Boston, MA (September 26, 2023)—With founder and president John Newton transitioning into retirement, classical music recording and post-production company Soundmirror has become a 100% employee-owned business through the establishment of a worker-owned cooperative agreement.
Within the classical music world, Soundmirror has a long-running presence; along with its studios in Boston, the company has recorded orchestras, opera companies and artists around the world for more than half a century, collecting more than 135 Grammy nominations and awards in that time. The move to employee ownership was chosen in order to continue the company’s long history; Newton will remain at the company through a transition period.
“I am excited about the possibilities this evolution opens up for Soundmirror,” says Newton. “Our company was built on the strength and reputation of our exceptionally talented staff, and I know that it will continue to thrive in the hands of the employees who have made it so successful.”
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Founded by Newton in 1972, Soundmirror has recorded hundreds of orchestras and opera companies around the world including the National Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, and others. The company has recorded for every major classical record label in the world, including BMG, CBS, Chandos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, Nonesuch, PentaTone Classics, Reference Recordings, Sony Classical, Telarc, and Warner/Elektra.
A worker-owned cooperative is a business owned and controlled by its employees, where ownership is shared equally among those who choose to buy into the company. The new model will not change the services or operations of Soundmirror; the three senior engineers and producers of the company, Mark Donahue, Blanton Alspaugh and Dirk Sobotka—who now cooperatively own the company along with general manager Alexis Price—will continue to provide recording services.
“Collectively, the four of us have been with Soundmirror for over 85 years,” said Mark Donahue, the company’s chief engineer. “We knew this model was the best way to preserve Soundmirror’s reputation and build on the legacy that John started.”
