The owner of a successful music studio in Hertford, Hertfordshire, feared that a major government overhaul of business rates could spell the end for his popular hub. However, despite the changes requiring Billy Hills, owner of Apollo Audio on Mimram Road, to find approximately £15,000 a year in taxes—a figure that plunged the studio's future into doubt—he has signed a new five-year lease and expressed a desire to continue running the studio "forever."
Apollo Audio's Success Story
Since launching five years ago, Apollo Audio has become a hit with musicians, offering recording and rehearsal facilities, regular live gigs, music classes, and the popular summer Bandcamp, where young musicians experience life as rock stars for a week. The business tax changes threatened this success, prompting Billy to take his fight to the heart of government. He was invited by Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean to meet Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at No. 11 Downing Street.
"When I took on the business, we got small business rate relief, so anything under £10,000, we didn't pay any business rates," Billy explained. "But they raised it to £33,000. So that meant we went from paying nothing to about £15,000 a year—and we have to find that money out of nowhere, so I'm still fighting. But I've signed the lease regardless because I'm hoping that with community support and the MP, Josh Dean, being really helpful, that we can hopefully fight it."
Investment and Community Impact
Billy has continued to invest in Apollo Audio and plans to do so long-term. "I'm hoping we'll be here for the next 15 or 20 years," he said. "I love it—I want to be here forever. In those five years, we've done so much—I've been doing a podcast, we do regular gigs here, we've got a mini-bandcamp and then the big one in the summer. We've got more students than ever, more rehearsals, more recordings, a 36-channel desk, new drum kits, AC for the rooms—I've really tried to invest in what the people want."
Apollo Audio has become a valuable asset to Hertford's music scene, and Billy has personally benefited as well. "I used my deposit for a flat to buy a studio, and now, out of it, I've been able to buy my flat," he said. "So it's worked out in that sense. And the amount of people I've met along the way—I've got a whole new group of friends, of all different ages. I've got some young kids working here on work experience, which is really satisfying. I've met my new band out of it, and that's going really well—we played on Record Store Day at Rough Trade and on Brick Lane as well. It's very community driven, and when we did a post last year about whether we could even stay open because of the business rates, the response we got was amazing—people were saying 'there's no other place like it, we need you in Hertford.' It's a hub for musicians to come to, whether it's gig nights or when they're rehearsing. I love the part of the night when bands are rehearsing and they have a quick tea break, they're all chatting to each other. They're very supportive of each other."
Bandcamp Returns for Summer 2026
During the school summer holidays, Billy and his team will run their popular Bandcamp again. Young musicians will be brought together to form a band, honing their musical skills and learning about the music industry. They will be grouped with others of similar ages and abilities, spending the week rehearsing, learning, recording an EP, and performing a live show in Apollo Audio's live music space.
Bandcamp grows each year, and Billy said: "We try to make the workshops better each year. We've got someone in to help the kids learn how to build and fix guitars, we've got a teacher doing harmony classes, and this time we've got a local artist called Emma who will be helping the students create and paint their own artwork. That's a huge part of being in a band—you've got to choose your image. It's not just about the music anymore; it's about the next steps. Even things like how to turn on a PA and how to use a microphone—they're things you don't think about unless you're thrown in at the deep end."
The aim is to create five new bands, with extra sessions if demand warrants. Many bands formed at Bandcamp remain together, and Billy noted: "Lord Lucy went TikTok viral and had over five million views of one of their songs." Bandcamp 2026 runs from Monday, July 27 to Friday, July 31. For details or to book, call 01992 558800 or email apolloaudiohertford@gmail.com.
