Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, Greater London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, which owned it until Universal Music Group (UMG) took control of part of it in 2013. It is ultimately owned by UMG subsidiary Virgin Records Limited (until 2013 by EMI Records Limited, nowadays known as Parlophone Records and owned by UMG's competitor Warner Music Group).
Abbey Road Studios in December 2005 | |
| Formerly | EMI Recording Studios |
|---|---|
| Company type | Recording studio |
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | November 12, 1931 |
| Founder | Gramophone Company |
| Headquarters | St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England |
| Parent | Universal Music Group |
| Website | abbeyroad |
| Abbey Road Studios | |
|---|---|
| Built | 1829 |
| Architectural style(s) | Georgian |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Abbey Road Studios |
| Designated | 23 February 2010 |
| Reference no. | 1393688 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Zebra crossing near Abbey Road Studios |
| Designated | 21 December 2010 |
| Reference no. | 1396390 |
The studio's most notable client was the Beatles, who used the studio – particularly its Studio Two room – as the venue for many of the innovative recording techniques that they adopted throughout the 1960s. In 1976, the studio was renamed from EMI to Abbey Road.
In 2009, Abbey Road came under threat of sale to property developers. In response, the British Government protected the site, granting it English Heritage Grade II listed status in 2010, thereby preserving the building from any major alterations.