MUSIC STUDIOS REELING FROM CHANGES.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

Changes in technology and dwindling record sales have left Los Angeles' recording industry reeling, forcing nearly a dozen top-level studios to close or change hands in the past 18 months.

``It's not as much fun anymore,'' said Larry Cummins, who owns and operates Can-Am Recorders, a Tarzana studio that recently recorded The Donnas and Maroon 5. ``In order to survive, we've had to make such great deals that a lot of times we have to beg people for money.''

The constant evolution of digital recording equipment and waning demand for studio dates have cut deep in an industry once famous for drawn-out, high-priced recording sessions.

After 27 years, Cummins is leaving the business and abandoning his 10,000-square-foot studio. Booking rates have plummeted and artists no longer need to record for more than a few weeks at a time.

``I've got to pay the bills and I'll probably go into home theater installation. It's become a natural progression for me.''

In many ways, helping people like Cummins has been a natural progression for Ellis Sorkin, who runs Studio Referral Service in Calabasas. Known as the eyes and ears for producers in need of a place to record, Sorkin's role has become less studio booker and more of a real estate agent.

The engineer by trade said nearly a fourth of his business is helping people buy and lease recording studios. ``That's only happened in the last year or so as more people are leaving the business.''

Sorkin, who got his start two decades ago working as an engineer for A&M Records, said more artists are recording at home these days on software known as ProTools, the same software available to any consumer at home electronic stores. The system is easily installed on most computers, but ``that doesn't mean the sound is professional grade. I can tell immediately when someone who doesn't know what they're doing records on ProTools at home,'' Sorkin said.

For top-line professional equipment, ``a lot of recording studios are in need of upgrades. And many prospective owners are discouraged from buying these studios because they are nothing more than money pits.''

It costs about $100,000 a year for a top studio to keep its equipment up to date. Like landlords renting apartments, studio heads seek out long-term tenants to help support their budget needs.

Many studios recently went through a wave of refinancing, attempting to keep their monthly payments down, said Jeff Greenberg, chief executive officer of The Village, a West Los Angeles recording studio where bands like the Grateful Dead and Red Hot Chili Peppers have played. `'It's been a real challenge for anyone to stay in this business with rising costs and all.''

Studios sell for anywhere between $200 to $300 a square foot and sellers often include equipment in the overall price. ``But the equipment can be so out of date at times that it turns the buyer off. So you have to keep your options open,'' said Stacy Vierheilig, a senior managing director with Charles Dunn Real Estate in Studio City.

Instead of selling music studios ``as is,'' Vierheilig said, many people are converting their spaces into post-production facilities. ``As those conversions go down, it looks as if the traditional music studio is going obsolete.''

Eric Bettelli, publisher of Music Connection, a Studio City-based bi- weekly trade publication, said it may be premature to write off the industry as a whole.

One bright note for musicians, he says, is ``more studios will probably offer competitive recording rates to keep their businesses from going bust.'' Another hope is that older technology actually draws increased interest. The last of the major manufacturers of high-quality audiotape filed for bankruptcy protection two weeks ago and tight supplies may push artists who like the ``warmer'' sound back into recording studios.

``I think there has already been a (renewed interest) for the more affluent artists,'' said Nicole Mihalka of GVA DAUM Worldwide Real Estate Solutions in Woodland Hills. ``Many studio buyers I work with are tired of traipsing around their homes. And more producers, artists and record labels are once again seeing the value of owning a studio.''

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com