Studio hubs: changing recording environments

From the 1960s through to the end of the 20th century, recording studios were mainly owned by large record labels, who would generally employ in-house engineers, and bring outside producers to work on specific projects. Abbey Road, where the Beatles recorded much of their creative work, was at this time owned by record label EMI, who employed a host of in-house engineers such as Ken Scott. However, over the past 15 years, there has been a decline in large corporate owned studios and a rise in smaller independently owned, producer-based studios. Many of these studios are located in private homes, owned by a mixture of hobbyists and professionals. Here, producers own and operate their own studio, often functioning as both a sound engineer and musician. This paper will consider the recording studio Love Hz Studios as a case study of the technological and cultural differences between these emerging environments with home and large studios. It situates Love Hz in-between home and large studios and argues that their emergence is in response to industrial shifts, facilitated by the advent of new recording technologies, and the democratisation of some existing technologies. The paper also considers the potential implications of hub-like environments on collegiality and collaborative practices.