Apple’s sponsorship of the 2018 Brit Awards, the musical awards ceremony held last night in London, brings special playlists and an exclusive live performance for Apple Music users.
The awards show — basically the U.K.’s version of the Grammys — included performances from Sam Smith, the Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Stormzy and others. Apple set up dedicated sections in iTunes and the Apple Music app to highlight the winners and nominees. It also added an exclusive live performance from Rag’n’Bone Man in Apple Music.
Get ready for the biggest night in British music!
Experience highlights from 30 years of The BRIT Awards. #BRITs2018https://t.co/6GSNCOpxKJ pic.twitter.com/gnxuAKVlIx— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) February 21, 2018
If you’re interested in catching up on the event, you can check out the Apple Music app for a curated playlist and album selection from the winners, or this iTunes page.
Apple’s history of music promotion
Apple’s involvement with the British music industry isn’t new. Last year, Apple axed its annual Apple Music Festival. Previously called the iTunes Festival, Apple staged the event at London’s Roundhouse for a decade.
At the time, we noted that Apple wasn’t planning on eliminating its music promotions. In addition to its own branded events, Apple sponsors one-off shows. Recent Apple sponsorships include a show by Arcade Fire in Brooklyn, New York, a tour by Drake, and the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.
The U.K. music scene — particularly the hip-hop and grime genres — remain well-represented on Beats-1. In fact, much of the Apple radio station’s programming comes direct from the U.K.
With Apple moving into music more than ever, thanks to Apple Music and the awesome-sounding new HomePod, we expect that sponsorship deals such as this will only become more common. It was recently reported that, at its current trajectory, Apple Music is likely to overtake Spotify in the U.S. this summer to become the No. 1 paid streaming music service.
