Apple is preparing to open a new “state-of-the-art” live music venue in the UK, a 600-capacity space for hosting performances, recording sessions, and video broadcasts. The venue, called Apple Music Hall, is located underneath Apple’s European headquarters in London’s iconic Battersea Power Station, and is set to open next week on September 28th. Details about the opening show have yet to be announced.
“Apple’s deep love for music dates all the way back to the very beginning, from the launch of the iPod to the long-running iTunes Music Festival to the debut of Apple Music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content. “Today, with the opening of Apple Music Hall, we are once again taking an unprecedented step further in our commitment to artists and fans by supporting live music in ways only Apple can do.”
The limited capacity and layout is “designed intentionally to close the gap between intimacy and production value,” according to Apple’s announcement, with seating that feels close to the performer while providing artists with a 38-foot-wide stage that can be reconfigured to their needs. Apple Music Hall has a 48-speaker spatial sound system positioned around the audience, is hardwired for 16 or more broadcast cameras, and includes two dedicated recording and mixing studios behind the stage that allow it to operate as a full production facility.
The performance space is opening alongside new Apple Music radio studios in Battersea, with Apple announcing that all of its London-based hosts and shows will now broadcast from the facility. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect the artists and the fans because we are fans,” said Apple Music’s global creative director, Zane Lowe. “Great music and memories will be made at Apple Music Hall.”
Apple Music Hall marks the company’s return to London’s music scene, having previously run the iTunes Music Festival in England’s capital city for a decade — hosting acts like One Direction, Lady Gaga, Elton John, and Adele at intimate local venues — before its cancellation in 2017. Battersea Power Station, a decommissioned Art Deco facility that reopened in 2022, also has its own roots in music history, having appeared on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals album.