Re Sony studios

[Dominic]

I recall a discussion last year that Sony studios was closing down, is this still the case as their website is still up, (did someone forget to stop paying the hosting bill). Have they closed or are they still going, did someone come into the deal........any clues......??????

Cheers

[Howard Jones]

Here's the story in brief... there is "no deal". The studios are located in the basement of the Sony BMG headquarters building in Sydney and access and alarm systems are tightly integrated with the rest of the building so there is zero scope for any outside person or organisation to take on the running of the facility.

Most everyone involved with the running of the studios got the bullet prior to Xmas. Actually, because they were sub-contract rather than staff members, the company just took the approach of failing to advise them as to whether their services would ever be required again. In other words, f..k off but we haven't got the guts to tell you straight. Ross A'Hern, the studio manager, was a salaried staff member and he finished up on Xmas eve.

The powers that be gutted the equipment from Studio B prior to pulling it apart to turn into offices. They had the builders ready to go in but then froze the work - it transpired that the local geniuses had not received the okay from New York to do this. As things stand, the company has no idea what it wants to do with either the studio or the equipment.

Studio A is being used for some A&R development work. The main monitors - beautiful ATC-300s - have already been blown up, so the studio assistant is doing mixes on nearfields.

The company has been shopping the Neve console around but, apart from that, appears not to have taken any firm decision on what they are going to do from here.

[David W]

I always knew this industry was run by geniusses. :wink:

[Henry]

Looks like they'll all end up working for that guy at 301, they all back stabbed unmercilessly, sooner or later!

[Howard Jones]

Are you for real? Such a statement is either a total wind-up or the musings of a complete ignoramus. No-one at Sony Music backstabbed Tom Misner nor anyone at 301. The plain fact is that Sony Music had a lot of work on their hands and didn't need to worry about what other studios were up to.

In fact, I used to regularly tease Ross A'Hern (SMS studio manager) about the fact that he didn't know much about what was happening in other studios and wasn't plugged into the usual gossip around town.

I don't know why you would publish such a nasty, vicious piece of crap - maybe you would like to put your name to it so we can all judge where you are coming from?

Howard Jones

PS There is no such word in the English language as "unmercilessly".

[Henry]

Sorry Howard! Well then, obviously no one at sony bitched about Tom publicly or wrote stuff about him on forums like this one. Not that I care if they did or didn't anyway.

My mistake!

[Martin]

[quote="Howard Jones"]The plain fact is that Sony Music had a lot of work on their hands and didn't need to worry about what other studios were up to.[/quote]

its really weird that this comment and 'sony studios closing' are in the same collection of words!! sad state of affairs it is...

[Howard Jones]

Yes, it is basically irrational. The full story is yet to be written on this affair but when it comes out it will involve powerplays on the part of certain individuals, empire building on the part of others and a conscious choice by upper management to ignore the fact that the studio was profitable.

Foolishly, management were so intent on bringing about the death of the studios that they failed to notice how much internal work Sony put through the place, work that they now have to pay to be done elsewhere.

Sadly, Sony aren't alone in this - consider that Alberts is basically non- operational.