A&M Studios

A&M Studios
Name	A&M Studios
Type	Recording studio complex
Location	Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Opened	1966
Closed	2014
Owner	Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss (founders)
Notable	The Carpenters, Sting, Janet Jackson, Supertramp, Peter Frampton

A&M Studios A&M Studios was a prominent recording studio complex in Hollywood, Los Angeles, founded by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. It served as a creative hub for rock, pop, jazz, soul, and film score production, hosting sessions by artists associated with labels and producers across North America and Europe. The studios became known for its distinctive rooms, vintage equipment, and association with landmark recordings and influential engineers.

History

A&M Studios originated when Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss expanded their independent label into a studio complex near the heart of Hollywood, joining the lineage of Los Angeles facilities such as Sunset Sound, United Western Recorders, Capitol Studios, and Western Recorders. During the late 1960s and 1970s, the complex intersected with sessions by The Carpenters, Carole King, Cat Stevens, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, and Joni Mitchell, and later accommodated projects by Sting, Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, and David Bowie. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the studios adapted to digital transitions alongside peers like Ocean Way Recording, Electric Lady Studios, Abbey Road Studios, and AIR Studios. The facility operated until the early 2010s, when shifts in the recording industry and property development led to its closure and conversion, echoing changes experienced by Griffin Studio, RCA Studios, MGM Studios, and other historic sites.

Facilities and Locations

Located on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, the complex featured multiple acoustically treated rooms similar to those at Capitol Studios, Sunset Sound, and A&M Records sister facilities. The site included large tracking rooms used by orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra on film scores, control rooms equipped with consoles from Neve Electronics, API, and SSL (Solid State Logic), and isolation booths favored by session musicians like Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, and Waddy Wachtel. Its proximity to studios like Record Plant (Los Angeles), Cherokee Studios, and The Village Recorder made it part of a dense cluster used by producers such as George Martin, Phil Spector, Quincy Jones, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno. A&M's mastering and mixing suites were utilized by soundtrack producers working with composers including John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, and Alan Silvestri.

Notable Recordings and Artists

A wide array of recordings at the complex includes albums and singles by The Police, Supertramp, Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Roxy Music, Beck, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, No Doubt, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Madonna, Prince, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Sting, Seal, Björk, Radiohead, U2, Coldplay, Adele, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg. Film and television projects included sessions tied to productions by Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and collaborations with composers connected to Hollywood Bowl recordings and the Academy Awards.

Production and Engineering Personnel

Engineers and producers who worked in the complex comprise a who’s who of recording professionals: Tom Dowd, Bruce Swedien, Eddie Kramer, Alan Parsons, Glyn Johns, Roy Thomas Baker, Tony Visconti, Bob Clearmountain, Jimmy Iovine, Phil Ramone, T-Bone Burnett, Rick Rubin, Mutt Lange, Trevor Horn, Nigel Godrich, Mick Guzauski, Chris Lord-Alge, Elliot Scheiner, Michael Brauer, Flood, Mark Ronson, Danger Mouse, David Foster, George Duke, Arif Mardin, Don Was, and staff engineers who collaborated with session musicians from the Wrecking Crew collective. Studio managers liaised with label A&R teams from A&M Records, Warner Records, Columbia Records, RCA Records, and Island Records.

Business Operations and Ownership

Originally part of the independent operations created by founders linked to A&M Records, the complex reflected the commercial growth of boutique studios during the 1960s and 1970s alongside corporate entities such as Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and BMG Rights Management. Licensing, union agreements involving American Federation of Musicians, and publishing deals with companies like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC influenced session scheduling and contract terms. The property’s sale and redevelopment involved firms in Los Angeles real estate and intersected with municipal permitting by the City of Los Angeles planning departments and local preservation advocates.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The studio’s legacy resonates across popular music history, soundtrack production, and recording technology evolution, comparable to legacies of Abbey Road Studios, Sun Studio, Motown (Hitsville U.S.A.), Stax Records, and Chess Records. Its role in hits acknowledged at ceremonies such as the Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Academy Awards links it to milestones in Billboard (magazine) chart history and international tours promoted by agencies like William Morris Agency and Creative Artists Agency. Musicians, producers, and archivists cite the complex in oral histories alongside institutions such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and university music programs at UCLA, USC (University of Southern California), and Berklee College of Music as influential in shaping modern recording practices.

Category:Recording studios in California