Do you care about local music?
Do you play in a band?
Do you go to shows?
Do any of your favorite local acts record at home studios?
Do you contribute to the creative community in any way?
If you said “Yes” to any of these, you may want to take two minutes to call or email your City Council member. Some bogus ass shit is about to go down.
Tomorrow morning, a Zoning Committee Meeting will be held in which Z-16-069, a Sound Studio Ordinance proposed by City Councilwoman Felicia Moore, will be voted for or against recommendation to the Atlanta City Council. The ordinance, if passed, could cause immeasurable harm to the creative community so many of you have worked to cultivate. This comes just days after Donald Glover’s Atlanta, a show which celebrates our city’s creative identity, won a Golden Globe for best television series.
Z-16-069 will:
Require studios to obtain special permits
Enforce soundproofing regulations
Prohibit studios within 500 feet of residences
It’s a safe assumption that many of your favorite local records were recorded in studios within 500 feet of someone’s house. Many local studios take great care to keep noise to a minimum, but this sound ordinance isn’t really about sound.
Councilwoman Moore began pushing for these overbearing regulations after the shooting death of Atlanta rapper Bankroll Fresh outside Street Execs Studios in Underwood Hills. Councilwoman Moore has stated that neighborhood residents, whom she represents, want the studio shut down. The result is a citywide ordinance that threatens nearly every studio in town.
You may have read about a Supreme Court decision in which Texas abortion clinics were targeted by ridiculous regulations created with malicious intent by pro-life legislators. Well, consider this the home studio version.
The point of this ordinance is not soundproofing or to reduce unwanted noise. It is a deliberate attempt to regulate studios out of business and drive them from the city.
The City Council will vote on Z-16-069 on January 17. Get the word out. Below is a map to help you find your City Council member, followed by their phone numbers and email addresses. Do the thing. Tell them Atlanta’s music culture lives and dies with these studios. Also, if you want further info, check out Georgia Music Partners who have been all over this issue, hosting rallies and dispensing critical information to the public.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated the City Council was to vote on Z-16-069 on January 11.
District 1 – Carla Smith
404-330-6039
csmith@atlantaga.gov
District 2 – Kwanza Hall
404-330-6038
khall@atlantaga.gov
District 3 – Ivory Lee Young
404-330-6046
ilyoung@atlantaga.gov
District 4 – Cleta Winslow
404-330-6047
cwinslow@atlantaga.gov
District 5 – Natalyn Archibong
404-330-6048
narchibong@atlantaga.gov
District 6 – Alex Wan
404-330-6049
awan@atlantaga.gov
District 7 – Howard Shook
404-330-6050
hshook@atlantaga.gov
District 8 – Yolanda Adrean
404-330-6051
yadrean@atlantaga.gov
District 9 – Felicia Moore
404-330-6044
fmoore@atlantaga.gov
District 10 – C.T. Martin
404-330-6055
cmartin@atlantaga.gov
District 11 – Keisha Bottoms
404-330-6054
kbottoms@atlantaga.gov
District 12 – Joyce Sheperd
404-330-6053
Post 1 At Large – Michael Julian Bond
404-330-6770
mbond@atlantaga.gov
Post 2 At Large – Mary Norwood
404-330-6302
mnorwood@atlantaga.gov
Post 3 At Large – Andre Dickens
404-330-6041
adickens@atlantaga.gov
President – Caesar C. Mitchell
404-330-6052
ccmitchell@atlantaga.gov