For the first time, 10 of Nashville's Music Row recording studios have opened their doors to tour groups.
Because in Nashville music is what attracts many tourists to town. And the heart of the music is Music Row.
"It's a jewel of the community we want to be able to protect and preserve," said OMNISOUND Studios Manager Chris Holloway.
Currently, more than 200 music-related businesses call Music Row home. And while many tours drive through Music Row, the studio doors remained closed, until now.
"People come here and have the opportunity to listen to live music," said Carolyn Brackett with the National Trust for Historic Preservation who helped champion the idea, "but they haven't had the chance to see where the music is made."
Just as songs tell a story through music, they hope the tours help tell Nashville's story. Because every Music Row studio has it's greats.
"Blake Shelton and Faith Hill," listed Holloway about his studio, "all the way back to the days of Travis Tritt and Porter Wagoner."
Groups can stand where their favorite artists stood. They can plan different events like holiday parties and dinners. And some studios will offer live recording sessions, where people can observe songwriters and artists in action.
"I look at it as the missing piece of the visitor experience," Brackett said.
They hope it helps teach people about the city's most famous industry. And makes some money for the studios that are a part of it.
"One of the things that's most important is to make it economically feasible for the studios to continue to be here," said Brackett.
It's the latest effort to help preserve the place behind the music that influences people around the world.
"Music touches the heart, it's the window to the soul," Holloway said.
Dave Kinney, president of All in One Destinations, one of the participating tour companies, said tour companies in the past used personal relationships to occasionally get access to recording studios, but there's never been a formal offering.
All tours must be pre-booked through approved tour companies. To view the complete directory for tour companies and studios participating, click here.
