Studio Action ARTISTS & MUSIC

At New York's Nit Factory, Success Has Been A Family Affair BY PAUL VERNA At the time, the Hit Factory - parents that she was dropping out to NEW YORK -"Project studio" and which was located on West 48th join the studio staff. Although many "family business" are two of the last Street -needed to make a big splash parents would bristle at a child's phrases that come to mind when one to compete with the Record Plant decision to leave college, Ed was thinks of the Hit Factory. and the other top studios in New elated, and Janice was equally sup - A stroll though the studio's mar- York. Ed was counting on his friend porti re once she was convinced that ble entrance hall -lined with plati- John Lennon to deliver the goods, her daughter had made the right num awards and Grammy certifica- but Lennon decided to take a five - decision. tions- imparts a sense of awe not year hiatus in 1975. Fortunately for Asked how she keeps the Hit Fac- unlike what one feels walking into a the Hit Factory, Wonder booked tory's recording and mastering museum or jet cockpit. A ride in its three days at the studio in 1976. That rooms humming, Danielle echoes the slow- moving, wood -paneled freight booking evolved into a six-month ses- themes sounded by her brother and elevator sends a frisson of excite- sion that yielded his landmark album father. "I love what I do, and I like ment through one's veins. And a "Songs In The Key Of Life." By the every single person that comes in glance around any of its 15 state -of- time Lennon found his way back to here," she says. "They're friends to the -art rooms suggests a wealth the music business -and to the Hit me, and I try to do for them the best born of outside investments and cor- Factory-in 1980, the studio was one I can. My dad and my mom always porate partners. of the major players. told me, `We're in a service business.' However, owner /president Ed In 1981, Ed moved the facility to If a client calls at the last minute, I Germano insists that the Hit Facto- the address at 54th and Broadway do whatever I can to get them in." ry is both a family business and a that it still occupies. Since then, he While some top studios play fav- project studio. By that, he means The close -knit Germano family has run the Hit Factory since 1975. Pictured, from has steadily built the business from orites, displacing a lesser -known that the recording complex -which left, are owner /president Ed Germano, VP Danielle Germano, CFO Janice Ger- a small shop to one of the world's client if a superstar suddenly calls, he acquired in 1975 and has operat- mano, and executive VP Troy Germano. (Photo: Edward Malluk) great recording venues. the Germanos treat their customers ed with his wife, mother, and chil- Troy, 33, started hanging around equally. "You try to treat everybody dren ever since-has stayed on top recording studios when he was 8 the same way, whether it's Bob Jones of the game by devoting itself to years old and his father worked as a or Bob Dylan," says Troy. "The next recording projects rather than film rooms, and ancillary businesses, maintenance. "We have a tremen- producer in various rooms in New Bob Dylan could be Bob Jones. You post -production, commercials, or any such as its in -house label, Astoria dous maintenance staff here," Ed York. After the family bought the never know." of the other ancillary areas that Entertainment. Long situated at 237 adds. "We work round the clock with Hit Factory in 1975, Troy worked Even outside the studio, the Ger- other high -end studios have turned W. 54th St., the studio later acquired maintenance. At whatever sacred part -time at the studio while attend- manos are extraordinarily close - to for survival. a 100,000- square -foot building down moment we can get into the studios, ing high school. Upon graduation, he knit. Ed, Janice, Troy, and Danielle "When times got slow, everybody the street at 421 W. 54th St. Opened we're in there doing it." faced the momentous decision all -plus the parents and siblings of the ran to do commercials," he says. "We in 1992, the new site houses five While other studio owners and graduates face. elder Germanos -live on the same steadfastly stayed where we were, recording /mixing studios and four music industry executives have be- "Instead of going to college, I block on Manhattan's East Side. because we wanted to do album pro- mastering rooms, including a cav- moaned the softness of the business, decided to come to this college," he Although Ed says he never count- jects." ernous sixth -floor tracking room the Hit Factory is busier than ever says. He emphasizes the facility's ed on his son and daughter to join Ed's son, executive VP Troy Ger- that can accommodate up to 140 and making money every year, ac- academic aspects by noting that the business, he's delighted that they mano, adds, "The thing that I'm the musicians. cording to Ed. "every day is a learning experience." have. He beams with anticipatory most proud of is that on any given The studio's credit list is numb- "We had 29 sessions two weeks Troy built his career from the pride at the imminent birth of his day, in our 10 rooms we're doing pop, ingly star -studded: Stevie Wonder, ago in two days on a weekend," he ground up, working in the delivery, first grandchild, from Troy's family. hip -hop, R &B, jazz, rock, alternative Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce says. "I don't think that's ever hap- tape duplicating, and tape library Constantly stereotyped as an Ital- rock, Broadway cast albums, film Springsteen, Mariah Carey, David pened here at the Hit Factory. You departments before ascending to the ian- American family, the Germanos scores, classical music, crossover Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Paul read the articles in the papers about position of booking manager. Re- have a more complex heritage, as classical music, etc. We don't con- Simon, Sting, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, the music industry being in the dol- garding the latter job, he says, "I Janice is Austrian, Irish, and Span- centrate on one or two types of mu- U2, and hundreds of others. drums, that it's not a happening busi- thought I did a great job, but Dan- ish. However, the family members sic. We were part of 64 Grammy The pinnacle of the state of the ness right now. But I must tell you, ielle does twice as good a job as I have no ties to their ancestors. nominations this year, and over the art, the Hit Factory offers every we're busy. We have second and third did." Instead, they view themselves as past three years there have been imaginable recording, mixing, and holds on all our time." Danielle, 30, got further into a quintessentially American, embody- over 175 Grammy nominations that mastering option, from the Sony An independent producer who cut "conventional" career than her ing the dream of the self -made, we were part of-projects that were Oxford digital console and Sony 3348 his teeth working at the old A &R brother did: She attended college for mom -and -pop business -with a little recorded, overdubbed, mixed, and HR recorder in its all- digital room to and Record Plant studios in New six days before announcing to her marble to boot. mastered here." the Solid State Logic 9000 J series York, Ed was set to move to Califor- Sitting in Ed's office on a sunny board with a 959 center section for nia to go into business with another late-April afternoon, the Germanos surround -sound monitoring in Stu- producer. He changed his mind and reflected on the studio's magnificent dio 1. It also sports vintage Neve and decided to stay in New York when AA Offers Reduced 1st -Class history. Rather than gloat about the Neve VRs and a dazzling collection the opportunity presented itself to superstars who have recorded there of microphones and outboard proces- participate in a management buyout over the years -a dizzying list that sors. In short, it's the world's big- of the Record Plant from Warner Fare For Nashville /L.A. Flights includes virtually every name one gest, most impressive, and most lav- Communications, which owned it at could conjure up -the Germanos ishly appointed music studio -a the time. BY DAN DALEY The announcement comes nine kept returning to two central source of interminable pride for the Following the purchase, one of the NASHVILLE- Underscoring the months after the music industries in themes. The first was how much they Germanos, who say their relation- partners, Chris Stone, moved to Cal- importance of the recording and en- both cities reacted dramatically - love their jobs, and the second was ships and their top -notch staff are ifornia to open Record Plant studios tertainment business in Nashville after the story broke in Billboard how much it thrills them to work the keys to their success. in Los Angeles and Sausalito, leav- and Los Angeles, American Airlines Aug. 30, 1997 -to American's plans among family. "I've always said that you can ing Ed to head the flagship New announced April 30 that it had estab- to terminate its one remaining non- Besides Ed and Troy, the studio is bring a horse to water, but you can't York facility. lished a reduced -cost, advance -pur- stop flight between Nashville and run by CFO Janice Germano (Ed's make the horse drink the water," He remembers the Record Plant chase first -class fare between those L.A., which would have eliminated wife), and their daughter, VP says Ed. `All my buddies that I grew days as vital and fun -filled -with a markets, the first program of its first -class service between the two Danielle Germano, who is in charge up with are now heads of companies. staff of eventual stars that included type for any major U.S. carrier. cities. of bookings. There are no outside The second generation behind me, Jimmy lovine, Dave Thoener, Thom The new round -trip, first -class Southwest Airlines also services partners, just a nuclear family of Troy and Danielle, have their rela- Panunzio, Shelly Yakus, and Roy fare of $896 is $128 less than a stan- that route, but the so- called "no- four New Yorkers who built a multi- tionships too, and their relationships Cicala -but he tired of the layers of dard one -way first -class fare on frills" carrier has no first -class cabin million- dollar business the hard way are taking over my relationships. So decision -making that went with a American and considerably less than service or reserved seating, points and who have chosen to work togeth- we can bring the people to the stu- partnership. Consequently, 18 half the cost of the standard $2,108 that American has been hammering er simply because they enjoy each dio, but if the employees don't do months after joining the Record round -trip first -class fare. (The new hard in a series of full -page adver- other's company. their job, the clients will never come Plant, he sold his shares back to the fare basis requires a seven -day ad- tisements in newspapers in both The Hit Factory employs approx- back." company and bought the Hit Facto- vance purchase and is non- refund- cities since it has recommitted to the imately 100 people in its 10 record- Another cornerstone of the Hit ry from founding owner Jerry able, although it can be applied to route. ing /mixing rooms, five mastering Factory is meticulous preventive Ragavoy for $30,000. similarly routed future bookings.) (Continued on next page)

54 BILLBOARD MAY 23, 1998 www.americanradiohistory.com