The future of History of Recorded Sound (Len Horowitz)

[sameal]

Hi everybody.

Im hoping this is ok to post here, len horowitz of history of recorded sound is having some difficulty keeping the building he is currently in. He's made a short video which is not complete, and is trying to get letters together to prove that HRS is historical, and needs to stay open to keep not only the history, but the services he provides alive.

If you or anyone you know has been helped by len, and can help him with this, please do get in contact with him, he can use the help.


Ill post the video in a moment.

[sameal]

https://vimeo.com/250401390

[sameal]

Im simply relaying the message for len, trying to help him out as he in turn is helping me.

[Steve E.]

Sticky-ing this. Help Len!!

I see Eli Lief in there! A rock star as always.

[ejemmons]

Let me add that without Len and Company, we'd be in a seriously sorry state. I wouldn't be making records. Many heads would go to perdition. Many amps would not be getting at all decent attention, to say nothing of the R&D they're pouring into our Art. Some of youse guys know, probably most don't.

Len, and HRS is a nexus, and when I'm there (ALL too seldom, getting in the way and trying to help), it's always the same, despite the 180 mile round trip:
I don't wanna go home!

RSD will be celebrated this weekend there with Direct To Disc and MUCH to see. If ya can, you owe it to yourself to make the gig.

All the foregoing was an exercise in understatement.

I love every one of those guys: Len, Dylan, Jacob, and Eli. You will, too!

[Steve E.]

<3

[recordio6b30ryan]

Len is my best friend in record cutting... along with Gib Epling... please help Len!!! Len is a very kind man, and he has probably the best record cutting equipment in the world! Help my friend!!!

[Steve E.]

Len sent me some links regarding HRS at Record Store Day:

http://www.culvercitynews.org/history-of-recorded-sound-hosts-record-store-day/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnkYYH3LzBA

[diamone]

I PMed Steve E a handful of possible solutions I see that he could explore.

You can PM him asking for a copy and then translate yourself from the original because - like lots of other guys - I only know one way to say things - and most of the time it's not tactful or nice or warm or fuzzy or.... - and then pass it around to see if - and how - any of those could be implemented.

[Steve E.]

Anyone know the latest?

[diamone]

From two months ago:
http://recordcollectornews.com/2018/12/record-crusader-len-horowitz

``The History of Recorded Sound is developing a board of directors and strategic plan as a non-profit, 501(c)3, in order “to preserve the legacy of audio.”

It's about time.

[diamone]

Ran outa time so a mod can delete the first post if they want.

From two months ago:
http://recordcollectornews.com/2018/12/record-crusader-len-horowitz

``The History of Recorded Sound is developing a board of directors and strategic plan as a non-profit, 501(c)3, in order “to preserve the legacy of audio.”

It's about time. I been telling him that since I was a probie there for four years in the mid `90s.

Like everybody else - he totally spoiled me too with his ``quality first'' mantra that's all but died out everyplace else.

Certainly at Warner Special Products where I spent the next four years doing the exact same tape research, archive retrieval, repair and assembly for their different Various Artists LP and CD box sets as I was doing for Len whenever he'd inherit a load of various different studio master tapes and never had the time to go through and restore `em.

The first three years or so at WSP were at least tolerable because even though there were barely any of the Old Guard left at Warner's by then - there was still a lot left at what was once MGM what was once Decca what was once RCA Victor etc etc etc.

Most of the time if I got into a tangle with a cubicle warrior or bean counter etc I could call one of these long-in-the-tooth guys and say `hey they're trying to make me use this trash and slap a disclaimer on the back that tells customers ``(shrug) Oh Well. Be glad you have the track at all and don't have to drag out all your old vinyl to hear it'' (This was before widespread smartphone/internet usage and downloading).

In addition - a lot of the historic classic studios were still open back then - which meant if I couldn't get support from the long-in-the-tooth archive and former engineer guys at the labels - I could still get it from the equally long-in-the-tooth studios.

But by my fourth year there - new management had come in - they all clashed with the most basic cultural elements of all these historic engineers - and so rather than tolerate being told what to do by kids fresh out of college a third of their age who wouldn't know a reel of tape if it hit `em on the head - they all retired.

Many of the classic studios were gone by then too. Radio Recorders was gone entirely. Hollywood Music Center of the World was a film school. Western Recorders (OceanWay) got sold off and split up. So not much of the Old Hollywood was left.

I left too for the same reason as everybody else and - as noted by several others on this board - began to concentrate on the transfer and restoration of commercially non-viable program material and commercially non-viable formats almost nobody but the inventors and their probies ever heard of.

Which I also got from Len who basically said `You wanna go into media transfer OK. But everybody and their brother is transferring all the normal 16 LP 45 78 cassette reel to reel 8-track yadadadada. You have to find a niche outside of there if you wanna stay afloat. Not to mention you'll be able to keep the ``Quality First'' mantra and have your customers appreciate it and maybe even pay you a premium for it instead of the Money First you have to tolerate if you go corporate.''

He was absolutely right. 25 years later it's still keeping me afloat. And if I wdnt have incorporated as a nonprofit the same as Len wants to do for the same reason he wants to do it - I wouldn't be here anymore either - just like all the classic studios and all the long-in-the-tooth engineers that ran `em.