- Apple unveils its Music Hall in Battersea Power Station, London
- Space for live music, but also a place for recording said music
- All performances can be recorded in Spatial Audio
If you love listing to acoustic sets, live recordings or unplugged sessions from your favorite artists, then Apple Music's new announcement might make it your go-to streaming service for this kind of recording.
London's Battersea Power Station, an iconic Art Deco power station once famous for its use in Pink Floyd album artwork (that's since been turned into a rather soulless shopping mall) now plays host to the Apple Music Hall. This, of course, levels up the location's artistic merits, joining the The Cinema in the Power Station, which this writer argues is the best movie theater he's ever been to.
Apple Music Hall is a 600-seater venue, with a 48-speaker surround sound system (that's 12.5 people per speaker, if the venue is at capacity). But its appeal isn't just for people who can hop on the London Underground's Northern Line and navigate the winding halls of the Power Station.
The space also houses a production facility, which can be used for live or post-performance mixing. That means performances at the Apple Music Hall can be recorded and mixed incredibly quickly, letting Apple Music listeners at home enjoy the set with Spatial Audio and video recordings too.
Apple has confirmed that its Music Hall performances will be live-streamed, so you can tune in easily. It didn't specify that this'll only be to Apple Music subscribers, but (given the heavy investment in such a a venue) it'd be odd for the company to let just anyone tune in and listen.
A place to listen to music
Music streaming services are starting to realise that intentional listening is more meaningful than algorithmically-picked background noise which you tune out of. Only a few months ago, Spotify opened a Listening Lounge in London, which is a room with a high-end stereo set-up so you can enjoy quality music in an acoustically-tuned environment.
Listening Lounge is a bit different to the Apple Music Hall, because it's not for live music and you can't simply buy tickets to go, but they share a common theme: it's nice to sit down and spend all of your mental capabilities enjoying music. These will be live streams that you don't put on in the background; you can sit down and enjoy the performances as they happen.
The addition of live artists gives the Apple Music Hall a little extra juice — and if the brand manages to book some good artists, the live streams could be outstanding. I don't mean popular artists, but those with a flair for live performance that'll make the recordings transcend their studio equivalents.
Thankfully, London's a city full of artists, with every street hosting theater bars, record store gigs and open mic nights. Apple doesn't need to open the purse strings and look for the big names, or rely on people with loads of TikTok followers, to get a talented line-up.
No artists have been announced for the venue yet, but after its full opening on September 28, perhaps we'll hear some names. And if, like me, you're a local who might consider going to a gig there, signing up for a newsletter on the Apple Music Hall website will keep you in the know.
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