Nashville is losing its soul.

[@TonyThomas10000]

I was a Contributing Editor for Mix Magazine in LA back in the 80s. The studio closings LA began before I left in 1989 as home recording became possible and affordable as the MIDI revolution began. Recently, the legendary Record Plant/LA announced it was closing. United Recorders closed down earlier this year. Sunset Sound is reportedly in trouble due to the homeless encampments nearby that are driving customers away. The list of previously closed LA studios is long and is getting longer by the day. A few stalwarts remain like The Village Recorder, Henson (formerly A&M), EastWest (formerly Western Recorders), and Capitol Records. I hope this does not happen in Nashville. However, I can see when records are cut primarily at the growing number of home studios there or by folks just overdubbing tracks like you do at home.

[@peppik]

Hi Justin, I'm from Germany and I agree to everything you've said especially about people moving to Nashville because they like it and then they complain about the buzz. It's a phenomenon we have here in Germany as well. Talking about the music-scene I hear stories from fellow musicians about events and locations who have been shut down for good, because somebody complained about the noise. These events were going on for years and years and then some retired lawyer moves in and he's literaly suing the city about it and everything gets shut down within a year. One guy kills a good thing because he doesn't like it and everybody else has to cope with it. How is this even possible? It's like those greens from the city moving to the countryside and then complaining about the cows, the rooster, the traktors and farmers have to deal with it. It reminds me of that story where Californians move to Texas because they don't like the liberal Californian politics anymore, in fact they hate it and then Texas becomes increasingly liberal. People bring their inner beliefs and spread them, whether they like it or not.

[@MichaelPaul155]

Unfortunately, Nashville has been losing its soul for many years now.

[@anthonypanneton923]

that's exactly what I was thinking.

[@qcc5]

We're seeing this in Texas also. We have a saying, "Don't California my Texas!"

[@MichaelPaul155]

@@qcc5 In Florida, they say Don’t New York my Florida. 😜

[@powbobs]

@@MichaelPaul155 No we don’t. It’s Midwesterners that destroyed Florida. Especially Ohio.

[@enginerdy]

@@qcc5I got bad news, it’s Texans who are californiaing your Texas. As long as there’s a buck to be made, there’s a powerful Texan trying to grab it.

[@robrdavis]

So, let me get this straight... People are moving to Nashville because they like Nashville, then complaining that it's Nashville, so they're tearing it down so that it's no longer Nashville?

[@user-et2fj8xm5l]

The new Austin.

[@babayaga1767]

Sounds like when people leave California and destroy your state

[@daccrowell4776]

I grew up there, learned the craft there, learned a lot of "interesting engineer tricks" there...and then in 1988, got the hell out of there. You could feel something changing, and not in a good way, even that far back. The last time I was there, in 2006, the town's "feel" was slipping. So, yeah...that pretty much says it all; Music City is starting to drift without a rudder. I miss my hometown...but I know full well that THAT Nashville is gone.

[@boogaethje]

@@daccrowell4776 roadway all bought up with big money and plastered with big country stars names everywhere. The infrastructure isn’t prepared for the growth . It used to be that nobody went to the franchise joints because there were better mom and pop options but this whole thing looks like a corporate takeover.

[@semyaza555]

Real Estate developers.

[@barrygreen8884]

I’ve been a session trombonist since 1981 here. Nashville was an incredible sleepy little southern town full of incredible musicians. I now spend almost as much time driving to and from sessions as I do playing them. The tracking room is a tremendous loss. We recorded so much incredible music there for many years. Sad.

[@michaelfranks2508]

Hi Justin, I’m from London and most of our great studios other than Abbey Road have been redeveloped as luxurious homes. Places such as island / Sarm West were part of our heritage but have been destroyed by spivs in suits. The same goes for our BBC broadcast studios and film sound stages. Even Denmark street which is the area you went to buy and trade good quality guitars and amps is shrinking dramatically.

[@evanogden]

Man do I relate to this. I got pushed out of Austin a few years ago because it just wasnt sustainable as a live music act. Thankfully I found a vibrant and welcoming music community in Fort Worth that has been amazing. It's so rough to see the things that made a city attractive to come to in the first place ripped out and replaced.

[@scotttower5115]

I can feel the sense of loss in your voice. We see this happening all over the United States, sadly.

[@bazilbrushrocks]

The little old lady who didn't sell her house == Station Inn. Let's all hope that they keep that venue swinging for years to come.

[@MichaelSSmith-hs5pw]

I was in a band that once played at the Station Inn, it was one of the better places we played, very friendly. I hope it stays around.

[@AndrewMasters]

Hey Justin, great video - thanks for sharing.

[@philf4086]

Thanks for your insight Justin, and sorry for this loss. Really sad. The laptop and home studios are replacing this real estate.

[@edbernardmusic3599]

Great video on a sad topic. I was based in Toronto and we once also had a thriving studio scene. The last in studio tracking session I did with a rhythm section was in 2016. The SSL hadn't used more than 2 channels in a while, and the 26 year old producer seemed confused when I asked him if the chord at bar 18 was a major 7. I have a great home and studio north of the city now, with real drums etc. All I need now is to win the lottery...but I've got this tune...

[@marmaladecreammedia]

Saw this happen to Austin over the last decade. 15 years ago it was a vibrant college town with a quirky cross section of residents, mostly Texans. Lots of interesting clubs, restaurants, and small businesses.Now many of those businesses have closed and tons of luxury condos have sprung up in their place. Many of the long-time residents I know have been pushed out of the city because of rent and housing costs, and now live in Manor, Bastrop, etc.

[@Charlesbabbage2209]

…and the biggest joke is that all the $4000 a month yuppie condos they built downtown are empty and aren’t moving because the yuppies figured out that if you’re going to spend $4000 a month on rent, you might as well just live NYC and SF(and get those wages).

[@00TheD]

But comedy guys

[@enginerdy]

SF learned the hard way that if you drive off all the interesting art all you have left is rich assholes

[@emilychanfan]

It's really sad that history is being erased right before our eyes. All in the name of "progress". What are we progressing to?

[@jimshorts6751]

These small studios (or any other small family business) could learn a lot from putting their business in a perpetual trust. That way no matter how many family members you have, or new owners, there's only so much profit available for dividens. The days of CEO's making upteen millions a year needs to stop if our cultural legacy is going to survive. How much money does a person really need ? If I had an apartment over a studio, I would work for room/board and a reasonable paycheck just to be a part of something that special. It's really cool for the community of musicians that actually live in these places while completing projects. I've seen bands work half the day and all night for days and weeks on new material, it's that electric of an atmosphere. Maybe I'm just weird that way ? 🤷‍♂️

[@emilychanfan]

@@jimshorts6751 Maybe you're just fucking cool that way, and that, my friend, is a dying breed.

[@benallmark9671]

You will own nothing and be happy , oh and you will eat the bugz

[@raygunsforronnie847]

"Give a wave to good ol' Dave, say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin.

[@emilychanfan]

@@raygunsforronnie847 They paved paradise and put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. -Joni Mitchell

[@edwardgordon4309]

So sad to see this happening. Once this part of the city's history is gone, the town will never be the same 😟. My heart goes out to everyone connected to the industry

[@r0bophonic]

We may be a decade or so ahead but same story here in Austin, Texas 😢

[@deej98705]

Came here to say the exact same thing

[@JamesFarleyMovetoTennessee]

Seeing Jack Pearson at Soul Shine was one of my favorite nights of music I’ve ever had. Miss that place so much, but yes, this city has lost itself

[@spacewolf9585]

Nashville lost its Soul a long time ago.

[@JustinOstrander]

That’s fair.

[@thirdfloordigital]

I recorded lots of sessions at Omnisound in the 80’s & 90’s. Love the sound in there and that Neve….wow!!! I moved to Atlanta in 97…..miss my friends but not the business.

[@thoretornado1671]

Same sad story here in Vienna. Heritage does not mean a thing anymore.

[@Blacktopcowboy]

I interned at Omnisound for a few months in 2008. It was an amazing experience. I remember visiting NSAI and hanging at the bars within walking distance. It was shocking to see they lasted as long as they did. That little building stood out. It was heartbreaking to see it go. If it hadn’t been for Omnisound I wouldn’t have worked for 13 years at a recording studio in Memphis.

[@buzzfretwear2906]

I had a job in the late 90's/early 00s that took me to Nashville fairly frequently. I used to want to live there, but I'm not sure I would now. I hear over and over again how much it has changed, and not for the better. Anyway Justin, your video left me with a feeling of sadness. Things change - they always have, they always will and I accept that. It just feels like the demise of the recording studio is just one more indicator of the death of the music industry as most of us have known it all these years. I'm a bit older and although I never pursued it, I used to dream about being part of that world of studio musicians, studios, recording, making records, hanging out and playing with absolutely great musicians. That all exists as a shadow of its former self now. And it extends to other things - albums aren't as much of a thing anymore, and in many ways, neither is music's place in our society. I know I sound like an aging boomer (okay, I'm not quite that old - I don't think?) but it's just sad to see all of that going away. On the other side of the coin, I see and hear lots of young new talent and they're making music and touring. The industry is, and has been, undergoing a big change and it is reinventing itself. Sometimes I get the feeling that we're all kind of standing on the sidelines a bit, waiting to see just what shape that reinvention is going to take. And you know what, I think it'll all work out in the end, even if it's something that is unrecognizable or even unimaginable to us now.

[@RogerBergqvist]

Sad when good studios disappear. However, there may be an upside. All equipment may be further used nearby or so. One day you might walk into a studio and think... this looks familiar. Different premises sound different, but the feeling can be the same. To work with things you can and know. The soundboard from Sound City, for example, is used by the Foo Fighters.

[@Walkeranz]

My mom moved to Nashville in ‘91, gad a songwriting gig, performed at the Bluebird, wrote songs, lived it. I moved there in ‘04, just in time for the few final breaths of what Nashville once was. Blessed to have witnessed the wonder and saddened to have witnessed the death of Music City. I love what it once was that is no longer.

[@topherhuez585]

loved that room. made a few records there and mixed quite a few. always had a great staff, amazing api desk, outboard that always worked. just a great, chilled out room. sad to see it go.

[@BumPetty]

Replace "losing" with "lost". I went to downtown Nashville in 2012 with my ex-girlfriend and I was so repulsed by hipsters wearing cowboy boots that had never seen a cow patty in their life that I never went back. NASHAngeles

[@jimrogers7425]

I lived there between ‘95 and ‘99 and it was beginning to get that way then, however the studio community was very tight.

[@enginerdy]

I used to say you can spot a poser in Nashville by the cowboy hat (farmers there wear regular baseball caps), but now you can’t throw a rock without hitting a ten gallon halloween costume

[@StevieReed265]

Why not start a coalition with everyone being a shareholder and rebuild another "music row" under another name. Position each venue, recording studios as well, in the order that it needed to be done, centrally stationing the bars around them sorta like circling the wagons to protect them. I would imagine that you would find many backers that would invest in that, keeping old and new country alive much like traditional and contemporary Christian music in the church. Lets all play nice and get this fixed. We could do it.

[@picksalot1]

Sad to hear about Nashville losing its soul. Thanks for the tip about the Peltor Ear Muffs.

[@ArticLight14]

I seen a video of another Nashville guitarist who moved to Florida. He said there are several musicians starting to leave Nashville. I’ve also seen the craziness going on out in the streets. That can’t be good for business. Stay safe.

[@tomday7309]

I visited Nashville for the first time last year as a 70+ year old one time garage band guitarist. I went with family members who had been there before and when we drove downtown, I was shocked. Like you I saw more construction cranes at one time than I ever had anywhere. The traffic was nuts, parking was tough to find and Division street or anywhere in Music row was choked with tourists and the homeless. I saw that the sidewalks had been recently widened to try and accommodate the foot traffic, but that didn't seem to work and tightened the road traffic. I've seen it in other towns before and I won't be going back because Nashville isn't Nashville anymore. Sounds like a song.....

[@sup1e]

Rhinestone suits and big shiny cars it's been the same way for years...And that song was ~40yrs ago :)

[@Tonetwisters]

Welp. Lots of guitar cases to unpack in this one. First off ... I feel your pain. When all those studios and bars are destroyed, what will people be moving to Nashville, FOR? Back in late 1973, my brother and I flew to Nashville to go through studios to check out their MCI gear, as we were looking at building a studio in Tallahassee. Went through some really neat studios ... some in old houses. Some, just old concrete block buildings. Some, nice stand-a-lones. Anyway ... we built that studio which included a control room with corrugated inside walls made of pecky cypress, which my brother cut and installed himself. The studios were located adjacent to my brother's music store. I hear tell, that the studio has long since been used to store stuff. The music store is now a hair salon. Sorry for your loss, brother ... but this world is dying, there is little time left. But up until that time, the love of money will STILL be the root of all evil (referring to those large condo developers). Happily, there is a better world coming, and I am confident that the things we loved on this planet will be restored to us. And yeh ... that second take was quite spanky ...

[@FiftyNinerWinder]

Oh man… do I ever hope you’re right about a better world coming good sir. I hope you’re bang on with that one. Cheers to that 🍻

[@1madcracker]

The greatest song ever written and the greatest riff ever played both started as a thought first. Happier days will follow your thoughts…

[@Tonetwisters]

@@FiftyNinerWinder Thank you, Sir. It's all about Jesus. He has a plan and the calendar is moving toward a climax ... There is only one way out of this world alive, and his name is Jesus. God bless!

[@joelstover648]

Recorded a record at Legends back in July 2005 with Dan. Incredible experience. Your friend JT was on those sessions. Hadn't been back to Nashville until 2019 and could not believe how much it changed. The whole vibe of the town was different. Things do change and evolve but it is sad sometimes...thanks for sharing your experiences....

[@JustinOstrander]

My first time working with JT was at Legends. Really made me think, “this place is appropriately named!”

[@joelstover648]

Very humble guy, and one of the nicest people I met down there. They were all nice and great to work with. Chris lizinger, Mike Rojas, Mike Brignardello, all great humble guys. If I remember correctly, Legends had separate drum room too with a really high ceiling....

[@RandalSmith]

I moved to Clarksville from Nashville about 2 years ago. Couldn’t agree more. I still work in Nashville, but I don’t go out to clubs there except on rare occasions. I don’t go downtown every chance I get.

[@devinnotschmevin]

Sorry to hear that man. That whole city has changed a lot. Downtown looks more like a theme park than it used to 15 years ago. Back then East Nash used to be the underground spot to meet great musicians but even at that time, rent was becoming too expensive and pushing folks out further from town. I can't imagine it now.

[@anthonypanneton923]

Money changes everything. Same as it ever was.

[@DoctorMcFarlandStudios]

I had my first internship at Omni Sound. That was back in 2004 :)

[@landon.cunningham]

Is there where you earned your PHD?

[@DoctorMcFarlandStudios]

@@landon.cunningham yes....

[@jpbanksnj]

I have no idea who this guy is or what he exactly does, but this was a damn good video. These changes have irreversible effects on a city's character over time but there is no way to prevent it or stop it. Change is gonna come, whether it's good or bad, change will happen. It sucks to be on the loosing end of it.

[@Alan-wo9mi]

All the Guitar and music shops in midtown are gone and have been so for 10 to 20 years. Corner Music where Chuys is now was my go to for Amps. Rock Block in Elliston for Strings and picks foot pedals., Cotton Music in the Village for Teles, Chambers Music on West End for Strats. There used to be an old warehouse full of early rare vintage guitar parts. Gone. Guitar repair shoppe next to Marty Stuarts off Music circle before it was a circle. Exit Inn and The End for live Music of all kinds. It used to be Music City before the big Corp sold it out. Been gone 10 years myself. Nashville was beautiful before the outside world decided they wanted it for themselves.

[@jeffgerndt2813]

It's frustrating, but nothing stays the same.

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

I left in 2004, when the term “Nash Vegas” had become popularized. Now when I visit, most recently last week, I’m always so glad that I don’t live there, and I would never consider moving back. with tourism being built around the music industry, it’s amazing how much of the music industry has left, been shut down or ignored and left to rot over the last 15 years. It’s the first time I have ever heard of a city depleting its tourist attraction.

[@enginerdy]

Ironic that there used to be music-themed theme parks, but now the whole city is one!

[@thehermitslantern777]

This is sad! The word I thought of was "irreplaceable". By the description you gave I'd say irreplaceable works. Recently watched a few videos about Nashville's growth. How's it going to sustain it's self especially with the roads & traffic? I'm sure this has happened somewhere else. A study was done & everyone said "we won't ever do this again". Greed & power are major motivators but not in a good way. Also really dislike how the old bars/taverns are being torn down & being replaced by corporate megastructures. There's just something about a dark dingy neon lit bar that has that old AC unit in the wall that still keeps the place cold on a hot summer day. You can still smell the cig smoke & fried food in everything. The beer is ice cold & cheap. Those places are also irreplaceable. Just typed all of that before @ 3:59. It's very sad!

[@danjmh4522]

Love your content, only subscribe to you and Uncle Larry. Hope that the studios survive 🍻

[@mikes5079]

*Same thing happening in Seattle* One famous musician from Europe said that Seattle is the most European-like city in America. He said that over a decade ago, but the historic buildings that host eclectic bars, restaurants, vintage movie theaters, music venues, and even recording studios are being torn down as fast as they can be demolished to make way for more condos and apartment buildings. "Stack Em' & Pack Em' is the goal. I gotta sell my house and get outta here. But to go where?

[@NickyV]

I was on a session down on music row this week and the producer told me they just sold the building and are tossing up some condos. Beautiful full band set up that was done right and only built maybe a year ago.

[@JustinOstrander]

Brutal. What studio?

[@TimsGuitarWorldwithTimFeskorn]

Detroit used to be a "Music Town". It's one of the most sparse now in terms of Musicians opportunities. It's hard to find anywhere here that resembles a Music Row. It's a desert of incredible potential based on our reputation of the past. The Oasis is the amount of talent that there still is here. I love Nashville and often say that if I was a younger man, I would make my way down there. Sorry to hear of this kind of gentrification happening in one of my favorite places on earth. Thanks for your content. T😎

[@Bent6]

Used to work out of Omnisound all the time. Both during the A range era and the API era. It was unique (tile floor) and a great vibe. Loved the little B room too. With everything that’s been built around it, I can only assume a fortune was made…

[@frederickbaugher8361]

Where did the trident a range end up?

[@Bent6]

@@frederickbaugher8361 I have no idea.where the A range ended up. It may have been parted out, as I've seen many A range channel strips in racks around town. I was really sad to see it go (it was a real "biggerizer" - it seemed to make everything larger than life), but I do know it was a maintenance nightmare. It was amazing how much less heat there was in the room with the API in comparison.

[@frederickbaugher8361]

@@Bent6 Dan Alexander, who has a nose for vintage consoles like no one else, bought the trident B range that the Rolling Stones had used on a few projects in London. I tracked quite a few projects on that console in San Francisco. It was a monster! drums, horns and pianos had a 3-D effect when tracked through that console like I have never heard before. Dan also picked up a gray vintage Helios console in London. I tracked a jazz album on that desk and an MTR 90 at 30 ips. What I remember most about that board is it the preamps were very unforgiving; which is a good thing. You couldn’t just throw up a mic, you had to find the sweet spot for it to sound good.

[@NickGranville]

Same thing everywhere, sadly. We recently lost the best place to play live here in Wellington, NZ. And so many of the studios have closed, including the main tv studio I used to work at all the time (including dancing with the stars etc). I’m not sure what the answer is to get it back happening again???

[@Haku_records]

Even if Nashville lost half its soul it would still be better than 99% of the planet

[@MrHotPlate]

This sounds a lot like what we’ve experienced down here in Austin, Justin. I’ve been here for at least 25 years now and watched it change and lose a lot of what has made it special (at least for some of us).

[@JackHood-gy3cj]

I live in Georgetown. Austin is definitely not the same place. I worked in downtown Austin for over ten years and it is now condo world. Now sweet little Georgetown is losing all its charm with tons of apartments and cookie cutter housing additions packed in everywhere. Makes you want to support controlled growth.

[@marmaladecreammedia]

I went to UT 15 years ago. It's sad to see what has become. It was already changing for the worse when I graduated.

[@jessebfly]

When Ernest Tubbs record shop closed and the chamber of commerce or the Opry Foundation or someone didn’t step up to buy and preserve it, I took that as a bad sign

[@StuffnSuch]

This is heartbreaking. I feel sad I never got to see the states in its glory days. Everything is the same now.

[@campbellmarty36]

This is just the new world we are living in!!! It’s happening EVERYWHERE!!!!☝️🙄

[@kcctradio5751]

You're telling a sad story. It's truly a shame that the history of Nashville is going away. I'm in Kansas City and have had a small studio since 2016. I've been a musician for over 40 years and built this studio for new artists to have a place to get their music recorded and published. It sounds like those places are going away in Nashville.

[@mikedennis6979]

The exact same thing happened in Austin Tx. I left there in 99 and never looked back... Look what it has become.

[@JustinOstrander]

Many parallels for sure

[@bobbyblazier7374]

I've been here 37 and it's breaks my heart to see them destroying nashville's music heritage. I don't know this place any more. It truly has become nashvegas! I'm glad I was here to enjoy some good years on music row, before it became condorow.

[@clarkie101]

Stand up and say No. Its world wide.

[@gabechoatemusic]

I had the pleasure of recording vocals on my album at Omni back in October of last year. With Rory and Dean Miller is my producer.

[@billyslide7645]

I’m with you. I’ve lived here (Nashville) for quite a while. So many places are being destroyed, like New Era, where Etta James and Jimi played. They’re bulldozing Nashville and replacing it ‘Generica’. I’m not a studio guy, but so many great ‘joints’ are gone, great sounding places. It’s just sad, but this happens everywhere

[@jasondorsey7110]

History has to be erased before it can be rewritten...

[@AKDanMusicMan]

I did several sessions there. Several of the studios I worked at are gone now.

[@nick_shaw_guitarist]

Soulshine was one of favourite places. Met some cool people down there. The Soulshine family band jam was always a great night.

[@10bbremer]

There is no money in recorded music. It is now aural wallpaper, an advertisement for your brand. The money is in concerts, sponsorships, merchandise and branded whisky, apparently. God save us all.

[@DaveElke]

United Recording and Record Plant in LA just closed. Seems a combo of developers and the industry struggles are hitting studios all over. As a recording arts teacher at college I’m worried what to tell my students…

[@dr2675]

I first visited Nashville back in 1993, I had always planned to visit again sooner but that didn't happen until March. I was AMAZED at how different the place is. COMPLETELY different. And not in a good way. Everything seems to be overbuilt, brand new and had a cookie cutter corporate vibe. I stayed out in Brentwood and was BUMMED at how everything looked like every other suburb. The ONLY saving grace was East Nashville. There is still a lot of soul there.

[@jjdekay6969]

The first studio I ever recorded in was Polyfox studio in 1985. I walked into an instrument room that had a keyboard that had a id plate on it that said "Property of David Bowie". Apparently the owner and David were friends. The old studios were for recording but were also museums and so much more. The heritage and vibe each one had was unique. The planning commission,zoning board, and other metro agencies could care less about Nashville's Identity ,IMHO it is all about tax revenue....the quicker,the better. Nashville ,as it was, is about dead. Done by people that think musicians are nothing but a hipster with an Imac pro,2I2 and a rode microphone renting a broom closet on the east side that cost 2.5 million to set up....makes me sick.

[@thomaswagner6495]

You pave paradise and put up a parking lot. That's a shame. I haven't been back to Nashville since I left decades ago. Too many good memories. I don't want that to change.

[@bradc32]

every city it's harder and harder for artists to work used to be able to all locate in a cheap neighborhood now there's no cheap neighborhoods

[@PDarcy]

Not gonna do it… wouldn’t be prudent 🇺🇸

[@topherhuez585]

i took many naps in the small iso room on the big blocks of foam they had to use as gobos like that piece right behind your head at the end of this video. haha. i'm sure i slept on that exact foam. haha.

[@Stormsurf001]

Yes - I have Ultra Phones! They are great for playing in a loud room. A+ And thanks for the video.

[@davidhiser2266]

Went to Nashville in May for the first time in 11 years. It is so commercialized now it was disgusting.

[@FC-cz6zd]

So could this be an opening to establish a new cool and funky studio or 2 in the surrounding areas not known as Nash Vegas?

[@danrourke]

It’s very sad to see everything that people originally went to Nashville for disappear, and in time when all the charm of the original Nashville is gone, everything they’re building will fall apart when the original charm and soul of Nashville finds another place to rebuild. And a little non-pro tip, I got a set of isolation cans from Home Depot and I bought a $10 pair of wired earbuds and I put them on with my earmuffs and it’s my homeowner version of those isolation cans.

[@donnav6219]

Everything is heading south to Franklin, TN. There are several studios top notch ones in Franklin. Castle is where all the country artist record.

[@jimrogers7425]

The conundrum is that more and more high rise condos are being built for those moving to Nashville to make it in the music business… but that music biz is being strangled by the same transplants. There’s a great joke I heard years ago that is quite true. What’s the difference between a waiter in Los Angeles and a waiter in Nashville? In LA you ask your waiter, “who’s your acting coach?” In Nashville you ask your waiter, “what kind of guitar strings do you use?”

[@TheFeelButton]

I've never been to Nashville. Sad stuff Justin!

[@CheddarKungPao]

That's so sad. The people who live in places with history need to fight to preserve it or it will be lost. :(

[@drewpiacine9612]

Justin, agree. I'm about to launch a new Parh for singer songwriter performers. It will revive Nashville artist/tourists scheduling/visiting. Get in touch. I'm a long day's drive from N ville. Need the lay of the land. Let's stand her back up! - Drew PA USA

[@jaygallamore562]

This story of development is sad. It’s also not uncommon and won’t be the last one. Life will go on and these gems will be missed.

[@ChristopherOrth]

This is happening everywhere in the US. Sad, but it's coming for everyone. I first experienced this in Denver in the 90's when it was Californicated, and most of what was unique about it was scraped off and replaced with cookie cutter architecture and culture. Now I'm watching it happen in Seattle. The sad part is all the cool businesses that made people want to live there can't afford to stay and rent space in the new buildings. Studios, arts, independent restaurants... even yoga studios are disappearing at amazing speed. Then they move a couple hours away from the Urban core, and those areas get expensive, and they move again. Yuck.

[@aaronknight9759]

Sadly happening in all big markets.

[@RobertFairweatherLuvMachine]

This is how it is everywhere.

[@JohnBradt-GuitarMan]

I remember why Bob Dylan went to Nashville to make his Albums, because they had the best musicians and recording studios on earth! 😎🎸🎶☮️

[@LucSulla]

Quincy M, sighting, lol. (Soulshine pic). I used to record quite a bit at Quad from 2000 to 2002. Progress is one thing, but when you're ripping out why a town is the way it is, it's rough. I left Nashville and moved to Austin in 04. Basically, the two places I spent my 20s are completely different. My parents watched where they grew up die. I watched mine get homogenized into a brand.

[@modscientist9793]

Tragic, so sad. 😢

[@crockettcoulter2765]

Follow the money. Everywhere you look there is business consolidation. Airlines, communication, tech, music, movies, are all consolidating. It is about a few people at the top taking as much as they possibly can. We are all worse off because of it. Bring back real music and musicianship like we used to know and love.

[@druwk]

This is just another story of how live music dies. Sad to hear about it happening in such a music center.

[@brennanaerts7820]

RIP to Omni the absolute bomb little engine that could.

[@silverwings1843]

Nashville Lost Its Soul a good while back with The Ryman loss!!!! I used to go in the Back Door during the day and just walk around the Stage and sit in the Pews. You could hear the whispers of The Greats. That was Nashville. The last voice of Nashville Dierks Bentley!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@bobbarcus9415]

Some things should be sacred!!

[@RemoWilliams-jg4yb]

Its not just Nashville either. I had great memories of that place decades ago. It was the perfect mix of a big little town. Now it is full of hacks.

[@ElectricEye-dl4di]

California went from farmland to numbered freeway exits with strip malls, big box and fast food stores in about 20 years. Many are empty after being replaced by new housing developments with their own same junk businesses. It's so distructive, like a disease. Old downtowns try to rejuvinate, often deteriorating into office spaces. It's a shame how wasteful the quest for profit is.

[@CaptainRon1913]

Go down to the Station Inn sometime. Talk about buildings built all around it

[@Mutley58]

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”

[@daccrowell4776]

Nashville's been dying, at least as far as it truly being "Music City", for quite some time. It had just started when I left for grad studies in composition, but each time I would go back for music biz, legal stuff, or dumpster-diving for cool gear, it was like experiencing bad, jumpy film continuity. Last time I was there was in Spring 2006; I haven't been back since. I've seen the changes in the studio lineup, also. When some stink came up about a push to demolish RCA A, I couldn't believe it. B, of course, is part of the HoF's historical holdings, but A was a duplicate of the sort of "big room" you found at their NYC and LA facilities...none of which exist in their original configurations now, leaving A as an amazing space for big tracking dates. Don't know if it still exists or not. But it's not the only endangered facility. Starday-King, up on Dickerson Rd., has sat deteriorating for decades...and IT was where many of James Brown's late 1960s and early 1970s work was cut, including "Sex Machine". I remember that because, the night they finished it, JB had an acetate cut of it and he booked downtown to WLAC and had Spider Harrison spin it. And I heard it...their switchboard nearly blew up with the requests to spin it again! I'd heard that someone was going to restore Starday-King...but then, I've heard that several times over since c. 1980. Others long past included Monument, in the old church by Division and McGavock. This was the first studio I'd ever been in, precipitating the first attack of GAS I had at the age of 10. They were cutting Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan's hit "Somewhere In Virginia In the Rain" on their amazing custom Flickinger desk when I visited. Woodland, over by Five Points in E. Nashville, was another. They had a custom prototype Jeep Harned desk which I actually got to mix on, sort of an update on EMI's TG12345. They were also the first Nashville studio to install one of the big Moog modular systems, as I recall. Even Berry Hill's been hit...I don't think Acuff-Rose has been active in a looooong time, plus I miss Treasure Island with its BRILLIANT adjustable chamber. Yeah...an adjustable echo chamber! They used something akin to a shower stall, fully waterproofed and sealed it, then added an underwater transducer and a pair of hydrophones. Want more time? Add more water! But thankfully, the most important one of all is...at least for now...apparently safe, and that would be Owen Bradley's quonset hut, dating from around 1949-50. There was only ONE time when some goofball at Sony thought it needed "replacing". I think he made it out to BNA alive after that suggestion. Maybe. Anyway, it's still there. Go around back of CBS/Sony on 17th, and you'll notice a weird, curved bit that seems really out of place. That is the only exterior indication of the quonset hut's presence. The rest of it was "absorbed" by the building, but aside of some refurbishing and minor acoustic adjustments, Owen Bradley's studio...Nashville's first deliberately-constructed recording facility...still exists. So it's not ALL doom-n-gloom. But the attitude of the town has changed, too. When Nashville's Chamber of Commerce "suggested" that the tourist shucks GTFO and go to Branson, we thought that it might improve things. Annnnnnd...nope, it didn't. Instead, they turned Lower Broad into the shuck to end all shucks, making it "safe" and "visitor friendly". This wrecked the gritty vibe. Killed it stone dead. I don't like going there now. I don't WANT to go there...I think the cognitive dissonance would be more than I could handle. Thomas Wolfe on 'roids, pretty much. I prefer to remember it as I do, not as what it's becoming. Too painful.

[@phoenixbenjamin]

What bro? The tracking room? That was my favorite place to record

[@joelmorgan7399]

Are new studios being built or are some of these old studios relocating to other buildings?

[@JustinOstrander]

New tracking spaces are mostly popping up in people’s backyards.

[@jimmyfrombrooklyn8550]

Change is inevitable , except from a vending machine

[@JJvienneau]

Montreal Canada it's the same story. Uniqueness being eliminated in general ! Music is lame cause everyone is a so called home producer now and real studios gone. Giant condos everywhere ! Be brave!

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

What were those cool chords at the end?

[@futuristiccavemanofficial]

Sounds like you're describing LIFE. Things change, hot beds get cold and FREEZE. 95% of art is a poor person's sport. 5% find away to make a sustainable living .. 1% of that are fortunate enough to thrive beyond surviving. If Nashville is dry, it's time to leave and go where the scene is hot or just quit... But complaining about what once was is a waste of time. We're in the era of the home studio. That's why I spend my money on my own gear and sharpen my skills on knowing it. Build your workshop. When it's possible to enjoy an enhanced environment, take it. Otherwise, adapt and pivot

[@BillonBass]

A lot of the studios I used to play at in LA back in the 80s aren’t even there anymore. But my favorite, Evergreen, is still there in Burbank - at least I think and hope it is)! But the glory days of studio recording are long gone and that’s a darn shame. These days I want nothing to do with that side of the music business and just want to play with my own band. Thought about Nashville after getting off tour with The Miracles back in 2021 but just didn’t like the music being played these days. I’m too old to play stuff I don’t like! 😂