The Record Plant, the iconic Los Angeles recording studio that boasted that it spawned more hits and Grammy Award-winning music than at any other studio in the world, is closing its doors after 55 years.
Record Plant Recording Studios on North Sycamore Avenue in Hollywood opened in 1972, following the opening of a New York location, which closed in 1987. Another outlet in Sausalito closed in 2008.
The list of all-time best-sellers recorded at the L.A. location includes Eagles’ Hotel California, Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction, and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, among many others.
Los Angeles Magazine reports the studio was a victim of advances in recording technology.
Studio engineer Gary Myerberg told the outlet, “There is no money in the recording music business. That’s basically like a flyer for your show. I don’t think there’s much hope for the recording industry in LA. If you want to go to the studio and spend $2,000 a day, just take that and buy a laptop and a sample library, or tell AI what song you want to make and it’ll make it.”
Guitar technician Jesse McInturff added, “The need for a big room is pretty minor at this point. There are less and less rock bands, and you could record Taylor Swift in a vocal booth the size of a closet.”
Record Plant was more than a studio. It offered suites for clients, a hot tub, waterbeds, bondage gear and even mirrored ceilings.