New Music Facilities
News
BSU launches cutting-edge music facilities with newly appointed Mayor of Bath in attendance
Friday, 13 June, 2025On 12 June, Bath Spa University unveiled its brand-new music facilities, based at Newton Park campus. This sizable investment of £2.5 million will offer students the chance to experiment with top-of-the-range music technology and equipment, in spaces specifically designed to enhance their technical and professional skills.
To celebrate the completion and opening of the future-facing production facilities, BSU invited guests from across its networks to a launch event. In attendance was the newly appointed Mayor of Bath, Councillor Professor Bharat Pankhania, who was elected to serve the Office of Mayor by the Charter Trustees of the City of Bath on Saturday 7 June 2025 and whose theme for the year is ‘Education is Empowerment’.
The renovation is the culmination of the long-term ambitions of the Creative Music Technology and Commercial Music teams. Lead technician and BSU Commercial Music graduate Tom Turner spoke of hopeful conversations stretching back to the very launch of the Commercial Music course back in 2004; noting that an investment of this scale is ‘near unheard of’’ in todays’ cultural environment.
This renovation was the brainchild of BSU’s very own teams, with everything designed and planned in house, and many resources being sourced from local music retailers across Bristol and Bath. A labour of love from both students and staff alike, the latter of which are almost entirely made up of BSU alumni. Made for BSU, by BSU.
The heart of the new renovation, which covers over 50 rooms across Compton, are the two central studios: The Arc, a critical listening and analysis space, and The Hive, a vintage-inspired collaborative recording studio, complete with key archival equipment.
Dr Matthew Lovett, Head of the Bath School of Music and Performing Arts discussed the benefits of the new facilities for students:
“Working in these spaces will equip our students with vital knowledge along with a wide range of production skills that will enable them to create great work and develop successful and sustainable careers across the music and sound industries, including sound for film and games.”
The space is also home to iconic archival pieces, like the organ that UK-based band Rudimental recorded their last album on, an original LinnDrum sound mixer (only one of 5000 ever made), and replica drum kits modelled after the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, amongst a treasure trove of other technology and instruments. All equipment in both spaces will be completely open for students to use.
Speaking on the strong focus on experimentation in this space, Tom further noted:
“Performance is key... it is all about collaboration and performance. The more you can encourage that, the better.”
All the newly renovated spaces are currently in the beta-testing phase and will be open officially for student use in September.