The metal elevator creaked as it slowly rose to Paragon Recording Studios. One of the studio’s engineers pressed his thumb on a worn red button and the elevator lurched to a stop. As the elevator doors opened, an eerie silence filled air. This was once the office space of former rock gods.
The studio’s head engineer, Joe Connors wore a faded Jimi Hendrix tee-shirt as he sat in a 1960’s-floral couch that had grown faded and torn in recent decades. Visions of Otis Clay puffing a cigar, or Glen Frey tuning his guitar haunt this couch. Decorated walls and a nostalgic aura carry the memories of the studio’s former clients, Soul Train, Ike and Tina Turner, and a man wearing a single sequined white glove, Michael Jackson.
The memories in framed photographs are now veiled with dust, but the ghostly boom in B.B. King’s laugh, the rough creation of Hotel California, and Frank Zappa arguing politics over a cigarette can still be heard. Paragon Studios is now rundown, but Connors has not forgotten the golden years from when more than 57 gold and platinum albums were conceived within his studio’s walls.
When Connors spoke of the studio, he mostly focused on the past. His eyes were fixated on the dusty floors as he recalled Paragon’s triumphs since the studio’s 1967 birth. Legendary rock stars and antiqued instruments were once the cutting-edge catalysts for Paragon Studios, which was once the biggest recording studio in the Midwest, Connors said. Today, this equipment and clientele list are outdated and retired.
Connors, however, refused to answer any questions on the current financial state of Paragon Recording Studios. When asked, the wistful daze glazed across Connors face quickly disappeared. His eyes became sharp.
“Any accusations that Paragon does not make the same profit as it did years ago are misinformed allegations,” he said.
Despite Connors’ claims, however, some audio engineers at Paragon said the years of affluence may be long over.
“Paragon just isn’t what it used to be,” said Weston Dombroski, an audio engineer at Paragon. “But progress is steady,” he added.
Independent labels such as Paragon Studios currently make up 18.1 percent of the U.S. music market. Universal Music Group holds the most market share at 31.7 percent.
Paragon has charged clients the same hourly rate–$75–since the studio first opened more than 40 years ago. This is also the rate Chicago Recording Company charges, a recording company that replaced Paragon as the largest recording studio and production company in the Midwest. Unlike Paragon, Chicago Recording Company currently has the latest audio gear and holds big-name artists such as Kanye West, Celine Dion, and Buddy Guy.
“Since Paragon’s peak years from 1967 to 1995, the studio has been unable to bring big names or sufficient money to Paragon,” Dombroski said.
Big name musicians are still listed on Paragon’s clientele list, even though most of them stopped recording at Paragon more than 10 years ago.
Ned Engelhart, the studio’s owner for more than 30 years, shook his head with annoyance and said that many engineers at Paragon point fingers to place blame for the studio’s troubled times. “The studio is doing fine,” Engelhart said. “Paragon’s clientele list isn’t all that important,” Engelhart said. He winked.
Dombroski said, “The staff and I at Paragon continually try to convince Ned that things need to change. Ned doesn’t want to let go and adhere to the fact that Paragon is no longer able to bring in business the way it once did.”
The studio’s lack of famous and money generating clientele is not what many Paragon employees find to be troubling. What hurts the studio, they said, is the basic lack of clientele overall, regardless of their status.
“We are losing clients because our rates are too high for the equipment we have to offer,” Dombroski said. The owner also doesn’t want to spend money on promotions, so it’s hard to bring in new clients that haven’t recorded at Paragon before.”
Connors is rumored to have said the studio’s troubles are due to the engineers’ inexperience. When asked if these comments were true, Connors said, “no comment.”
Instead, Connors said the reason Paragon does not have big name clientele is due to outdated equipment. “In the 1980’s recording studio’s began to acquire new technology allowing them to become more proficient, which Paragon was unable to keep up with,” he said.
“In 1967 Paragon was one of only three studios within the city,” Connors said. “But when digital media was introduced it allowed for more recording studios. Studios began popping up all over Chicago creating increased competition.”
The other two studios in 1967 were Universal Audio and Chess Records. After Universal Audio moved to California and after Chess Records closed in 1975, Paragon Recording Studio became the only one to remain in Chicago.
“Anyone can come into Paragon,” Engelhart said, “B.B. King loved recording his music just as much as any guy off the street who records here.” He paused, smiling to reveal a wide-tooth grin and said, “all that matters is their passion.”
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