Doesn't seem to be a best thread for this so might as well be this one -- and this story sucks:
Earlier this month, its owners announced that it would cease day-to-day operations on April 3 and would instead rent out the studio for film shoots and special events.Two days before that announcement, nearly all the studio’s 16 employees were laid off by Hudson Pacific Properties, the real estate investment company that purchased the building in 2013. Some staffers were asked to help wind things down, while the majority were shown the door immediately.
A United Recording spokesperson told The Times that the studio would require “longer minimum bookings” for recording sessions after April 3, but declined to provide the new minimum time requirement. The studio will also require clients to bring their own engineers, rather than employing a dedicated staff of technicians who knew the space best, according to a memo the company distributed internally that was reviewed by The Times.
“United Recording is one of the entertainment industry’s most storied and celebrated recording studios, and the changes we have made will keep that heritage intact by strengthening the studio’s financial position while ensuring our clients have the best possible experience,” the spokesperson said.
Multiple employees and producers, however, called the proposed plan a “joke” after the studio laid off all but one employee.
“It’s absurd to me to try and run a studio of that size, with no people on staff,” said one former employee who asked to remain anonymous due to the terms of their severance package. “You can’t just turn those consoles off and back on and hope everything works. It just seems like PR... If it is their actual plan, it’s ill-conceived and it won’t work.”
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 21 March 2023 14:02 (one year ago) link