Chicago Recording Company

Chicago Recording Company, commonly known as CRC, is a recording and post-production studio business based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1975 by Alan Kubicka, the organization began as Sound House Studios in Medinah, Illinois. It moved to Michigan Avenue in Chicago in the same year and adopted the Chicago Recording Company name. The move placed the business in the city’s established music and commercial-production environment and established the identity under which it became known. CRC’s core business is the provision of professional audio facilities, engineering, recording, mixing, and related production services. Its music studios have hosted a broad range of performers and musical projects, spanning rock, pop, soul, hip-hop, jazz, gospel, and other commercial genres. Artists associated with recordings at the facility include Michael Jackson, Carole King, Coldplay, Sting, Timbaland, Rihanna, Styx, Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, The Cure, Jennifer Hudson, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Aaliyah, Wilco, and many others. The Smashing Pumpkins used the studio repeatedly from the mid-1990s, and the facility appeared in the video for the group’s single “Untitled.” The company’s work is not limited to artist recording. CRC operates a substantial post-production and sound-design business supporting advertising, film, television, and interactive entertainment. Advertising agencies including FCB, Leo Burnett, Young & Rubicam, and DDB Worldwide have used its post-production facilities for commercial work. Engineers associated with the company have also contributed to productions connected with films, television programs, and games, including Watchmen, Toy Story, The Dark Knight, Boardwalk Empire, CSI: NY, Black Swan, and NHL 15. The business has been described as having twelve studios in total, including nine post-production studios, and as one of the largest recording facilities in the American Midwest and the largest independent studio in the United States. These descriptions position CRC as an infrastructure and services company rather than a consumer-facing music label: its value lies in specialized rooms, technical staff, engineering expertise, and the ability to support projects across multiple formats. Its client history gives the company visibility within popular music, while its commercial and audiovisual work broadens its business beyond conventional album recording. CRC has also participated in recordings with strong local cultural associations. The Chicago Cubs anthem “Go, Cubs, Go” was recorded at the facility in 1984. Overall, Chicago Recording Company’s identity is tied to Chicago’s role as a major American production center and to the continuity of independent studio operations in an industry increasingly shaped by home recording, digital workflows, and project-based production. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate parent company, listed status, current ownership structure, or named present-day executive leadership.

Chicago Recording Company traces its origins to Sound House Studios, a recording facility founded by Alan Kubicka in Medinah, Illinois. In 1975, the operation moved to Michigan Avenue in Chicago and became Chicago Recording Company. The relocation and renaming created the basis for the studio’s long-term identity as a Chicago production institution. Among the early records associated with the facility were Phil Upchurch’s “Lovin’ Feeling” and Jim Peterik’s “Don’t Fight The Feeling.” These early projects connected the newly established Chicago operation to the city’s music community and demonstrated its role as a professional recording venue rather than merely a small local rehearsal facility. Over subsequent decades, CRC developed a reputation among touring and recording artists. Its studios were used by performers from a wide range of genres, including Michael Jackson, Carole King, Coldplay, Sting, Timbaland, Rihanna, Styx, Justin Timberlake, The Cure, Jennifer Hudson, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, Wilco, and other notable acts. The Smashing Pumpkins became one of the facility’s recurring users from the mid-1990s onward; the studio also appeared in the music video for the band’s single “Untitled.” The company expanded its role beyond music recording into post-production and sound design. Its facilities supported advertising work for agencies such as FCB, Leo Burnett, Young & Rubicam, and DDB Worldwide. CRC’s engineers also contributed to audio work connected with film, television, and games, including Watchmen, Toy Story, The Dark Knight, Boardwalk Empire, CSI: NY, Black Swan, and NHL 15. This diversification allowed the company to serve project-based commercial and entertainment clients in addition to musicians and record producers. CRC has been described as operating twelve studios, including nine dedicated to post-production, and as the largest recording company in the Midwest and the largest independent studio in the United States. The company’s scale and combination of music and post-production capabilities distinguish it from a single-room recording business. Its history reflects the evolution of professional audio production from traditional studio recording toward integrated services for music, advertising, cinema, television, and interactive media. A notable Chicago-centered project associated with the studio is “Go, Cubs, Go,” recorded there in 1984 and later recognized as the Chicago Cubs’ anthem. Public reference material does not provide a documented ownership transition, corporate parent, public listing, or detailed chronology of later management. Accordingly, CRC’s documented history is strongest in its founding, relocation, studio expansion, client record, and movement into post-production.

• 1990

  Documented early-1990s onward Smashing Pumpkins association

  [1]Chicago Recording Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Smashing Pumpkins used CRC repeatedly from the mid-1990s, and the facility appeared in the video for “Untitled.”

• 1984

  Recording of “Go, Cubs, Go”

  [1]Chicago Recording Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The recording associated with the Chicago Cubs anthem “Go, Cubs, Go” was made at CRC.

• 1975

  Studio founded as Sound House Studios

  [1]Chicago Recording Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Alan Kubicka founded the original studio operation in Medinah, Illinois, under the Sound House Studios name.

• 1975

  Move to Chicago and adoption of the CRC name

  [1]Chicago Recording Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The studio moved to Michigan Avenue in Chicago and became known as Chicago Recording Company.

• Expansion into post-production

  [1]Chicago Recording Companyen.wikipedia.org

  CRC developed a broader post-production and sound-design operation, described in reference material as including nine post-production studios.

An independent, full-service Chicago audio-production facility combining music recording with commercial, audiovisual, and game post-production.

• Recording facility · 1975

  Music recording studios

  CRC provides professional rooms and technical support for tracking, overdubbing, recording, and related music-production work. Its documented client base ranges from major pop and rock performers to soul, hip-hop, gospel, and Chicago-based artists. The studios have supported both individual artist sessions and larger commercial recording projects.

• Post-production facility

  Post-production studios

  The post-production operation supports editing, mixing, sound finishing, and other audio work after principal recording or picture production. Reference material describes CRC as having nine post-production studios, serving advertising agencies as well as film, television, and game productions.

• Audio production service

  Sound design and commercial audio

  CRC supplies sound-design and audio-production services for advertising and branded content. Agencies including FCB, Leo Burnett, Young & Rubicam, and DDB Worldwide have used the company’s facilities for commercial production, making this a significant complement to its music-studio business.

• Entertainment audio service

  Film, television, and game audio

  CRC engineers have contributed to audio work connected with feature films, television programs, and games. Cited examples include Watchmen, Toy Story, The Dark Knight, Boardwalk Empire, CSI: NY, Black Swan, and NHL 15.

1. 1Chicago Recording Companyen.wikipedia.org