The Record Plant Sausalito opened in October 1972 and produced fifty years of music that shaped American culture. Fleetwood Mac wrote and recorded Rumours at the Record Plant. Carlos Santana returned to the Record Plant across three decades. Rick James lived in a conference room at the Record Plant and made Street Songs. Metallica had the ceiling rebuilt to get the drum sound they needed. Prince arrived at nineteen and recorded his debut album at the Record Plant alone, playing every instrument himself.
Most of the Record Plant's history exists only in scattered interviews, trade press archives, and the memories of the engineers and producers who were in the room. This archive collects it, verifies it, and publishes it in one place.
Who maintains the Record Plant archive
This archive is maintained by Tom Proctor, an independent journalist, photographer, and archivist. It's not an official studio publication and does not speak for the business or the Foundation. It documents the Record Plant building, its rooms, and the people who made records here because the history is worth documenting.
How the Record Plant archive fits into a larger effort
Three separate projects share a connection to the Record Plant Sausalito building at 2200 Bridgeway.
2200studios.com is the commercial recording operation inside the former Record Plant, where you can book session time in the legendary Studios A and B. It books the rooms, describes the gear, and runs the day-to-day studio business. If you want to record or host an event in the Record Plant rooms, that's where you go.
2200 Music Foundation is the nonprofit dedicated to preserving the Record Plant Sausalito as a living landmark, advancing live recording education, and creating access to professional recording for artists and students who'd otherwise never get near a room like this. The Foundation is the reason the Record Plant has a future as well as a past.
This site, 2200studios.us, is the physical studio's historical record. It documents what happened at the Record Plant and why it matters. It supports the current business and the Foundation's preservation mission by making the evidence visible. It supports the studio's credibility by making the history verifiable. It hosts and manages the Record Plant Sausalito Archive.
A journalist researching the last Record Plant, a grant reviewer evaluating the Foundation's preservation work, or a producer curious about the Record Plant room they're about to book — all of them can find what they need here.
Explore the archive
Contact the Record Plant archive
If you know something about the Record Plant's history that isn't documented here — a photograph, a session log, a recording, or a story — write to studio@2200studios.us.
