Today we’d like to introduce you to Miles Davidson.
Hi Miles, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I had spent my childhood and adolescence being constantly encouraged to pursue music- or at least keep music as part of my DNA. My dad played drum set in rock and roll and jazz bands, and I always thought it was fun, but never really saw myself following in those footsteps as a profession. I played music through high school- drumming for show choir combos and other school organizations, but again, only for the enjoyment of it, never considering it the foundation of my career. For the year that was my freshman year of college, I largely took a break from playing music, and spent my time listening and drawing inspiration from the classics as well as contemporary artists. By my sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati, I wasn’t really considering playing music until I was invited to join an already established band that had recently lost their drummer. I joined and had a blast. The first performance with this band was on a bill with several other bands, so right after we left the stage, another band began playing. When we made our way out into the crowd, my dad informed me that a position had opened up to work with him at his music store. After a few years of working with my dad, I became the sole owner of 3rd Street Music in Hamilton, Ohio, turning it into a musical hub for the community. We continue to teach and record music, as well as supply our community with instruments and accessories.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When things seem smooth, I usually take that as a sign to add something new to what I offer to the community. I’ve grown up running this business, from becoming the cashier for the store at age 20 to now owning and growing the business at 26.
When I first began working at 3rd Street Music, I wanted to start a record store. We built shelves and stocked the store with thousands of albums- rows and rows of music. It turned out that as much as I loved it, there was not a demand for that kind of business in our area. It took a long time to recover from that and basically put things back how they were before, focusing our retail efforts back toward guitars and guitar accessories.
Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like growth is happening fast enough, and I have to remember that good things happen in time. I’ve had to mature and change the way I operate my life to be able to run the business as effectively as I know I can and continue to learn about myself and the world around me in order to make myself and 3rd Street Music the best it can be.
As you know, we’re big fans of 3rd Street Music. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
3rd Street Music is the musical hub for Hamilton, Ohio. Our big three offerings are music lessons, audio recording, and our storefront, but we also book entertainment for venues and events, organize and operate live sound, and repair instruments. Sometimes, we get a call to help with music or sound in a way we might not have even thought about offering, but if it connects people through music, we are always happy to help in whatever way we can.
Every service-based business is unique from each other business in the industry because every business is going to have different people working there. Our teachers teach differently than the teachers at any other music store, and our audio engineers are unique to our studio. In that, I find strength. We have an excellent staff, and we are proud of what we offer to students and our recording clients.
We offer music lessons for all types of students- no matter their instrument, age, or experience level. We wanted to apply this flexibility to our recording studio, so now, in addition to recording, we also offer songwriting and pre-production sessions to help musicians turn their ideas into fully worked-out songs before their recording session. We partner with a mixing and mastering studio to ensure top-notch postproduction. All this means we are a full-service music studio- we can help turn musical ideas into fully realized professional albums at a price independent musicians can afford.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Music is an amazing way people can connect. Whether it’s catching a live show, jamming together, or just talking about music, there are so many opportunities for people to connect in a positive way. I am proud that in less than a decade, I’ve become someone people come to when they are ready to connect with others and use music as their method. When people feel safe and connected, they are free to be the best version of themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: 3rdstreetmusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/3rdstreetmusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/3rdstreetmusic
