Apple Music to open concert venue in Battersea Power Station
Apple Music is opening a 600-capacity concert venue at London's Battersea Power Station to host exclusive performances for broadcast. While the company claims it is not competing with local venues, the move has sparked concern among independent operators facing a decline in the city's live music scene.
Why it matters
The entry of major tech corporations into local cultural spaces highlights the tension between corporate investment and the preservation of independent arts infrastructure.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Mark Savage Music correspondent Getty Images The venue will inhabit the north side of the former power station, with views overlooking the Thames The US tech giant Apple is to open a new, state-of-the-art concert hall in London, situated underneath its European 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.
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