𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

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.

It’s a reflection of a national trend: Between 2020 and 2025, as the cost of living increased and people made post-Covid lifestyle changes, about 400 of Britain’s clubs closed.

The rate in London is higher than the rest of the country, so the arrival of a deep-pocketed tech company could give independent venue owners cause for concern.

But Schusser said its new venture was not trying to steal customers.

“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.

“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.”