Abbey Road Studios to get multimillion-pound overhaul

The historic Abbey Road studios will be given a multi-million-pound overhaul to assure its status as one of the world’s pre-eminent recording venues.

The investment plan, which includes the installation of state-of-the-art equipment, was approved this week by Universal Music’s British chief executive Lucian Grainge.

The American music giant acquired the world-famous site of the Beatles’ sessions when it bought its rival EMI three years ago for £1.2bn.

Creditors had seized control from Guy Hands’s private equity group Terra Firma.

By investing in Abbey Road after three years of restructuring at EMI, Universal aims to maintain the studios’ strength in the film score market.

The overhaul will also mean the north London site plays host to more pop artists such as Sam Smith, the British singer who triumphed at the Grammy Awards.

Abbey Road will now become the first European studios to be equipped with a Dolby Atmos system, a new form of surround sound designed to make films more immersive. 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.

The technology has been fitted in thousands of cinemas and is making its way into homes.

The proposed work on Abbey Road studios, which is Grade II-listed, will require planning permission and is due to be completed next year.