EMI Plans to Sell Abbey Road Studios

Courtesy of Pitchfork:

The Financial Times reports that EMI has put the famous London recording complex Abbey Road on the market. The label converted the building into the world’s first custom-built recording studio in 1929. But Abbey Road remains most famous because the Beatles did most of their recording there and named their final album after the studio. Pink Floyd recorded Dark Side of the Moon there, and Radiohead, Blur, and more have worked there. In recent years, the studios have been used to record film scores and television programs.

But according to the Financial Times, the studios are becoming prohibitively expensive to use, and EMI is in desperate need of cash. It’s not clear yet whether EMI is selling the Abbey Road brand name along with the studio itself. The Financial Times quotes a media lawyer as saying, “the brand is worth more that the building.” So if you’re planning to buy Abbey Road, you might have to rename it Rabbey Oad or something.

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One Response to “EMI Plans to Sell Abbey Road Studios”

  1. mike trimboli says:

    Good story. Abbey Road has been a magical location and the source of inspiration for many decades and for many artists. James Taylor dropped off a demo tape there as a young starving artist and Paul McCartney listened to it and made sure that he was signed.