Apple is set to open a new 600-capacity concert venue beneath its UK headquarters at Battersea Power Station in London, with the facility expected to begin operations in the coming weeks.
The venue, named Apple Music Hall, will host one-off performances by established recording artists and emerging musicians. The shows will also be filmed and streamed live online through Apple Music.
Apple Music vice president, Oliver Schusser, said the venue had been equipped with an extensive array of production technology. The facility contained “more cameras and speakers than any venue of its size, anywhere in the world,” Schusser told BBC News.
The opening comes amid growing concerns over the state of London’s live music industry, with 45 venues reportedly closing across the capital last year. About 400 clubs also shut across Britain between 2020 and 2025 as rising living costs and changes in people’s lifestyles after the COVID-19 pandemic affected the sector.
Despite concerns that Apple’s entry could increase competition for independent venues, Schusser said the company was not seeking to compete with existing operators.
“We’re not trying to be in the live business. We’re not trying to compete with anyone,” he said.
“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 has been designed to accommodate different performance formats, ranging from large-scale televised productions to intimate acoustic shows. Its 38-foot stage can be arranged for performances in the round or traditional front-facing concerts.
The building also houses new studios for Apple Music’s radio stations, which are expected to relocate from King’s Cross, alongside rooms for DJ mixes, songwriting camps and band rehearsals. Apple said the entire facility had been wired for audio and video production, allowing artists to record podcasts, participate in radio programmes and stream concerts from the same location.
The venue represents Apple’s return to London’s live music scene nine years after the company ended its iTunes Festival, which previously featured artists including Lady Gaga, Elton John, Britney Spears and Adele at venues such as Koko and the Roundhouse.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the development, describing it as “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.”
The opening performer for Apple Music Hall is expected to be announced soon.
Schusser said Apple also wanted the facility to provide greater exposure for emerging artists who could struggle to attract audiences and build momentum.
“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.
“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.”
He added that Apple wanted to help create a new generation of music that could eventually become part of artists’ catalogues.
“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.”
