Tony Thompson of Kwame Building Group has spent $100,000 to launch a music production facility in downtown St. Louis called TBeats Studio.

He spent $50,000 on the space’s build out and soundproofing and another $50,000 on equipment and software for the business, which is located on the fourth floor at 1204 Washington Ave. near Tucker Boulevard.

“The iconic hip hop group Bones Thugs N Harmony was so impressed with our studio that they developed and recorded a new single here last month,” Thompson, who owns the unit that houses the studio, said.

TBeats offers music production and classes in audio recording, engineering, recording software and equipment, and artist support services like songwriting, publishing, artistic development, public relations, branding, marketing, music video production, and acting, fashion and career consulting. He plans to host concerts with the studio’s musicians.

Thompson, also chairman and CEO of St. Louis-based Kwame Building Group, said his first love was music, and now he’s trying to get back into it.

“It’s a passion for me, and it’s something I love and I’ve kind of been doing as a hobby,” he said.

Chris Shaw, a musician, music arranger, director and producer, is the studio’s production manager. Shaw, who went to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which is known for its marching band, opened Central studios in St. Louis in 2012. Thompson invested in that home-based business, but Thompson said he was ready to make a bigger investment in a business Shaw could focus on full time.

Nick Brown, a veteran guitar player and working musician, is the studio’s operation manager. He shares ownership in the studio.

Derrick Snow, who graduated from Webster University’s audio production program a year ago, will be the studio’s audio engineer.

Thompson said he expects the studio to bring in revenue of about $60,000 in its first year.

St. Louis Business Journal ©May 2014