Studio A

After leasing the iconic recording studio for fourteen years, Ben Folds has announced that he is passing Nashville’s former RCA Studio A over to renowned music producer Dave Cobb.

The transition is expected to take place in April. Folds expects to devote more time to his successful touring, most recently with the New York sextet yMusic, and other projects.

Folds won’t be a stranger to Studio A, however. He’ll continue to use the space, and his management team, which also oversees day-to-day operations, will remain in offices at the studio.

Folds, as you may recall, led an eleventh-hour effort to save the historic recording space from the wrecking ball in 2014. (more…)

Buoyed by Ben Folds’ efforts and a connection made last summer, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has designated Nashville’s Music Row a National Treasure.

The designation means that the trust will research and document the area’s historical significance and will develop plans to ensure its sustainability.

It was following a concert in Washington, D.C. last summer that Folds met with National Trust’s general counsel Tom Mayes, who offered the organization’s support in the face of commercial pressures on the area where it’s generally agreed the country music genre was born and raised. (more…)

An end-of-year move by famed music producer Mike Curb has resulted in 30 Music Square West being rescued from demolition and the building preserved.

The iconic RCA Studio A, now known as Grand Victor Sound leased and operated by Ben Folds, will stay open and continues to do a brisk booking business.

The somewhat nondescript 1960s-era building, which had been sold to Brentwood, Tenn., developer Tim Reynolds earlier in the year, was slated for demolition, and tenants had been told their leases would be cancelled in November. As permits were being pulled for the wrecking ball, a deal was struck between Reynolds and a consortium of Nashvillians consisting of preservationist Aubrey Preston, healthcare executive Charles Elcan, and music producer and former politician Mike Curb. (more…)