C+C Music Factory closes its doors after 28 years

Cody James
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read
The day the [C+C] music [factory] died

Following 104 straight quarters of losses, beleaguered manufacturing concern C+C Music Factory handed pink slips to the last of its employees this week.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of C+C Music Factory,” said CEO Robert Clivillés in a press release. “We have enjoyed the production and distribution of dance music these many years, but shifting consumer preferences have made it impossible for us to remain competitive and deliver shareholder value.”

The company’s financial woes were well-known for more than a quarter century, as it routinely missed even the most conservative earnings estimates. C+C stock (NASDAQ: CCMF) closed at $0.000003 at the end of last week’s trading.

Formed in 1989 by Clivillés and the late David Cole, the company was best known for their flagship product, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” and its lesser follow-up, “Here We Go (Let’s Rock & Roll).”

Freedom Williams was a senior manager in the rapping department from 1990–94 and was instrumental in the creation of “Gonna Make You Sweat.” He took a buyout offer in 1994 and started his own company, Freedom. He says the working conditions at C+C were challenging, even as a manager.

“I paid the price to control the dice,” he said ruefully.

At its peak, the company’s 160,000 square foot facility in Brooklyn employed about 650 people. But as locally sourced, artisanal music took over the scene and neighborhoods became more gentrified, demand for factory-produced music plummeted. The company invested $80,000 in an aggressive content-marketing campaign last year to put air under its flagging brand, with blog posts such as, “12 Great Ways to Combine Beats and Lyrics,” and an animated infographic titled, “How To Get Party People In Your House To Move.” Alas, even these efforts failed to drive engagement.

For his part, Clivillés says he’ll remember the company with fondness.

“It’s just one of those things that make you go, hmmm,” he said.

Cody James

Written by

Writer, communications professional, golf ninja, doting husband. I work to live—not the other way around—which is perfect for living in Bend, Oregon.

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