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Lloyd Webber wants to buy Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios are a Mecca for music fans who daub its walls with graffiti tributes to their favorite artists.
Abbey Road Studios are a Mecca for music fans who daub its walls with graffiti tributes to their favorite artists.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber says he is interested in buying studios
  • EMI had reportedly put studio up for said as it struggles with debt
  • Beatles, Pink Floyd and Radiohead all recorded at Abbey Road

London, England (CNN) -- Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has expressed an interest in buying London's famed Abbey Road Studios after music company EMI reportedly put the building where the Beatles recorded most of their albums up for sale.

Lloyd Webber, the man behind musical hits "Phantom of the Opera" and "Cats," came forward following concerns from fans and music industry figures that the historic building would fall foul of property developers.

"He is very interested in buying the studios," a spokesman for Lloyd Webber, who is one of the UK music industry's richest figures with an estimated worth of £750 million ($1,150 million), told CNN.

EMI has slapped a for sale tag on Abbey Road as it looks to dig itself out of heavy debts following the music company's 2007 leveraged buyout by private equity operation Terra Firma, according to the Financial Times.

The news has generated concerns from music industry figures including former Beatle Paul McCartney, but Lloyd Webber is the first to indicate willingness to open his check book.

His spokesman added: "He first recorded there in 1967 with Tim Rice. Andrew has since recorded most of his musicals there, from 'Jesus Christ Superstar' to his new musical 'Love Never Dies.'

"He thinks it is vital that the studios are saved for the future of the music industry in the UK. Abbey Road has such great facilities, with three major recording studios, and Andrew has probably brought more musicians to record there than anyone else, because it has the capacity to record large orchestral productions."

Video: Abbey Road for sale?
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Lloyd Webber's interest in the building follows an announcement from Britain's National Trust, a charity that safeguards many of the country's historic buildings, that it was considering whether involve itself.

After opening up the issue to the public via the Internet, the charity, which already owns the childhood homes of Paul McCartney and fellow former Beatle John Lennon, received thousands of votes, plus Facebook and Twitter comments, urging it to act.

"If we can help, we will step forward," National Trust director general Fiona Reynolds said, according to its Web site.

Abbey Road Studios, located in the wealthy north west London suburb of St. John's Wood, have been a centerpiece of the UK recording industry since they were established in the 1930s.

Making its name with classical recordings involving composer Edward Elgar, the studios gained worldwide fame through the Beatles, who named one of their albums "Abbey Road," featuring an iconic photo of the band crossing a road outside the building on its cover.

With other bands -- including Pink Floyd, whose 1973 classic "Dark Side of the Moon" was recorded there, and Radiohead -- sustaining interest in the venue, it has become a Mecca for music fans who regularly daub tributes to their icons on its walls.