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The historic Capitol Studios in the equally iconic Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood will be shutting down for as long as two years starting this summer, as the Tower continues to undergo repairs. The news was first reported by Billboard’s Melinda Newman, whose coverage also states that 13 studio staffers were informed on Friday that their jobs will be eliminated when the studio shuts down in a few months.
Paula Salvatore, who has managed Capitol Studios since 1990 and last year was upped to VP of Client Relations & Studio Marketing for Universal Music Group, told Billboard in a statement, “I have been informed that Capitol Studios will have to shut down starting this summer for a lengthy structural improvement project. It’s the first time in the studios’ 66-year history that they will have to shut down for an extended period of time.”


The legendary studio, which had remained open during the pandemic, had continued to operate this year, even as some Capitol staffers had relocated into the nearby NeueHouse Hollywood complex in February for what was estimated to be 18 months. The closure is allowing work to be done to shore up the iconic building. According to the Los Angeles Times, The California Geological Survey concluded in 2014 that an active earthquake fault line ran under a 4.5-acre stretch of land along Vine Street in Hollywood, just south of the Capitol Tower.


The renovations will not affect the studios’ renowned acoustics or the room dimensions. All the equipment will be temporarily moved to a temperature- and climate-controlled facility. During the downtime, the studio plans to install some newly acquired vintage gear, as well as update some of the technical capacities around content capture and connectivity.


Salvatore added, “The good news is that this project won’t change the magical acoustics of Studio A or Studio B — and in no way will it impact Capitol Studios’ historic echo chambers. Capitol Studios will also have the chance to invest in significant improvements they’ve wanted to make for a long time, but because the studios were always so busy, they never had the opportunity. When Capitol Studios reopens, I have no doubt that it will be better, stronger and more marvelous than ever.”