Augustana Observer

Augustana Observer

Augustana Observer

Daytrotter brings big names, new sound

In+a+Daytrotter+recording+booth%2C+artist+Phill+Reynolds+prepares+to+record+a+new+song.%0APhoto+by+Christie+Beach.
In a Daytrotter recording booth, artist Phill Reynolds prepares to record a new song. Photo by Christie Beach.
In a Daytrotter recording booth, artist Phill Reynolds prepares to record a new song. Photo by Christie Beach.
In a Daytrotter recording booth, artist Phill Reynolds prepares to record a new song.
Photo by Christie Beach.

Daytrotter Recording Studio was founded in February of 2006 by Sean Moeller, and is just months away from its 10 year anniversary.

A former University of Iowa graduate, Moeller was working for the Quad City Times and looking to do something else. Moeller pitched the idea to their original engineer, Patrick Stolley, who had the recording equipment and the two began their small company.

Davenport was chosen as a location mostly due to convenience for him and convenience for the bands that are traveling through the bigger cities surrounding the area.

Much of their clientele has been formed due to word of mouth. When first starting out, Moeller made use of the contacts he had made through reviewing and interviewing musicians for the Quad City Times.  If all else had failed, they still remembered his name.

Currently, about half of the bands brought in are sought out by Moeller, and the other half request a session. Generally,  band that are just getting their feet wet, and those that are doing quite well on their own are the kind of bands that Sean contacts, whereas bands that are between those two stages are those that come to Daytrotter seeking a session. The studio has also brought in bigger names such as Charli XCX and Mumford and Sons.

With over 5200 sessions recorded, there is no one reason why bands choose Daytrotter as a recording medium.

“Nobody else was really doing what we do,” Moeller said, “using a website as sort of a platform for basically a recording studio as a promotional tool.”

As a company, they had to make a name for themselves and chose to focus on guaranteeing quality work, and emphasizing the novelty and promotional aspects of their company.

“It’s basically equivalent to somebody writing about them in a newspaper or a magazine,” he said.

Many artists view the session as a sort of “feather in their cap.”

Augustana students have free access to the music on Daytrotter’s website. The process is as simple as emailing [email protected] with “Augie” in the subject line and setting up an account for their website from there.

Once a student has an account, they have unlimited access to any of the 5200 sessions they’ve recorded, and clearance to stream and download the music as much as they want.

In addition, any students that are interested in this type of field are welcome to contact Moeller with questions or request a visit.

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Daytrotter brings big names, new sound