please send us an email and we will be sure to keep you updated on all of our progress. Back to the top
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