A method of producing a magnetic recording medium having a recording layer that is magnetized in a recording direction to record information in the recording layer, includes forming a seed layer made of an amorphous CoW or an amorphous CoW alloy material on a substrate surface, forming an underlayer on the seed layer, and forming the recording layer on the underlayer. The forming of the seed layer includes arranging a target to confront the substrate surface, sputtering with respect to the substrate surface sputtering particles of the target from one of two sides partitioned by a first plane that is formed by the recording direction and a substrate normal which is normal to the substrate surface in a predetermined direction inclined with respect to the substrate normal, and oxidizing a surface of the seed layer on which the underlayer is formed.