Hollywood, CA (July 15, 2024)—Record Plant is closing its multi-room complex in Los Angeles, the last facility to bear the name of the venerable recording studio brand, which was established in New York City in 1968.
In a Facebook post on July 5, 2024, singer-songwriter Tamara Champlin, wife of singer, songwriter and musician Bill Champlin, wrote: “Can you believe it? THE last day and last session of the Record Plant!? It’s closing its doors today and we were recording with Nigel Olsen, Tom Cridland, Enrique Chris, Bill Champlin & Tamara.” Los Angeles magazine broke the news to the public about a week later.
Businessman Chris Stone and engineer and producer Gary Kellgren built the first Record Plant just west of Times Square in New York City in 1968, initially to record Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland album. The facility offered a groundbreaking new approach to recording studio design, leaning in to a “living room” vibe, a departure from the more workmanlike corporate studios of the time.
Having set up the sale of the New York facility to a cable TV company and leaving studio operations in the hands of engineer Ray Cicala, Stone and Kellgren decamped to the west coast and opened Record Plant LA in a former film studio on W. Third Street near La Cienega Blvd. The opening night party was December 4, 1969.
Stone and Kellgren subsequently opened Record Plant Sausalito in California’s Bay Area in 1972. Record Plant LA’s Third Street complex closed, moving to its present building on Sycamore Street in Hollywood in 1986. Stone sold the Sycamore facility to Beatles producer George Martin and Chrysalis Records in 1989. There have been several owners since, including producer and label executive Rick Stevens and artist-producer Bruno Mars.
Record Plant NY remained open for business until 1987. Record Plant Sausalito closed in 2008 but has recently been reopened under a new name.
The opening of the LA facility spawned a proliferation of recording studios in the city. Within a year, there were 15 major recording facilities in Los Angeles, and within 10 years, there were 50, co-authors Marty Porter and David “Mr. Bonzai” Goggin report in their upcoming book, The Record Plant Diaries. The previously untold history of Stone and Kellgren’s three studio complexes, where classic albums by John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles were produced, will be available from publisher Thames & Hudson in 2025.
Record Plant Sausilito’s Acoustics to be Digitized
In more recent times, the sole remaining Record Plant facility has hosted sessions by a veritable who’s-who of hip-hop, R&B and pop royalty, including Beyoncé, Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Jay-Z. In a follow-up to its July 11 article, Los Angeles magazine has published some reminiscences from Grammy-nominated producer Ron Fair about his 10 years with Interscope Geffen A&M, where he worked under the wing of Jimmy Iovine—himself an alumnus of Record Plant NY—beginning in 2001, spending much of his time at Record Plant.
“Things got slim for the Record Plant for a while,” Fair writes. “I was their only paying client. Jimmy covered the bill. His bet was on Ron Fair.” Fair’s projects included multi-million-selling albums from Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Mary J. Blige, Vanessa Carlton, Pussycat Dolls and Keyshia Cole.
When news of Record Plant’s closing broke, some commentators were quick to predict the imminent demise of large studios in Los Angeles, pointing to the relatively recent shuttering of United Recording (formerly Ocean Way) Studios and the still-closed Capitol Records studios, which are said to be undergoing improvements. Yet historic studios such as EastWest and Sunset Sound continue to attract business, and the building that once housed Producers Workshop recently reopened as Boulevard Recording. Just like New York City, where Hit Factory, Sony Music and several other studios closed their doors for the last time many years ago, it’s more likely that the recording business will continue to evolve and thrive as new facilities open to take their place.
