Large mastering studios, yes; Abbey Road? Hell yes. Most everyone else -- someone's gotta pay for it. You have to realize, studios are like restaurants -- if you can keep one open for a year, you're doing pretty damn good.
That was probably said to try to stir up the requisite number of indigenous purchases. In other words, trying to compensate for the price differential. Doesn't mean it's not true, but neither does it mean it is.