Gentrification has proven fatal to many creative spaces in recent years, and now the Magic Shop Recording Studio is among them. On March 16th, the Soho studio closed its doors for the last time. The studio, which has been integral in crafting some of the most influential records of the past few decades, including David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, has become another victim to the skyrocketing rent prices in New York City.
Steve Rosenthal at Magic Shop Recording Studio
Tucked away on 49 Crosby Street in NYC, Magic Shop was home to Steve Rosenthal, its founder and resident producer/sound engineer, for 28 years, weaving its way into the fabric of the city’s music scene by playing host to an impressive swath of musical talent, from Lou Reed to The Ramones, Arcade Fire to Kurt Vile, and of course, David Bowie, who recorded his final two albums at the Magic Shop in secret.
The central showpiece of the Magic Shop was a hulking Neve recording console from the ‘70s that captured sound in a way that many consoles couldn’t.
“The sound of the console is really great at capturing what’s going on in the space with the least amount of degradation and so everything had this big warmth to it,” said Kevin Killen, a producer at the Magic Shop, as quoted in Bedford and Bowery.
But due to rising rent costs, Rosenthal closed the doors of the Magic Shop after its very last session, with L.A. band Alyeska. The Magic Shop’s struggle is not news, though; the studio was featured in Dave Grohl’s documentary “Sonic Highways” in 2014, and Grohl potentially wanted to purchase the studio, but the deal fell through.
Many artists have publicly mourned the studios closing, including Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem and Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, who both spoke with the Observer.
Obviously, I’m incredibly upset, but at least it was here. At least it was here.”
“It’s a particularly bitter pill to swallow,” Jarman said. “I was really hoping to be going back in there before it closed. My plan was to get back in there again, but it wasn’t to be.”
RELATED ARTICLE
It’s obvious that the legacy of the Magic Shop Recording Studio will live on in the hearts of all that had the opportunity to record there, and in the plethora of influential albums that were crafted in that space.
“Obviously, I’m incredibly upset,” Rosenthal lamented to the Observer. “But at least it was here. At least it was here.”