Has Hans Zimmer bought the BBC Maida Vale Studios for £10.5m?
The BBC had previously announced plans to close the studios back in 2018.
Photo: Michael Loccisano / Getty
Composer Hans Zimmer has reportedly purchased the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios for £10.5 million.
The iconic studios – there are seven of them in the building – have hosted an array of huge artists who recorded sessions for BBC Radio, such as David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Beyonce, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix.
The BBC had previously announced plans to close the studios in 2018, but now The Daily Mail is reporting that Zimmer has acquired the space through 14th Street Music, his music production and publishing company, for an estimated price of £10.5 million.
The publication has gathered information from anonymous sources who suggest that Zimmer will use it as a British base to write major film scores, expanding his company from its current home in Santa Monica, California.
One source reportedly says: “It is a real coup. The building is beautiful and it is so rich in history. It’s the kind of place that anyone who is passionate about music loves to spend time in. It is special.”
The legendary studios were built way back in 1909, and the building was originally used as a roller skating palace. The BBC purchased it in 1933, and it became home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra a year later. In 2020 it became a Grade II listed building.
Of course, Zimmer has worked with a lot of studio gear over his career of dreams but, last year, the composer revealed his favourite soft synth is actually U-He’s Zebra, “So, my favourite soft synth is Zebra,” Zimmer said.
“And I’ll tell you why, the underlying quality of the sound is not going to let me down. The code in each module is really well written. The oscillators are great, and the circuits are great, and there’s one module that’s a bit dodgy, but they’re all of an equal quality.”
