Hit Factory Celebrates Half A Century

Legendary Miami music studio the Hit Factory (also known as the Hit Factory Criteria) recently turned the big 5-0.On any given night, the stars laying it down at the Hit Factory range from Iggy Pop to Jennifer Lopez.

Legendary Miami music studio the Hit Factory (also known as the Hit Factory Criteria) recently turned the big 5-0.On any given night, the stars laying it down at the Hit Factory range from Iggy Pop to Jennifer Lopez. The versatility of the artists who chose the studio speaks for its ability to transform an album. Nelly Furtado, who chose the Hit Factory for her 2006 effort Loose, believes that “the whole building has this creative magic.”

Though a lot of the “creative magic” comes from the studio’s lush surroundings and state-of-the-art equipment (many artists choose the studio as an alternative to the increasingly popular home studio), much comes from its rich musical history. The studio has recorded artists such as Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones, and Michael Jackson, while producing such legendary albums as Highway to Hell,Saturday Night Fever, and Hotel California.

Even with all that history, some would argue that this past year was one of the studio’s most successful. In one year alone the studio had three hits on the Billboard Hot 100: Usher’s “Love in this Club,” Madonna and Justin Timberlake’s “4 Minutes,” and Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” (the first single from his already platinum Tha Carter III).

Just as someone turning 50 might get a nip or a tuck here to maintain a little of that youthful glow, the Hit Factory plans on celebrating its milestone birthday with upgrades to their studio equipment.