Atlas Lantz Studio
Sony
Music
Publishing
Hollywood, California
2024
The project called for the transformation of a 48,700-square-foot century-old timber-framed building in Hollywood into a state-of-the-art headquarters designed specifically for songwriters. The program required five dedicated writer studios, six listening rooms, a recording studio, independent recording booths, an artist lounge, and collaborative work environments that support the full lifecycle of music creation.
A primary challenge was achieving professional-grade acoustic performance within the constraints of the existing historic structure. The timber-framed building presented significant sound isolation challenges, requiring innovative technical solutions that could meet rigorous recording standards while preserving the character and integrity of the original architecture. Beyond technical performance, the design needed to redefine the user experience. The space was required to balance the precision of professional recording environments with the warmth and comfort essential to creative work, creating a seamless journey from arrival through collaboration. The project sought to establish a distinctly songwriter-centered environment that departed from traditional corporate office models and embodied Sony Music Publishing’s evolving creative culture.
The design reimagines the historic structure as a contemporary creative hub where architecture supports artistic production at every scale. Through careful acoustic engineering and spatial innovation, the project achieves professional-grade sound performance while preserving the building’s timber framework and historic character.
A layered sequence of spaces organizes the headquarters around the creative process, providing environments for writing, recording, listening, collaboration, and informal exchange. Writer studios, listening rooms, and recording spaces are integrated with social and gathering areas to create a fluid and immersive experience that encourages interaction and creative exploration.
The resulting environment balances technical precision with spatial warmth, transforming the building into a destination for music innovation. More than an office, the headquarters establishes a new creative identity for Sony Music Publishing—an independent, songwriter-first environment positioned at the center of Hollywood’s cultural landscape and the global music industry.
“Our focus has been on creating environments that nurture the talent, vision, and goals of our songwriters and people. I am exceptionally proud of what we have built as a team.”
Sony Music Publishing is one of the world’s leading music publishing companies, representing an extensive global catalog of songwriters, composers, and artists across genres and generations. As a division of Sony Group Corporation, the organization operates at the forefront of the global music industry, managing publishing rights, supporting creative talent, and shaping the future of music production and distribution. With offices worldwide and a legacy spanning more than a century, Sony Music Publishing plays a central role in cultivating new voices while stewarding some of the most influential music catalogs in history.
For its new West Coast headquarters, the company sought to establish a flagship environment that would reflect its evolving identity as a creative-first organization. The relocation from the Sony Pictures Entertainment lot to a standalone facility in Hollywood marked a strategic shift reinforcing its commitment to supporting songwriters as the core of its mission. The client’s ambition was to create a creative hub that brings together every aspect of music production and publishing under one roof—an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, and artistic exchange while strengthening SMP's presence as a central figure in the global music ecosystem.
The work presented here was completed during Andy Lantz’s tenure at RIOS where he led the practice as Global Creative Director & CEO. This project is a demonstration of that leadership either through the active participation in a paid commission with a client or the efforts associated with an invited or open competition.
Project Team:
Andy Lantz, Dami Olufowoshe, Eric Chin, Marisol Mejia, Nate Waddell, Katerina Starikova, Yessenia Juarez, Irvin Shaifa, Cecilia Brock, Leo Vargas Contreras, Stephanie Mejia, Jeff Banner, Matt Fung, Mehmet Gumus, Pernilla Perlmann, Nicole Fan, Emil Mertzel, Brenda Chavez, Mario Salazar, and Hayden DeShazer.
Photography by Jasper Sanidad
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