Abbey Road's Isabel Garvey on Getting Newer Artists In, Expanding the Brand and George Martin's Legacy
The oldest and arguably most famous purpose-built recording studio in the world, London’s Abbey Road has been at the forefront of the music business for close to 85 years. Synonymous with The Beatles, the Grade II listed complex has also played home to everyone from Pink Floyd to Kanye West to Adele, with a host of famous film scores and classical works recorded within the building’s iconic white walls.
Owned by Universal Music Group since 2012 following its acquisition of EMI, the facility has recently begun a program of significant expansion, building three new and more competitively priced recording spaces and launching a number of tech and brand partnerships, including a VR tour courtesy of Google. Billboard spoke to managing director Isabel Garvey. who formerly held senior executive posts at Warner Music International and EMI, to discuss the changing role of recording studios, appealing to new artists and breaking into the tech sector. “We’re not just a museum to The Beatles,” says Garvey. “We’re a living, breathing studio making future music history.”
Billboard: You became MD of Abbey Road in 2014. What's your remit on developing and growing the business?
Isabel Garvey: Universal views it as a real treasure within their asset set, which is why we’re building new studios here to really solidify Abbey Road’s core business as the premier recording destination in London. Secondly, Universal want to expand the brand in a respectful and credible way. In the past, EMI never really looked at what Abbey Road meant beyond the physical building. What is really interesting for me is that you have this strong core business, which runs incredibly well, and then the exciting new element of taking the Abbey Road brand outside the building, and being very entrepreneurial with this hugely revered international brand.
By: Richard Smirke
Source: Billboard
