Rick Beato

Richard John Beato ( ; born April 24, 1962 ) is an American YouTuber, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer; he has also lectured on music at universities.

Beato owns and operates Black Dog Sound Studios in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He has produced for and worked in the studio with bands such as Needtobreathe, Parmalee, and Shinedown. On his YouTube channel, he covers different aspects of rock, jazz, blues, electronic, rap, and pop, and he conducts interviews with musicians and producers.

Early life and education Beato was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Fairport, a suburb east of Rochester. He is the sixth of seven children; he has two sisters and four brothers. His family life was highly musical: at an early age, he was introduced to the rock music of the 1960s by his older sisters. His mother's siblings and father were musicians and music teachers. He started playing cello at seven. At 13, he switched to the double bass, and at 14, he began playing guitar, initially learning by ear. After several years, he began formal training from a neighbor who owned a local music store.

After graduating from Fairport High School in 1980, Beato studied at Ithaca College, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical bass; he earned a master's degree in jazz guitar from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1987. and Berklee College of Music, and taught jazz studies at Ithaca College.

Band Beato was a member of a band called Billionaire, formed in 1997. After releasing a self-produced debut album in 1998, titled The Goodnight Sky, Billionaire signed to Republic Records and put out a second album, Ascension, in 2000.

Studio Since 1995, Beato has owned Black Dog Sound Studios in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He has also previously run the record label 10 Star Records.

Signature guitar In 2021, Gibson previewed a Rick Beato signature Les Paul Special Double Cut guitar. It comes in a special TV Blue Mist finish with P-90 pickups and Beato's signature on the truss rod cover. In 2023, a second collaboration of the model was made in a Sparkling Burgundy finish.

YouTube career Beato's YouTube channel, Everything Music, launched in 2015, has accumulated over 5 million subscribers as of May 2025. His videos, which cover a range of music-related topics, have garnered a substantial following, including close to a million followers on Instagram.

Following the success of his early videos, Beato expanded his channel's content to include more comprehensive music topics, such as the series "What Makes This Song Great?", where he analyzes popular songs to explain their musical structures and compositional techniques.

Notable interviews and guests Beato has conducted interviews with a diverse array of notable musicians on his channel, spanning various genres and eras. Sting, Pat Metheny, Billy Joel, Keith Jarrett, and Tori Amos.

Discography Band member 3 Song Demo – The Monroz (1978) First Light – Rival Suns (1993) Feel – Rival Suns (1993) Pressure – Rival Suns (EP, 1993) The Goodnight Sky – Billionaire (1998) Ascension – Billionaire (2000)

Session work Demolotion ("The Walls You Walk Through") – Umajets (1997) Swollen and Tender ("Mr. Combination", "Boxes") – Umajets (1999) Four-Star Explosion ("Up in Space", "A Postcard (from the Edge of the World)", "Breathe") – Big Atomic (2000) My Kung Fu Is Good ("Used to Be") – The Duke (2005) Echo Heart ("Close My Eyes") – Markus Fagervall (2006)

Production Source:

Views Beato periodically shares his critical perspective on modern music trends and the future of music through his videos, arguing that contemporary music has declined in complexity and quality due to commercialization, streaming services like Spotify, and changes in production techniques. He believes that the industry's focus on producing hit singles and algorithm-driven playlists over full albums and artist development has led to a homogenization of music, reducing musical diversity, and stifling innovation. Furthermore, Beato criticizes modern production techniques, such as Auto-Tune and excessive digital effects, for diminishing the authenticity and richness of music. These discussions emphasize the broader debate on the impact of technological and commercial changes on music's artistic expression.

Another significant aspect of Beato's perspective is his role as a music educator.