Abbey Road Studios for multi-million pound renovation

The overhaul of the historic, Grade II listed studios will require planning permission

The historic Abbey Road Studios are set for a multi-million pound renovation, in order to bring in more pop stars and also help with the creation of film scores.

The recording studios in North West London will have brand new, state-of-the-art equipment installed, reports The Telegraph. This will include a Dolby Atmos system, a surround sound system set to be used in the making of film soundtracks. “It uses up to 128 audio tracks and up to 64 speakers to create the illusion that sound effects and music are coming from specific points in the room,” writes the newspaper.

The work will be completed next year, but will require planning permission, as the studio is Grade II listed. The new plans were approved last week by the British chief executive of Universal Music, Lucian Grainge. Universal took over Abbey Road Studios when it bought previous owners EMI in 2012.

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In November 2014 unused photos from The Beatles‘ ‘Abbey Road’ photoshoot sold at auction for £180,000. The shots were taken on August 8, 1969 by photographer Iain Macmillan, who had only 10 minutes to complete the entire shoot. Six photos were taken in all, including the photo that eventually made the final cut, as well as a scenery shot of the Abbey Road sign.

“This set of photographs has triggered a brilliant reaction from the market,” said Sarah Wheeler of Bloomsbury Auctions. “It has been a pleasure to share them with the public at our sale rooms, even for a short time, and a delight to see them attain such a worthy price today.”

The sale was made over the phone to an overseas buyer. The collection was originally given a sales estimate of between £50,000–£70,000.

‘Abbey Road’ was released in September 1969, with the iconic album cover beloved and parodied ever since. The artwork is also the focus of several conspiracy theories, including one that Paul McCartney is in fact dead and was replaced on the sleeve by an imposter.

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