The future of a popular music shop in Oxford looks secure after musicians such as Gaz Coombes and Radiohead‘s Colin Greenwood publicly lent their support in light of the site’s owners, Travelodge, intention to turn the store into a restaurant.
Professional Music Technology has now been saved from closure by Oxford City Council, who voted unanimously to oppose Travelodge’s plans.
“I love PMT,” Greenwood tells the Oxford Mail. “It is the first place I go to when I need to get anything. It is very down to earth. I have known those guys for a long time. It is a drop-in place to meet and chat. I still get my own gear and they can answer difficult technical questions about computers and synthesisers.”
“I’ve been going to PMT Music shop since I was young, as have many fellow musicians and friends,” Coombes adds. “There is nothing like it in Oxford and it’s vital for the continual nurturing of Oxford music. It’s the cultural soul of Oxford and the birthplace of many great artists and musicians, with PMT providing an important hub for the vast amount of creative people living here.”