Famed Hit Factory studio to fall silent

Few places were more aptly named than the Hit Factory, the legendary New York City recording studio where scores of gold records and Grammy winners were created. And even fewer were so intricately involved in the musical history of the last 30 years.

But the last notes are echoing through the temple of sound on West 54th Street, with its doors set to close permanently within the month, its owners said Friday.

The Hit Factory opened in 1968 and over the years played host to Bruce Springsteen, Donald Fagen, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, Toni Braxton, Madonna, U2, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jay-Z and Beyonce, among others. Along with seven recording studios and five mastering suites, it featured a gym, a steam room and two-bedroom apartments for artists seeking solitude or sleep.

But times changed, and so did the technology. The advent of home studios and technological advances cut into its business. The Hit Factory, which will continue to operate its recording facility in Miami, acknowledged in a statement announcing its decision that there was “a burgeoning shift in the music industry away from large-scale recording facilities.”