Abbey Road Studios Shut Down for the First Time in 89 Years. Now, It’s Thriving

British post-punk band Idles recently played a livestream concert at Abbey Road, the legendary studio that is now thriving after shutting down for the first time in its 89-year history. Courtesy of Idles

The iconic studios have started welcoming more livestream events, like the one post-punks Idles recently played, and have adopted new measures to adapt to social distancing.

Abbey Road Studios was prepared when they closed their doors for nearly three months in March due to Covid-19 restrictions. Many of the artists and orchestras had already started moving their bookings, and the staff had begun working on an operational strategy. But still, the shuttering gave them pause. “Abbey Road had never closed before,” Mark Robertson, the studios’ Head of Brand & Communications, tells Rolling Stone . “We’re 90 years old next year, and this is the first time that the studios have closed. It was a really significant deal.”

Today, as Robertson and Abbey Road’s manager, Fiona Gillott, walk from the building’s entrance, where a contactless check-in system greets guests, to Studio Three, the halls look unusually empty. The studios reopened on June 4th, but with reduced capacities. There are signs encouraging people to stay two meters apart, and both Gillott and Robertson, who speak with Rolling Stone via Zoom, wear masks until they’re a safe distance from each other in the studio.

Read More: RollingStone