UMG Proposes $250M Nashville-Area Music Studio, Education Complex – Billboard

Universal Music Group (UMG) has plans to redevelop some of its owned properties in Nashville‘s Berry Hill area as part of an overall $250 million music and educational complex in Nashville’s Berry Hill area, that also includes additional Berry Hill property owners East-Iris Columbine LLC and Berry Hill Development. The site covers 4.15 acres, including several buildings on Columbine Place and E. Iris Place. UMG Recordings owns six properties as part of the site, while East-Iris Columbine, LLC owns nine properties, while the City of Berry Hill owns one property included in the proposal.

A rendering of the mixed-use development shows four zones made up of music studios, an audio technology and research facility, video studio facility, scoring stage, restaurants, retail outlets and education space, as well as over 400 parking spaces. Zone one would include a 34,000-square-foot recording studio, while zone two would feature a 59,500-square-foot music studio as well as a 3,500-square-foot sit-down restaurant. Zone three would feature a community building, while zone four would include an education/office building, retail and restaurant space and parking. The complex would also include four residential buildings slated as producer cottages. The expanded public park would boast a new community building, stage and outdoor performance space.

In a document submitted to the City of Berry Hill (also commonly considered a Nashville neighborhood), the proposed development “is for an entertainment industry production and education campus centered around a vibrant public space bordered by a mix of restaurant and retail uses. …The development is anchored by state of the art recording and video studio facilities, an audio technology research and development lab, and a scoring stage which is the first of its kind in the central U.S. The education component borders the west side of the public park intended to house a variety of higher-ed music school programs that will benefit from the synergy with oncampus industry professionals and activities.”

UMG had previously purchased many of the buildings, including East Iris Studios (formerly the House of Blues), which the company bought in 2019 for $4.3 million. Officials from UMG, Guanci and the City of Berry Hill met on Monday evening (Dec. 4) to discuss the submitted plan.

UMG’s Nashville office is located in Music City’s downtown area. Its current roster includes Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker and George Strait.