NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — Inside an unassuming building in North Miami, music history is written every day.
WATCH BELOW: Inside Criteria Recording Studios: 7 decades of music history
Criteria Studios has helped create more than 750 gold and platinum records and some of the biggest sounds of the last seven decades — all starting from a single room in 1958.
"In this particular room was our first gold record, which was James Brown 'I Feel Good.' You know, the next day they recorded 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag,'" said Vice President and General Manager Trevor Fletcher.
Today, Criteria spans seven studios across nearly 27,000 square feet, and its walls hold stories from music royalty.
The Bee Gees recorded in every room. The trio helped define the sound of a generation right here in South Florida, crafting the iconic grooves of "Saturday Night Fever" and revolutionizing the music landscape with their soulful, silky three-part harmonies and Barry Gibb's unmistakable falsetto.
"They're wonderful guys. You know, Robin and Maurice are gone, but Barry's still here and we did parts of his last record," Fletcher said. "So there's still, you know, there's still ghosts in the walls."
During the disco boom of the '70s, Criteria became the epicenter of the genre. But the draw wasn't just the sounds. Many artists came to Miami Beach to escape the pressure of New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville — trading corporate chaos for palm trees and creative freedom.
"So you frequently don't have a record label person stopping in to check on what you're doing," Fletcher said. "There was minimal adult supervision, if you will."
Miami's tropical energy helped inspire a unique sound, too.
"Ask Jimmy Buffett. We recorded, you know, 'Margaritaville' in our Studio C," Fletcher said.
The studios themselves are engineered like instruments. From skyline acoustic panels to sound-diffusing walls, every detail is designed to capture something special.
"The music is going to live forever when it goes out on the street," Fletcher said.
Criteria's client list reads like a hall of fame: the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley, Barbra Streisand, Lil Wayne, Gloria Estefan — and the list goes on.
"We recorded 'Hotel California' in here. We worked for a week or two on Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' in here. Parts of 'Saturday Night Fever' were recorded in here. You know, Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter III' was recorded in here," Fletcher said.
And many of those artists kept coming back.
"We didn't make one Bee Gees record — we made 10 of them," Fletcher said.
Each studio features private entrances, lounges, and massive soundproof doors, because in the music business, inspiration doesn't keep office hours.
"It's difficult for us to dictate to an artist precisely what time you're going to be creative," Fletcher said.
Sometimes that creativity comes at 1 a.m.
"We're a five-star hotel. We just happen to make records," Fletcher said.
Even as music evolves, Criteria's mission remains the same: provide the perfect space for artists to create something timeless.
"We have an obligation to continue the legacy for the next generation and the one following that," Fletcher said.
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