Apple Music Festival axed after 10-year run

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Festival
The festival first launched ten years ago as the iTunes Festival.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly pulling the plug on its annual Apple Music Festival at London’s Roundhouse in the U.K.

The festival was first staged by Apple in 2007 as the iTunes Festival, and was rebranded in 2015 for the Apple Music launch. In addition to offering tickets for fans to attend live, Apple streamed the shows online.

Names who have played the festival over the years include the likes of Adele, Coldplay, Paul Simon, Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Arctic Monkeys, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, and more. Last year, its line-up included Elton John, The 1975, Chance The Rapper and Alicia Keys.

The move toward original content

Apple isn’t planning on doing away with its music promoting altogether, however. Instead, it appears that Apple will sponsor one-off shows or the occasional tour by artists. Recently, Cupertino shelled out to sponsor a show by Arcade Fire in Brooklyn, New York. Apple also showed up at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, earlier this year. Previously, the company sponsored a tour by Drake.

In some ways, it seems strange that Apple would scale back on its music promotion efforts at a time when it’s pushing Apple Music so strongly. More recently, it seems Apple is increasingly interested in original content like Carpool Karaoke: The Series and proposed drama series as opposed to pushing explicitly musical content. (Although there are still music documentaries and interviews on the service.)

The Apple Music Festival website currently allows users to “explore the festival’s proud history” by viewing some of the “iconic performances” of the past.

Are you sad to see the end of the Apple Music Festival? Did you ever attend? Leave your comments below.

Source: Music Business Worldwide

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