The US tech giant Apple is to open a new, state-of-the-art concert hall in London, situated underneath its UK headquarters at Battersea Power Station.
The 600-capacity venue will host one-off shows by major recording artists and new bands, all of which will be filmed and broadcast live online.
Apple Music’s vice president, Oliver Schusser, told BBC News the facility, which is expected to open in the coming weeks, contained “more cameras and speakers than any venue of its size, anywhere in the world”.
It comes as London’s live music scene faces huge pressure, with 45 venues closing in the capital last year alone.
It’s a reflection of a national trend: Between 2020 and 2025, as the cost of living increased and people made post-Covid lifestyle changes, about 400 of Britain’s clubs closed.
The rate in London is higher than the rest of the country, so the arrival of a deep-pocketed tech company could give independent venue owners cause for concern.
But Schusser said its new venture was not trying to steal customers.
“We’re not trying to be in the live business. We’re not trying to compete with anyone.
“We’re going to run the venue like a venue, with tickets and everything, but the sole purpose for us is to do great work with artists, to connect artists with fans, and to broadcast the content on Apple Music.
“We have really no interest in trying to be in the way of anyone else, and that’s one of the main reasons it’s a smaller space.”
The venue, known as Apple Music Hall, marks the company’s return to London, nine years after it scrapped the popular iTunes Festival, which saw acts like Lady Gaga, Elton John, Britney Spears and Adele play free concerts at venues such as Koko and The Roundhouse.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the development, calling it “a huge vote of confidence in the UK as a global creative powerhouse” and “a signal of just how strong our creative sectors really are”.
Details of the opening act are expected to be announced soon.
BBC News got an early look at the venue as the finishing touches were being made in early September.
It’s a small, intimate space, with fluted vaults and brick-lined walls that echo the Art Deco architecture of the former power station. But echo itself won’t be an issue -even the bricks have been specially selected to absorb reflected sounds.
The stage is 38-foot long, and can be configured for both “in the round” and more traditional front-facing shows, while the dressing rooms are kitted out with en-suite showers and dedicated costume storage areas.
The facility also contains new studios for Apple Music’s radio stations, which will move from their current home in King’s Cross, and dedicated rooms for DJ mixes, writing camps and band rehearsals.
The whole building is wired for video and audio, meaning artists can walk in, record a podcast, appear on a radio show, and live-stream a gig in the same day.
New music focus
Apple’s hope is that creating bespoke content will help to distinguish its service from competitors like Spotify and Amazon Music.
The effort comes after legendary music mogul Jimmy Iovine said music streaming services were “minutes away from being obsolete”, because they don’t foster a connection between the listener and the music.
“It’s one dimensional. It’s an ATM machine,” said Iovine, who has worked with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Tupac Shakur, in an interview this February.
“The artists want to communicate with their fans, period. That’s what they want.
“Not for philanthropic reasons, but this is what TikTok does. That’s what Instagram does.”
Schusser, who has been at Apple for 21 years (including the period from 2014-2018 when Iovine was a creative consultant) agreed.
“We want our music services not just to be an anonymous place on the internet where you press a button and music starts playing.
“For most artists, it’s kind of sad in streaming. There’s nothing for them to do. The music gets delivered by the labels, and then it’s a bunch of playlists.
“But [fans] want to have a chance to meet the artists, know more about the artists, understand why they made an album the way they made it.”
Schusser said Apple also hoped to promote new and upcoming bands who might otherwise struggle to make headway, as people’s listening habits stagnate.
“It’s one of the biggest opportunities and challenges we have in the music business right now.
“There are too many artists who rely on [their back] catalogue. Catalogue music is great, but we need to make sure we have a new era of catalogue music in 10, 20, years from now.”
