On Dec. 16, The Building Studios, located on Townsouth Avenue, was robbed of more than $20,000 in recording equipment, including numerous guitars, monitors and the heart of the business: a Mackie digital eight-bus mixing console estimated at $8,000.
The four LSU students who own The Building Studios recorded for five years in the garage of co-owner Daniel Russo’s parents’ house and were in business a month at the Townsouth Avenue location when the crime occurred.
Starting a business as college students is no small feat. Being young meant it would be more difficult to get the bank loans needed to start a recording studio.
“We were turned down by every bank in Baton Rouge,” said Karen Edward, co-owner of the studio. “So we had to take money out of my college fund. Now we’re in debt to my parents, and we have to pay for all the new equipment we bought.”
Since the theft, police have made two arrests, according to Russo, and the studio reacquired most of the guitars and one mixer through Ebay, although Russo had to travel to Washington, D.C. to retrieve it.
The studio increased its insurance policy and installed a security system complete with motion detection that came in two days after the theft.
“At least the worst thing that could have happened already happened,” said Adam Stephens, co-owner of the studio. “We now have the security system and insurance we needed.”
Russo said the suspects allegedly entered the building by kicking out a window air- conditioning unit in the back of the building, climbing through the space and opening a back door.
The suspects also vandalized the studio by spraying the inside of the building with fire extinguishers, according to Russo.
“We thought they were adding insult to injury,” said Paul Knox, co-owner of The Building Studio. “In fact [the dust from the extinguisher] hid most of the fingerprints.”
The Baton Rouge Police Department, which is handling the ongoing investigation, would not comment, but according to Russo, an officer told the owners they probably would not see their equipment again.
The four entrepreneurs decided to take matters into their own hands and posted innumerable messages at www.redstickrock.com, an online local music Web site, asking other musicians in the area to look for the equipment, which the students have accumulated since high school.
They approached pawn shops in the area, giving them a list of the stolen equipment with serial numbers and hung more than 100 fliers in the business’ neighborhood offering a cash reward for the stolen gear.
The studio owners also scoured the Internet, looking at auction sites such as Ebay for their recording gear and hired a private investigator.
Response from the community was overwhelming, as local musicians, club owners and pawnshop employees offered their support in any way possible.
“We were all really depressed,” Edward said. “But the support from the town and Red Stick Rock really held us together.”
As much as the tragedy hurt the studio owners, it hurt the local music community too, and many bands affected by the crime came together to aid the fledgling studio.
“We had people offering us their equipment to use at the studio for any recording we had to get done,” Russo said. “And a lot of the people that wanted to help were people we didn’t even know. That was amazing to us.”
Four Building Studios recording bands — The Krewe, Soulhouse, Anomoly and Movin’ Weight — performed a benefit concert at The Caterie, raising $2,000 for the studio.
“I just asked a couple of bands that have recorded here to play free to raise money for the studio,” said Drew Reilley, benefit organizer and guitarist for Soulhouse. “[All of the owners] are my friends and this is a place where I come to hang out. I just wanted to help.”
The Building Studios is a 24-bit, 24-track digital recording studio and is taking new business. To get in touch with the studio, call 767-9563.