One of Music Row’s most recognizable recording houses has a new owner, and it happened with surprisingly little fanfare. The five-story, 8,560-square-foot studio complex at 1033 16th Avenue South, long known as Emerald Sound Studio and more recently as Benchmark Sound, was marketed last year and has now sold after weeks on the market. The deal underscores mounting redevelopment pressure on Music Row and has preservation advocates watching closely to see what happens next.
Sale reported and buyer details
As reported by REJournals, Avison Young completed the sale of the property on or around Feb. 25, 2026, for approximately $3.85 million, with the purchaser listed as TMEC Nashville, Inc. The outlet notes that Simon Kerr of French King Fine Properties represented the buyer, while an Avison Young team handled the seller side of the transaction.
How the property was marketed
The building first hit the market in June 2025 with an asking price of $4.65 million, according to materials from Avison Young. The listing pitched the site as a turn-key studio complex that could either continue as a creative hub or be shifted to another use. The brokerage identified principals Mike Jacobs and Lisa Maki among the listing team and emphasized the building’s ready-made studio infrastructure as a selling point.
What’s inside the building
Industry coverage describes the five-story facility as housing three studios, multiple isolation and vocal booths, songwriting rooms and lounge areas, plus a 17-space parking lot with a bus pad on roughly a 0.32-acre parcel. Mixonline notes that the property is zoned ORI (Office/Residential Intensive), which allows higher-intensity office or multifamily projects alongside creative workspaces. Marketing materials also stressed that the building would be delivered empty as tenants’ leases expired, positioning it for either immediate conversion or continued studio operations.
A long recording pedigree
The studio traces its roots to the early 1980s, when producer-songwriter David Malloy and Even Stevens commissioned a facility designed by studio architect Tom Hidley, and it has been known historically as Emerald Sound Studio. MusicRow and other outlets document a long roster of artists who have recorded there, including Johnny Cash, Eddie Rabbitt, Faith Hill, George Strait and Bon Jovi. That track record helps explain why this otherwise standard commercial sale has drawn attention far beyond typical real estate circles.
Preservation concerns and the Nashville Nine
Historic Nashville placed the former Emerald Sound Studio on its 2025 “Nashville Nine” list of endangered properties, describing the building as part of the “creative heart of Music Row” and warning that it faced redevelopment pressure. The Historic Nashville designation has turned up the volume on public scrutiny of the site’s future and highlighted the broader tug-of-war between preserving Music Row’s studio infrastructure and accommodating intense development interest.
What comes next
For now, the new owner’s plans remain publicly unknown. It is not yet clear whether Benchmark Sound will continue operating in the building or whether an adaptive reuse or full redevelopment will be pursued. Industry reports have pointed out that the combination of existing studio systems and ORI zoning keeps both options on the table. Local preservation advocates and Music Row stakeholders say they intend to watch permitting activity and any redevelopment filings closely. In the meantime, the sale stands as a reminder that Nashville’s cultural landmarks are increasingly treated as commercial assets with multiple possible futures.
