It might come as a surprise that rooms in Robert Lang Studios, a building adorned with gold and platinum records and a 40-year history of producing world-famous music, are in need of serious reconstruction. Rubble, cement blocks and two-by-fours line the floors of back rooms and the stage of the former Queen Anne Easy Street Records waits there to be used again. But now, thanks to David Reigns and Scott Mckinley, along with their partner Robert Lang, there is a plan to refurbish the unused studio space. That reason: Seattle Music TV. 

SMTV, the result of a partnership between the three entrepreneurs, has been created to broadcast Seattle music nation-wide. “The purpose of Seattle Music TV, flat out, is to let the rest of the country see what the music scene is like in Seattle,” says Mckinley. “People treat the music scene in Seattle different than other places. There’s no fighting, no bickering. Everyone works to help each other. And there is so much good music here. If the music here today was going on back in the 90’s, every band I know would be touring.”

But bands are not touring to the degree they were in the 90’s, or at least nowhere near as lucratively. The middle-class has been taken out of the music industry to a large degree. Where bands could once go on the road comfortably with record label support, that luxury no longer exists – mostly because of the internet (that dastardly beast!). You are either Macklemore, or you have a day job and fit in music where you can. But, Mckinley is quick to point out a piece of hope: “For the first time in 15 years, the music industry turned profit – a three-percent profit. The music industry is becoming profitable once again.”

Paul Wieser, the man responsible for booking Lang Studios’ artists, echoes that sentiment, especially when it comes to Lang. “We’re not rising fast, but we’re rising steady.” And this is where Seattle Music TV comes in. The aim of the endeavor is to both show off the unique and masterful musicians that call Seattle home, but also make it profitable via advertisers, sponsors and carriers. Perhaps it is too early to tell, but names like Netflix and Hulu are already being bandied about as partners with SMTV. Along with the completion of some video work with groups like Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony and SUM41, Reigns and Mckinley are in the middle of their third SMTV episode, which features the Seattle band Theoretics.

I walked into Lang Studios on a Wednesday afternoon in March as the Theoretics were tracking drums with Lang engineer Chris. Once the scratch tracks are completed, SMTV will film the members of the band playing the track. “The live video will be featured at the end of each thirty-minute episode,” says Reigns. He notes that each episode will also include interviews and footage from live shows. Reigns, a former native of Detroit, moved to Seattle because of the music scene. “And this is what I moved here to do – though I didn’t know it then,” he says.

While much of the production of SMTV is coming out of pocket, both Mckinley and Reigns admit they have secured private funding for the project in what, by all accounts, is no small investment. “We’re hoping for a 3-5 year lease here at Lang Studios,” says Mckinley, adding that the goal is to start releasing full episodes six months from now. “We want people to get to know the bands and the music,” he says. “For us, it’s about the Seattle music community.”

To find out more about SMTV, visit their Facebook Page.