1980s sound studio with rock ‘n’ roll past up for grabs
A slice of Melbourne’s 1980s music scene, complete with David Bowie posters still lining the walls, has hit the market in the city’s north, as a long-running sound studio and live venue prepares for its next act.
The property at 13 Onslow Avenue, Campbellfield, is being offered with vacant possession, marking the end of an era for GM Sound Studios, a hybrid recording space, rehearsal hub and function venue established in 1983.
“The vendor opened it in the ’80s as a music venue, and later his son joined the business and added the other recording spaces,” says listing agent John Kalpakis of Ray White Preston.
“The owner is now retiring, so that’s why he’s selling it. The business isn’t for sale, but if the new owner would like to continue running it as a music venue, the vendor has offered to assist.”
The venue is a time capsule of Melbourne’s live music culture, with decades-old memorabilia still in place. Over the years, it has hosted a steady mix of international and local acts, alongside private functions, band recordings and film shoots, giving it a layered history.
Set on a 1059-square-metre site just behind Campbellfield Plaza and bordering Thomastown, the property includes a 750-square-metre building with a caretaker-style residence at the rear.
The venue is licensed until 1am and approved to hold up to 130 patrons, allowing for a range of uses from live music and events through to community gatherings. While there is no on-site kitchen, the space has traditionally operated with external catering.
Interest to date has largely come from local buyers looking to move on from its use as a music venue, Kalpakis says.
“What we’ve seen so far is mainly community groups looking at it as a function centre or a place for community use,” he says.
The property is being offered via an expressions-of-interest campaign, with price expectations of $3 million to $3.3 million. The sale benefits from recent Victorian reforms that allow eligible buyers of commercial and industrial assets to pay stamp duty upfront or spread payments over 10 years.
