Which City in the United States Has the Most Recording Studios?

The United States has a thriving music industry, producing superstars known the world over. Recording studios, where the artists harness their musical artistry, have been sprouting all over the country. Several cities are host to many of these recording studios with some such as New York and Los Angeles having hundreds of options.

Which City in the United States Has the Most Recording Studios?

Los Angeles, California

The city of Los Angeles is famed for its artistic history as well as for being the cradle of the film industry. The proximity of Hollywood makes several movie production companies set up recording studios in the city. One such company is the Warner Bros Company which has set up Warner Bros Records in Los Angeles. The history of the commercial music industry can be traced to the early 20th century where the local African-American musicians entertained revelers including Buddy Collette, Charles Mingus, and Gerald Wilson. However, the city’s music popularity spiked in the 21^st century with the advent of rap and hip hop career artists such as Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg who paid homage to the city. The hip-hop genre was served by several recording studios such as the famed Death Row Records as well as Aftermath Studios. Several international studios have set up subsidiaries in Los Angeles such as Sony Music, Epic Records, and Universal Studios. The total numbers of studios in the city are 366 recording studios.

New York, New York

New York City is known as the cultural capital of the United States and has a thriving music industry. The city is the birthplace of several famous musical genres such as punk rock, hip hop, salsa, disco, and has been important in the spread of jazz, blues, and classical music. The presence of such a rich catalog of genres has made New York City home to about 275 recording studios, most of which have world-class facilities including Universal Studios, RCA Records, GOOD Music, Roc Nation Records, and Atlantic Records. All of these studios have headquarters in New York City and have produced many artists such as Rihanna, Jay-Z, Rita Ora, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears among others.

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is also known as “Music City, USA” and the reason behind the nickname is due to its reputation of being the birthplace of country music as well as the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The city is home to several recording studios - 74 in total - and includes Dolly Patron’s Dollywood, Third Man Records, and Infinity Cat Recordings among others.

The Internet

The internet and social media platforms have forced recording studios all over the country to adapt to the Internet and have brought with it new avenues for artists to sell their music as well as to market themselves.