Abbey Road up for sale ?

[Peter Galbavy]

As per

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/16/abbey_road_for_sale_emi/

and

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/889e63f0-1a70-11df-a2e3-00144feab49a.html

Anyone wanna go shopping ?

I grew up in the area and cycle past prob once or twice a week. Trying not to wave at the camera...

[DSJR]

A shame if Macca doesn't put in an offer.....

Big studios have been closing down for years and as suggested in one of the links, a powerful laptop, mixer, good headphones and mics is all many artists need today....

[Kris]

The trouble is that EMI are owned by a capital investment company, whatever you call it. They are not interested in music, only the bottom line.

Artists have been leaving EMI in droves in recent times due to this.

yep, here it is:


Well, the label does boast the likes of Robbie Williams, Lily Allen and Coldplay on its current roster. But all those artists were signed before the company was taken over by Guy Hands' private equity firm, Terra Firma, in 2007. In the two-and-a-half years since the deal was done, EMI has attracted attention in various ways, but musical creativity has not been one of them. Artists who prided themselves on their originality did not warm to a new boss who was routinely described in profiles as "karaoke-loving".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8411741.stm

[Rare Bird]

Abbey road wasnt that good a studio back in the late 60's regardless of who may have recorded there..Trident in soho was a far better studio.They had the UK's first 8 track mulitrack machine & later the first 16 track multitracking machine in the UK,they were even the first to use Dolby NR & there mixing consoles were something else, certainly one of the best sounding EQ's on board.. Abbey Road had nothing no where as good at the time.Even the Beatles borrowed Trident on occasion.Trident are legendary.

[pwood]

Andre I agree totally.

These days a lot more is known about acoustics and its effect on sound and there will be a lot more studios purpose built with that in mind . Nostalgia is nice but market value of £30m is hard to ignore. Abbey Road would do well as a tourist attraction. I for one would love a look round it.

[Filterlab]

I see EMI turned down a £30,000,000 offer from Andrew Lloyd Webber. How much do they actually want for it for crying out loud?! Surely £30m must be better than nothing, and it'd be in VERY safe hands, both artistically and financially - its future guaranteed.

[twelvebears]

I see EMI turned down a £30,000,000 offer from Andrew Lloyd Webber. How much do they actually want for it for crying out loud?! Surely £30m must be better than nothing, and it'd be in VERY safe hands, both artistically and financially - its future guaranteed.

Alas I don't believe EMI gives a rat's arse about it's artistic or financial future. Like several large record companies, EMI are in financial doo-doo and have spotted a way to get an injection of cash by flogging off a asset, for which they know they will be able to WAY over it's market value.....

That said, and regardless of it's technical credentials, the fact is that Abbey Road is ingrained in the nations hearts as a key part of UK and Global music history, so it would be a great shame if it became something else.

[Filterlab]

Alas I don't believe EMI gives a rat's arse about it's artistic or financial future.
It's such a shame, but it's modern business - and modern business is little about passion these days and all about cutting costs to the bone seemingly regardless of implication.


That said, and regardless of it's technical credentials, the fact is that Abbey Road is ingrained in the nations hearts as a key part of UK and Global music history, so it would be a great shame if it became something else.
I agree completely. I do think (or rather hope) that there would be some kind of 'stepping in' done by someone somewhere, for the studios to become just another set of
executive apartments would be nothing short of a tragedy. There's already a shit load of executive apartments in London and doesn't need to be more.

Let's hope that something good comes of this!

[REM]

According to the BeeB, EMI are not selling Abbey Road after all, so put your cheque books away guys.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8527095.stm

[hifinutt]

ah and here i was hoping the national trust would buy it!!!