Alberts Studios, known widely as the birthplace of the Australian rock sound, where the careers of legends like AC/DC, The Easybeats, The Angels, and Rose Tattoo were launched, is set to meet the wrecking ball to make way for a luxury apartment block.
As The Daily Telegraph reports, Alberts’ Rangers Rd headquarters, which has been the company’s home since 1984, is being sold to a developer who is planning to build a block of 23 apartments and shops worth more than $60 million.
The developers, Helm, struck a deal with the family behind the business and the building will be demolished in early 2016. It’s not known where Alberts intends to locate and the deal follows a spate of developers taking over beloved Sydney music spaces.
As Tone Deaf reported back in August, the owners of The Echo Creative studio in the Alexandria neighbourhood of Sydney were recently handed an eviction notice after the property where their studio has serviced the Sydney music community for the past two years was purchased by developers.
According to the Daily Telegraph, construction will take about two years and the block will be dubbed Muse in honour of the property’s musical history. “The name is reflective of the building and the creative endeavours that have taken place in the building over the years,” said Helm’s general manager Mark Monk.
Alberts became known as the ‘House of Hits’ thanks to its association with some of Australia’s best known artists and the space served as a creative hub for songwriters, producers, and singers. It continues to thrive as a music rights management company, serving Gotye, AC/DC, and others.
The Alberts brand was the subject of a two-part documentary series, which ran on the ABC earlier this year, exploring the brand’s early successes with Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and The Easybeats, through to the rise of AC/DC and The Angels.
