Recent Positively West Virginia guest Joshua Swiger is helping artists all over the state get their start with a quality record through his company, Blues Alley Studios. He loves being a West Virginia native and hopes that his work with local artists can help keep the talent within state lines.
Although Josh has been in the music industry for over 25 years as a professor, musician and active voting member of the Country Music Association, his journey hasn’t been easy. He spent many years working his way to becoming a successful studio owner and producer.
Josh said, “I was young, and there weren’t many recording studios around.” Instead of outsourcing, Josh decided to create a space for artists to make great music in a comfortable space – his parent’s basement.
Today the studio is in a commercial space in Morgantown and is a second home for many West Virginia artists. Josh’s favorite part of his job is collaboratively producing music with both seasoned and young artists around the state. It gets him excited to watch new groups move forward in their career and become more popular.
Josh claims that the struggles of the studio have been minor ones and indeed expected. With any startup, there can be months that rent is scraped together, or creativity isn’t flowing like you wish it would. However, for Josh, those struggles are all worth it for the opportunity to share the art that West Virginians create with the world.
The moment that Josh knew he had “made it” was when he found himself recording a song in his new studio that he had first recorded about 20 years prior. He continues to grow his business by creating lasting partnerships with other local resources for the creative community.
“It’s gonna take a lot to get me to leave,” said Josh. People like Josh are helping West Virginia grow every day. If you are an up-and-coming artist or one who has established your career, you can find a home at Blues Alley Studios. Visit http://bluesalleymusic.com/ to learn more.
Listen to Joshua’s whole podcast here: https://positivelywv.com/podcast/episode-161-joshua-swiger-blues-alley-studios-and-records/
PWV QUICK BITS | JOSHUA SWIGER
PIECE OF ADVICE: “Make partnerships,” advised Joshua.