Chatting With Baustert Of Decibel Consulting, Design

You see them all over the city. Plastered on light poles, in the windows of clubs, even on Facebook. They are event fliers. Ever wonder who makes them? There are thousands of advertising agencies creating promotion fliers throughout the metro but one in particular caters to the local music industry. Musician and graphic designer Ryan Baustert does it all. From screen printing, photography and fliers, his company, Decibel Consulting and Design focuses on his small business and bands. A short Q&A session with this native Minnesotan shows music and business are two very strong passions of his.

Emily: All right, Ryan, explain to us who you are and what you do.

Ryan: My name is Ryan Baustert and I do graphic design and artist consulting promotion for the small business and entertainment industries.

Emily: How did you get your start here in Minneapolis?

Ryan: I founded my company, Decibel Consulting & Design, in the fall of 2008. In addition to that, I have been working my band, Throw The Fight, up the music industry ladder since we started in 2003. After a while, I noticed that I had members of other regional bands coming up to me on a constant basis asking how we got on such and such tours or how we landed this deal or that deal. It was then that I realized a need for a service. I left my job at an advertising agency in 2008 to start up my own company and here we are.

Emily: Why is what you are doing in the Twin Cities important?

Ryan: The music industry is extremely oversaturated and it's hard to get people to care about what you are doing, especially for younger bands that are in their first stages of starting out. Being able to provide services that allow them to navigate the industry and build their careers as self-sufficient artists, while being flexible with struggling artists budgets, is what it's all about. A lot of our services such as web and print design, social network promotion, press, etc. are all handled in house. In addition to that, we use our network of other industry professionals to provide additional services for our clients like licensing, screen printing, CD duplication, photography, music production, etc. What we strive to do is make our small business clients and bands the total package.

Emily: What is your favorite thing about working in the Twin Cities music scene?

Ryan: My favorite thing about working in this scene is the diversity. No matter what type of music you're into, you can find a good number of artists around here that will suit you. I've also been lucky enough to be able to tour all over the country. I still have yet to find a place that I'd rather live in over Minnesota.

Emily: Five-second shameless plug... GO! 

Ryan: To check out the companies site, head to http://decibelpromo.com. To see what Throw the Fight is all about, check out http://throwthefight.com

For more information about Decibel Consulting and Design or Throw the Fight, follow the links listed above.

--Emily Buss is a music journalist from Minneapolis and author of On the Rechord blog. On the Rechord is a music site dedicated to the local music scene in the Twin Cities. Emily writes concert and album reviews, band and artist profiles, and provides information about local shows. A college graduate with a degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis on Journalism, Emily has been professionally writing for newspapers and online outlets for six years. You can find Emily at www.ontherechord.com, on Facebook at On the Rechord and on Twitter @TheEmilyB.