Ordinance putting restrictions on recording studios meets pushback from zoning board
Can you imagine Atlanta without 'Hey Ya!' from OutKast?. This song was recorded on a quiet neighborhood street at Underwood Hills'
Atlanta’s zoning review board said Thursday evening that it will recommend the city’s zoning committee shoot down an ordinance proposal that would enact restrictions on recording studios.
At the Dec. 8 board meeting, around 70 people came out to oppose a plan drafted by City Councilmembers Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens which would require new Atlanta recording studios to apply for special use permits, soundproof their buildings, and be located no closer than 500 feet from residences. Studios currently operating would be exempt from the ordinance.
Moore told the crowd that gathered outside the City Hall hearing room before the meeting that she’s pushing this legislation to appease Atlanta residents who have complained about noise and violence near studios. She referenced recent shootings at Atlanta studios, such as the incident that killed rapper Bankroll Fresh and a double shooting that occurred at a southwest Atlanta recording studio.
But opponents of the plan, such as the music industry professionals and supporters at the ZRB meeting, wondered if, by that logic, the city should also crack down on seemingly dangerous grocery stores too. “If someone gets shot in the parking lot of a grocery store, you wouldn’t require that all grocery stores move to non-residential areas, would you?,” asked Ben Allen, a prominent local producer and Atlanta recording studio owner.
Opponents said the proposal’s wording is too vague. They argued that the measure’s definition of a recording studio — “a facility maintained and equipped for sound recording and mixing for the purposes of producing a product for commercial consumption” — could also apply to film studios and artists who mix tracks from home.
As for concerns of noise ordinance violations, opponents of Moore’s and Dickens’ proposal said Atlanta police should better address sound complaints before they try to ensure compliance with soundproofing regulations. They said doing so would require more training and different equipment than the noise meters officers currently use to measure noise.
Plus, Allen said, the most recording pros in Atlanta haven’t sparked noise complaints or crime. “We, as studio owners, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to ensure that the studios we build keep our noise inside and the city’s noise outside,” he said.
Board member Steven Lee, Sr., who said his son produces music from a studio in their family’s basement, said he doesn’t know if Atlanta authorities could feasibly enforce the proposed ordinance. “I don’t know how we could enforce this type of regulation,” he said. “We’re literally asking people to break the law, and I just can’t see people supporting that.”
Jill Chambers, a spokeswoman for Street Execs Studios, the northwest Atlanta studio where Bankroll Fresh was shot and killed, said the current proposal “could be a detriment to the entire music industry” because artists and groups looking to start up in Atlanta might be deterred by the regulations.
No supporters spoke up in favor of the measure. After hearing the ire of recording professionals and members of the local music industry, ZRB Chairman David Coleman said the councilmembers’ legislation could restrict artists’ abilities to make money via creative endeavors. “This ordinance suggests limiting your ability to earn income,” he said. “This causes significant concern.”
Coleman said he has some concerns about the “dark clouds that have certainly overcast this industry,” but he thinks the music industry is one that contributes to the city’s economic development. “I don’t want to be left with the impression that the music industry is a harmful industry,” he said.
“Can you imagine Atlanta without ‘Hey Ya!’ from OutKast?,” Allen asked the board. “This song was recorded on a quiet neighborhood street at Underwood Hills. Or ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley? This song was recorded 100 feet away from a 200-unit apartment building.”
After hearing concerns and catching flak from people at the board meeting and on social media, Moore said she’ll be evaluating potential amendments to the legislation. The proposed measure will be heard by the city’s zoning committee on Jan. 11. The full Council could consider the plans as proposal as early as Jan. 17, barring any legislative roadblocks.