Apple opens Apple Music Hall at Battersea Power Station; Elton John gave the first show

The useful part

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How it works

• As the author of the definitive history of Battersea Power Station and a music writer with Uncut, I have watched both the building and the music industry undergo dramatic transformations over the past two...
• Against that backdrop, it is encouraging to see a company that helped reshape how we consume music investing in the live experience itself.
• This was his first UK show since his headline set at Glastonbury Festival in June 2023.
• What followed was one of the longest and most frustrating redevelopment sagas in British history.
• Original brickwork will remain visible alongside fluted arches and bronze detailing that acknowledge the building's Art Deco heritage.

What to take from it

Apple Music Hall will not solve every problem facing live music. Lost songs, forgotten tapes and studio secrets: the inside story of The Beatles' Rubber Soul. Station in 2016, it raised some tantalising questions about what this iconic brand might bring to one of London's most recognisable landmarks.

Example or evidence

• The fact that music is once again becoming part of the building's story feels particularly fitting given the scale of its resurrection.
• Everything changed in 2012 when new owners acquired the building and committed to a comprehensive restoration.
• Artists will be able to transform intimate performances into global events, reaching audiences far beyond the walls of the building itself.
• Apple Music Hall appears to build on the same idea, but this time in a permanent home.

Details worth keeping

Apple just gave live music a new home — and Elton John opened it. Both elevated design, understanding that beauty could be as important as utility. Battersea owed much of its global fame to its appearance on the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals in 1977, while Apple helped transform the music business through the arrival of the iPod, iTunes and, later, Apple Music.

Related coverage

• Apple: Apple Newsroom: Apple today announced the opening of Apple Music Hall, a brand-new state-of-the-art live music venue in London's storied Battersea Power Station, designed to connect artists and fans through...
• Webwire: Apple today announced the opening of Apple Music Hall, a brand-new state-of-the-art live music venue in London's storied Battersea Power Station, designed to connect artists and fans through bespoke,...
• 9to5mac: Apple is opening a new live music venue in Battersea Power Station, London.
• Mashable: Apple has opened Apple Music Hall, a new live music venue in Battersea Power Station, London.
• Musicbusinessworldwide: Artists who play the new Apple Music Hall can leave with a Spatial Audio recording, a mix ready for broadcast, and multi-camera video of the same show. Source