Jack Antonoff Wants to Open Recording Studios at LGBTQ+ Youth Shelters

Not everyone who makes music has access to recording studios, and Jack Antonoff wants that to change. In an Instagram message, the Bleachers singer-songwriter, who has collaborated with Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and countless others, said that after learning how best to build studios, he was launching a “Public Studios” initiative to democratize access.

“I plan to spend a large part of the next chapter of my life bringing these spaces to people who wouldn’t have access to them, public studios available to those who are priced out,” he wrote. “It’s going to take time and a lot of resources but over here we have a plan that starts with working through [Antonoff’s charitable organization] the Ally Coalition to build studios in LGBTQ+ youth shelters. From there, we will have a network of engineers that we will fund who will train people at these sites. Our plan is to build these spaces, pay for maintenance and engineering, and let the centers give out the time slots for people to use them. From there, we can start to expand into cities once we have it happening.”

Antonoff wrote that he was announcing the endeavor early as a way to raise awareness and ask for help. “Anyone who believes in this and has resources that can help should please reach out as we get this off the ground,” he wrote, adding that people could contact the effort’s organizers via studio@theallycoalition.org.

In his note, he also acknowledged that he was launching this during a particularly bad time for the recording studio industry. Demand for commercial studios has dropped in the past couple of decades as musicians have embraced home recording, and several studios were hit hard by Covid lockdowns a few years ago. “Lastly, to all the commercial studios I love, this concept is strictly for those who cannot afford studio time in those spaces so it’s my belief that this is helpful to our spaces as well,” he wrote.

Read Jack Antonoff’s full announcement:

Shadow of the City October 1st, 2024 1 PM EST
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i love recording at home, in hotel rooms and the level of recordings that can now be made there is a wonderful thing for everyone.

but the studio is different. working with analog gear and creating sounds that are impossible to recreate is powerful. knowing you are in a space for a limited amount of time and pushing yourself to the edge is vital. a studio is a rare space and you function different because of it.

i fly on planes and look down and see baseball diamonds everywhere, basketball courts all over my neighborhood, tracks, public parks and gyms etc. there are many facilities available for what we value. i dream of the studio being a place that anyone can access, not just those with the money to do so. it should be a place that all people can experience and find out if they are meant to be in there.

i’ve loved home recording but my life changed in a recording studio. there is magic there. laura and i have learned how to build studios and it’s time to share that with those who might not find themselves there otherwise but need to be.

i plan to spend a large part of the next chapter of my life bringing these spaces to people who wouldn’t have access to them. public studios available to those who are priced out. it’s going to take time and a lot of resources but over here we have a plan that starts with working through the ally coalition to build studios in LGBTQ+ youth shelters. from there we will have a network of engineers that we will fund who will train people at these sites. our plan is to build these spaces, pay for maintenance and engineering and let the centers give out the time slots for people to use them. from there we can start to expand into cities once we have it happening.

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the reason i am putting the word out so early is because anyone who believes in this and has resources that can help should please reach out as we get this off the ground. studio@theallycoaliton.org. lastly, to all the commercial studios i love, this concept is strictly for those who cannot afford studio time in those spaces so it’s my belief that this is helpful to our spaces as well.

public studios