Apple Music to open concert venue in Battersea Power Station
2 hours ago
- Apple Music is opening a new 600-capacity concert hall in London, located beneath its European headquarters at Battersea Power Station.
- The venue, called Apple Music Hall, will host one-off shows by major artists and new bands, with performances filmed and broadcast live online.
- Apple Music's vice president Oliver Schusser says the venue has 'more cameras and speakers than any venue of its size, anywhere in the world'.
- The opening comes as London's live music scene faces pressure, with 45 venues closing in the capital last year and about 400 clubs closed across Britain between 2020 and 2025.
- Schusser insists Apple is not competing with live venue owners, but aims to connect artists with fans and broadcast content on Apple Music, noting the smaller size is intentional to avoid getting in others' way.
- The venue marks Apple's return to London nine years after ending the iTunes Festival, which featured acts like Lady Gaga, Elton John, and Adele.
- Culture secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the development as a vote of confidence in the UK's creative sector.
- The venue features Art Deco-inspired design with sound-absorbing bricks, a 38-foot stage that can be configured for 'in the round' shows, and dressing rooms with ensuite showers.
- It includes new studios for Apple Music radio stations, moving from King's Cross, plus dedicated rooms for DJ mixes, writing camps, and band rehearsals.
- The building is fully wired for video and audio, allowing artists to record podcasts, appear on radio, and live-stream gigs in one day.
- Apple aims to differentiate its service from Spotify and Amazon Music by creating bespoke content, addressing concerns from music mogul Jimmy Iovine that streaming services are 'minutes away from being obsolete'.
- Schusser says streaming can be 'sad' for artists, and Apple wants to help new and upcoming bands gain traction in a stagnating listening habit environment.