London studio is saved after £200,000 neighbours war
mainAir Studios in Hampstead has fought off an attempt by rich neighbours to dig a swimming pool in their basement, an excavation that would have put the studio out of action for several months.
Thousands of musicians rallied to support the studio, which spent £200,000 in legal fees to fight the neighbours.
Story here.
I don’t know if any city had quite recognized the recording potential of churches as London had. Those engineers really knew their churches. In certain recordings (especially orchestral) the church acoustics were particularly well judged for the music performed – and I do have my favorites. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person wondering how much different or better a recording would’ve been if it was done in one of the other locations.
It puts many American studios to shame, where you are expected to record in a dead box, while the engineer twiddles and twits to add special effects and distort one’s art into something of their own.
Shame the studio lost over 200k fighting this disgraceful vanity project. The petition gained thousands of signatures within a few short months and still these people pushed for their swimming pool. Extraordinary arrogance.
The neighbours should pay the legal fees plus compensation to the studio for the wasted time. They clearly have money to spare.