FM Studios
An Oakland-based music production house, one of Northern California's longest-running studios. We offer studio space, music production, and mentorship to the next generation of Bay Area artists and producers who compose for music, film, TV, and other media.
Since 1987…
For nearly 40 years, FM Studios has been a home for Bay Area music.
The studio has recorded artists including Big Freedia, Too $hort, and E-40, alongside Raphael Saadiq, Earl Sweatshirt, and Death Cab for Cutie.
Founder Tommy McElroy is a Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter who, alongside partner Denzil Foster, wrote and produced hits for En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Toné!.
Longtime partnership with filmmaker Renée Moncada-McElroy has brought a focus on making music for documentarians, filmmakers, and video podcasts, with music placed in major films including Central Intelligence and Money Train.
Today, FM Studios is a Bay Area living music archive, analog and digital, vintage audio equipment, records, and history that keep musical talent rooted here in the Bay.
What we do:
Studio Space + Music Production
Recording, mixing, production, and songwriting, alongside rental space for podcasting, content creation, and streaming.
Emerging Artist Program - Mentorship for the Next Generation
We train emerging and professional-track artists and producers in composition and production for film, TV, and media, and mentor them on the business side of a music career.
Our Team
Tommy McElroy
Founder, Producer
Thomas "Tommy" McElroy is a Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter with 30+ years shaping the Bay Area music scene. As one half of Foster & McElroy, he's written and produced hits for En Vogue, Tony! Toni! Toné!, and Club Nouveau, with songs placed in films including Central Intelligence and Money Train. Founder of Oakland's FM Studios, Tommy produces artists, owns the studio, and leads its ongoing space development.
Renée Moncada-McElroy
Filmmaker, Media Production, & Communications Lead
Renée Moncada-McElroy is a Bay Area based director and media producer whose work centers musical artists and culture. From producing Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce (7 seasons on Fuse) to directing the award-winning documentary Life Is on Oakland's Too $hort, and Grammy-winning Fantastic Negrito's In the Pines, she currently directs Sons of the Sweet Science, an Oakland-based web series creating composing and scoring opportunities for Bay Area music talent.
LATEST PROJECTS JULY 2027 THOMAS MC ELROY, FM STUDIOS + Renée Moncada-McElroy, Director, SONS OF THE SWEET SCIENCE