Ongoing History of New Music

Ongoing History Daily: The death of Le Studio

Back in the day—which is to say the late 70s and early 80s—one of the most famous recording studios in the world was Le Studio, a then state-of-the-art facility in Morin-Heights, Quebec. 

A-listers from all around the world booked the place to make records: David Bowie, The Police, Keith Richards, the Bee Gees, April Wine, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies—they all made legendary records at Le Studio. But thanks to a decline in record label recording budgets, Le Studio was out of business by 2008 and fell into such horrible disrepair that it was almost sold off for $18,000 for non-payment of property taxes.

People have dreamed about getting Le Studio back online, but that doesn’t look like it’ll happen now. In August 2016, a suspicious fire broke out, destroying the place. Don’t feel too sad, though. The place really did need to be put out of its misery. 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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