Apple Music is set to open a 600-capacity concert venue beneath its UK headquarters at Battersea Power Station in London.
The new venue, called Apple Music Hall, is expected to open in the coming weeks and will host one-off shows by established artists and emerging bands.
Performances will also be filmed and broadcast live online through Apple Music.
Apple Music Vice President Oliver Schusser said that the venue would have extensive audio and video equipment for its size. “It contained more cameras and speakers than any venue of its size, anywhere in the world.”
The opening comes as London’s live music industry faces growing pressure. About 45 venues closed in the capital last year.
Across the UK, about 400 clubs closed between 2020 and 2025 as rising costs and changes in post-pandemic lifestyles affected the industry.
Schusser said Apple Music was not entering the live music business to compete with existing venues.
“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.”
He said the smaller capacity was partly intended to ensure the venue did not compete directly with other London concert spaces.
Apple Music Hall marks Apple’s return to the London live music scene nine years after it ended the iTunes Festival.
The festival featured artists including Lady Gaga, Elton John, Britney Spears and Adele, with free concerts held at venues such as Koko and The Roundhouse.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the new venue, describing it as “a huge vote of confidence in the UK as a global creative powerhouse.”
She said the development was also “a signal of just how strong our creative sectors really are.”
Apple is expected to announce the venue’s opening act soon.
The venue has been designed to reflect elements of Battersea Power Station’s Art Deco architecture, with fluted vaults and brick-lined walls.
The bricks were specially selected to reduce reflected sound.
The 38-foot stage can be configured for performances in the round or traditional front-facing shows.
The venue also has dressing rooms with en-suite showers and dedicated costume storage.
Apple Music’s radio studios will move there from their current location in King’s Cross. The facility will also have rooms for DJ mixes, writing camps and band rehearsals.
The building is equipped for audio and video production, allowing artists to record podcasts, appear on radio programmes and livestream performances from the same location.
Apple Music Targets New Artists- Apple hopes the venue and its original content will help distinguish its music service from rivals such as Spotify and Amazon Music.
The strategy follows criticism from music executive Jimmy Iovine, who said in February that music streaming services risk becoming obsolete because they do not create a strong connection between artists and listeners.
Schusser said Apple wanted to make its music service more engaging for both artists and fans.
“We want our music services not just to be an anonymous place on the internet where you press a button and music starts playing.”
He said streaming services often give artists limited opportunities to connect directly with their audiences. “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 added that Apple also wanted to give emerging artists more exposure as listeners increasingly rely on established music catalogues. “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.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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