The Record Plant, the famed Los Angeles recording studio where Michael Jackson, Prince, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and dozens of other music superstars made classic albums for decades, is one step closer to a sale now that the veteran producer Rafa Sardina bought its assets for $500,000 during a bankruptcy proceeding last week. Sardina, who has won four Grammys and 13 Latin Grammys and has collaborated with Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow, among others, owns dozens of speakers, soundboards, microphones, cassettes, CD recorders and other valuable audio equipment . it was the heart of the studio for decades.
Established in 1968, the Record Plant was the standard for music production due to its state-of-the-art equipment and emphasis on service and luxury that made the big stars feel at home. Thanks to perks like a room with a hot tub, stars like John Lennon and Fleetwood Mac took over studio rooms in the early days of the Plant. After moving to its current location on North Sycamore Avenue in Los Angeles, Beyoncé rented out every room to make her album Lemonade and Kanye West and Pharrell rode motorized scooters down the runways.
Sardina, who successfully interviewed at Record Plant early in his career before deciding to work at a different studio, did not respond to requests for comment about why he made the purchase offer. A lower bid, according to court documents, came from an Italian producer Patrizio Moiwho has occupied a Record Plant studio room known as the Digi-Plant since 2014. He offered $50,000.
Moi and the last owner of the studio, Philip Lawrence of Bruno Mars' songwriting group, the Smeezingtons, have been battling for possession of the Record Plant for several years. Moi told US District Court that Lawrence and his partners first offered him a co-ownership deal and then, in 2020, sold him the entire studio for $1. The two sued each other until last year, when Lawrence's company, Philmar, filed for bankruptcy, forcing the court to sell Record Plant's assets to pay off its debts. Moi argued in court that he should take over the equipment and other property, but the judge, Victoria Kaufmanruled against him.
Moi said he hopes to take over the studio and run it as if it never closed. That will be harder to do now that the studio's high-tech equipment is likely to be removed, but he remains optimistic. Under his previous agreement with Lawrence, he owns the Record Plant trademark and website domain. Moi is likely to strike a deal with the landowner, CIM Group, to take over the lease.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” Moi says by phone.
However, the receiver of the bankruptcy court, Amy Goldmanchallenged prior arrangements between Lawrence and Moi because Lawrence “retained possession of the property” and never transferred it to Moi even after their agreement in 2020. The judge agreed with Goldman — effectively denying Moi’s claim for any from the equipment or other property inside the studio. “The property can be sold free and clear,” Kaufman wrote last week.
The purchase of the equipment from Sardina, which includes many valuable microphones, including what Moi calls “things you can't find anymore,” has not been completely closed. The Goldman court administrator must “deliver all relevant and relevant sale documents to effectuate and close the sale and related transactions,” according to the judge's ruling.
The $500,000 to be paid by Sardina's label, Firefly Music Row, will be used to pay off debts owed by Lawrence's label, Philmar, according to court documents.
