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Universal Music taps AR and VR to hype new releases
VR storytelling company Within has been experimenting with different musical collaborators. Universal Music Group artist The Chemical Brothers worked with the company to create an immersive, web VR-based visual interpretation of the duo's tune, "Under Neon Lights." Within also put together a music video for OneRepublic in VR for their single, "Kids." Within is now going big in a new partnership with Universal Music Group to develop augmented and virtual reality experiences with the music label's large roster of artists.
Apple Music's latest short stars Niall Horan from One Direction
Niall Horan might be a member of the celebrated boy band One Direction, but he's ready to strike out on his own with the release of his first solo album Flicker. Now, Billboard reports that thanks to Apple Music, Horan will debut a short film called On the Record: Flicker, which will take viewers behind the scenes of recording the album. It will feature both footage of rehearsals, as well as interviews and a look into Horan's creative process. The film and album both debut on October 20th. You can see the trailer below. This isn't the first venture Apple Music has made into short film documentaries featuring musicians. Megastar Pink is releasing her seventh studio album Beautiful Trauma this week, on October 13th. Apple Music will also release On the Record: Pink — Beautiful Trauma, a short documentary about the making of the album. Apple Music is doing well with these documentary exclusives, and it will be interesting to see if these give them an edge in the music streaming wars.
Apple Music's new documentary shows Harry Styles getting a haircut
Boy-band heartthrob Harry Styles is the latest artist to get the Apple Music documentary treatment -- Harry Styles: Behind the Album lands on May 15th exclusively on Apple Music. The doc follows Styles, a former member of the British pop group One Direction, as he puts together his debut solo album (and gets at least one major haircut).
NASA technologies star in One Direction's music video
Ah, pop stars. They can be anyone they want in their music videos: spies, goddesses and, in One Direction's case, astronauts blasting off to space. The boy band's latest music video for the single Drag Me Down features a number of NASA tech, which is why the agency's been promoting it in its social media channels. In addition to donning NASA's bright orange suits and shooting at the Johnson Space Center, the boys got a taste of the ISS crew's training using the Partial Gravity Simulator and the ISS Mockup Bike.
Apple's rebranded Music Festival will be livestreamed on Beats 1
Apple's iTunes Festival is coming back to London with a new name and a slightly different format. For starters, it's now called Apple Music Festival -- an obvious move to promote the recently launched music streaming service. It's still being held at the city's Roundhouse venue, but this year the company is opting for a 10 night run (September 19-28) rather than its usual month-long affair. That could put extra pressure on its free and seemingly randomised ticket allocations, so Apple will also be streaming the festival through Apple Music. Everyone will be able to watch the performances both live and on-demand, with coverage on Beats 1 and social media snippets on Apple Music Connect.
