Clifton Music Studio faces an uncertain future after 20 years of opening

A Clifton music studio has launched a fundraiser to secure its future. The historic Alma Vale Studio has been run by Craig Crofton and his colleague and fellow studio manager Luke Cawthra for around 20 years.

The venue has been used as music studio space for around five decades and Craig says some of Bristol’s most famous artists have recorded and rehearsed there. The pair recently set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help cover costs such as rising rent prices and a survey of the property, which is due to be undertaken soon.

Craig says the fundraiser reached its initial target of £1,500 within 48 hours and is now looking to reach its final target of £3,000 – the cost of commissioning a Bristol-based company to survey the property . Craig adds that the purpose of this survey is to “assess the fair market value of the space.”

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The two said they are currently in discussions with the landlord and a real estate agent because they say they may not be able to afford the new rent in the future. Asking local people for help, the GoFundMe says: “Every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference in our fight to save Alma Vale Studios.”

So far it has received 102 donations (at the time of writing) and raised £2,655. The estate agent working with the property owner told BristolLive: “I couldn’t comment on specific cases but a landlord and tenant negotiating a lease is very common and if a lease has been left unchanged for several years, then there may be a difference from the market value.

“For an owner to invest in their property and maintain it, they will be looking for a market value to be able to do that. The lending market is also a very different landscape than it was with interest rates much higher than they were, which is especially the case with commercial mortgages There is always due process to follow in a lease negotiation I’m sure that both sides follow him.”

BristolLive has reached out to the owner for comment.