Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios

Recording and mastering studio located in Los Angeles, California (USA), owned by Hitsville USA Studios, Detroit.

Name variations
- Motown/Hitsville U.S.A.
- Motown Recording Studios
- Motown Recording Studio, West Hollywood, CA
- Hitsville West Studios
- Hitsville Recording Studios.
- Hitsville

History
Built as MoWest record label. In 1974, the label was shuttered and the studio renamed Motown Recording Studios. This completed the move from Detroit to Los Angeles.

Originally a two-story state-of-the-art studio complex, it boasted an atrium and an al fresco conference room on the roof. Gordy even moved parts of Motown’s famous Detroit studio A (a.k.a, “the Snake Pit”) to Los Angeles in hopes of recreating the Detroit studio's classic sound. Guy Costa was the studio's managing director. By 1979, the facility had expanded to 4 studios, named "Sunset", "Sunrise", "Twilight" (for mastering), and "Dawn".

Around 1980, the studio name was changed to Hitsville Recording Studios. Gordy sold the studio in 1988, coinciding with the sale of Motown to Masterworks, Los Angeles, where the mastering gear was installed.

Engineers

Chief: Cal Harris.
Mastering: Michele Stone.
Recording: Ginny Pallante.