A & R Recording
A & R Recording Inc. was a leading American independent recording studio company founded in 1958 by Phil Ramone and Jack Arnold. The name comes from their initials and the industry term A&R, which stands for artist and repertoire.
Arnold left soon after the founding due to health problems. The first studio, Studio A1, was on the fourth floor of Mogull's Film & TV building at 112 West 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Manny's Music occupied part of the floor and Mogull's the other half, with Jim & Andy's Bar next door—a famous gathering spot for session players. Ramone earned a reputation as an innovative engineer and producer, and the room’s distinctive sound helped it attract clients beyond demos.
In October 1967 A & R bought Columbia's Studio A on the seventh floor of 799 Seventh Avenue, expanding to about 10,000 square feet. The building was later demolished in 1983 to make way for a new tower.
In 1969 Donald C. Hahn was promoted to vice president and oversaw the 799 Seventh Avenue facilities. A & R added a third studio at 322 West 48th Street in the Leeds Music Corporation building, creating studios on the first and second floors named R1 and R2 (the “R” stood for Ramone). The basement area was also used. That building now houses the AFM Local 802 and the Jazz Foundation of America.
A & R Records, the label, launched in February 1970 to release albums by artists such as Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, Billy Joel, Dionne Warwick, Gloria Estefan and others. The company also formed two satellite studios: 914 SRS in Blauvelt, New York (with Brooks Arthur), opened in October 1970; and Vincent SRS in Jacksonville, Florida (with Norman Vincent), opened in November 1970. 914 SRS was a converted gas station and operated until 1978; the corporation dissolved in 1982.
A & R Recording closed in 1989. At its peak, it stood among Midtown’s cluster of famous studios, near Mediasound, the Hit Factory, Sony, and the Record Plant.
By 1972 the management team included Robert Gerics as general and studio manager, Nick Diminno as studio manager, and Irving Joel as chief engineer.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:12 (CET).