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Apple ends its annual music festival after 10 years
Apple's London music festival (first the iTunes Festival, later the Apple Music Festival) has practically become a fixture of the entertainment scene since it got started in 2007. Like it or loathe it, though, you're going to have to say goodbye. The company informs Music Business Worldwide that it's no longer offering the annual London concert series. We've asked it to elaborate on the decision, but it appear to be a reflection of Apple's shifting priorities in the streaming music era.
iTunes Festival app arrives on Apple TV for London's month of music
Apple's annual month-long concert series in the UK kicks off next week, and to make sure that you're properly equipped to stream the performances, there's a new Apple TV app that'll do just that. Starting Monday, September 1st with deadmau5 and lasting through the end of the month, sets will be beamed to your living room right from the stage of the Roundhouse in London. Of course, should you find yourself away from home, tunes are also available on iPhone, iPad and iPod to catch the latest. While you can peruse the full list of acts here, scheduled artists include Beck, Pharrell Williams, Ryan Adams and Mary J. Blige.
Apple's iTunes Festival is coming to the US, and you can stream it live
After seven years of hosting the iTunes Festival in the UK, Apple is at last bringing the concert series to the US for 2014. The music extravaganza will be held in Austin from March 11th through the 15th, running alongside South by Southwest (SXSW). It's a much shorter run than in the past, but it will include a mix of well-known American and European artists, ranging from Willie Nelson to London Grammar. As you'd imagine, Apple is using the event as a technological showcase; you'll get to stream live and on-demand performances from both iTunes on the desktop as well as any iOS device. This will all sound familiar to Brits, but it's big news for Americans that no longer have to skip work just to watch the live shows -- even if they can't make it out to Texas.
Apple posts iTunes Festival 'Moments' video
Apple has posted a new video called "Moments" to its YouTube channel, highlighting the best moments of the 2013 iTunes Festival London. The festival doesn't end until Monday night with a performance by Katy Perry. But, since it's been running since Sept. 1, Apple's had a lot of footage to work with. Check it out below and also note that you can still view most of the concerts via iTunes and the iTunes Festival app on iOS and Apple TV.
Subtexts in Apple's Sept. 10 iPhone event
While following along with Apple's press event, I couldn't help but read between the lines. As Tim Cook and the gang revealed the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, I picked up on a few things they weren't saying. Some aimed at customers, some at competitors and others at adjacent industry leaders. iTunes Festival The iTunes Festival is an ongoing success for Apple, now in its seventh year. Cook noted that Apple has streamed live concerts to viewers in over 100 countries. The subtext: just like a television network. In fact, many people watched the shows in HD on their televisions, via Apple TV. The audience gasped when Cook revealed that over 20 million people applied for tickets. The subtext: We know how to promote top musical artists very successfully. iOS 7 Now this is a post-Jobs product. Craig Federighi was loose and comfortable while presenting iOS 7 today, delivering stats and jokes with equal ease. The subtext: Apple full-on believes in this update. It's clear how enthused its executives are. This company knows where its going without the benefit of its late, visionary co-founder. iPhone 5c Previously, Apple has discounted the outgoing iPhone model. The 5c adds a bold new case to the mix for a whole new look. The subtext: get used to this. Now we have two model lines to update every two years. Price-conscious customers get something new, too, instead of the "obsolete" model at a discount. iPhone 5s New colors, and it looks similar to the 5 and 4S. The subtext: This basic body design is here for the foreseeable future. Not including new colors and a larger screen size, this general design has been in place since the iPhone 4 was introduced three years go. Consider the iMac. Once Apple hit on the "display on a pedestal" design with the iMac G5, it's refined it, refined it, refined it. Even the current-generation iMac is a clear descendent of that 2004 model. Finally, the message delivered by the iPhone 5s camera is clear: Apple is becoming a serious imaging company. They spent a lot of time on that camera. You don't need a point-and-shoot camera anymore. There's no need to find a cable or a memory card reader. This is your camera. Today I saw a company that's confident and talented. Especially after reading between the lines.
Apple updates iTunes Festival London app, adds streaming video
With just two days to go until the start of this year's iTunes Festival London, Apple has released an update to the namesake app that adds video streaming capabilities. No doubt the feature update is so concerts can be streamed live to iOS devices around the world. Though the iTunes Festival London has been running for several years, this year is the first in which it seems Apple is seriously pushing awareness of the festival. The app has been updated several times with new features over the past six weeks and is available in the United States for the first time. Then only yesterday, Apple began offering six free music tracks through the app from acts that are playing at the festival. Even here in London, the festival was never promoted that much, but this year its been promoted in newspapers and on the radio non-stop with offers of free ticket giveaways. This is pure conjecture on my part, but it seems like Apple could be trying to build the festival up this year more than in past years because it may be considering expanding it beyond the confines of London -- it would be a nice promotion tool for the company, especially considering that Apple is now getting into the radio business. The iTunes Festival London app is a free download.
Daily Update for August 29, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple's iTunes Festival app offers free music
This year's iTunes Festival is probably out of reach for most readers in the world. Those lucky enough to live near London can look forward to an incredible lineup featuring Dizzee Rascal, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding and Kendrick Lamar among a host of other artists. But what about the rest of us mere mortals? We get a little something special too. The iTunes Festival app is offering up six free songs from six of the festival's up-and-coming acts. Grab "Trying To Be Cool" by Phoenix, "Workin' Woman Blues" by Valerie June, "2013" by Primal Crawl, "My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me" by Little Green Cars, "Chain My Name" by Poliça and "The Curse" by Agnes Obel for simply the cost of your time. The downloads are only good through October 31 however, so act fast if you want to hear what you're missing. The app also features a complete schedule of acts playing the festival and videos. It's a seriously great lineup. Would someone like to buy me passes and a flight overseas? You can grab the app, as always, from iTunes.
Apple release iTunes Festival London 2013 app with refreshed design [Updated]
Apple has released iTunes Festival London 2013, version 4.0. The app is a supplemental guide and video streaming service for Apple's annual music festival in London. Version 4 features a refreshed design just in time for the beginning of the festival that starts September 1 and runs until the end of the month. If you're in the UK, you can go to the official iTunes Festival London 2013 site to enter to win tickets to the 30 artists performing. Users who don't win can stream the acts live via the app. iTunes Festival London 2013 is a free download but is not available in the US App Store. UPDATE: The iTunes Festival London 2013 app is now appearing on the Apple TV as well.
Apple adds Passbook support to iTunes Festival London app
It was just last week Apple announced this year's iTunes Festival London and introduced the 2013 version of the app. Now, the company has pushed out an update to the iTunes Festival London 2013 app that includes Passbook support. The move is a small but nice one, as Passbook apps outside of the US are a rarity and an app that promotes concerts is a natural fit for Passbook functionality. iTunes Festival London 2013 is a free download.
Apple announces Justin Timberlake, Jessie J to headline this year's iTunes Festival in London
Apple today announced the dates of this year's iTunes Festival in London. It will run from September 1-30 at the Roundhouse in the Camden area of London. This year's festival will be headlined by artists including Justin Timberlake, 30 Seconds to Mars, Jack Johnson and Jessie J. A total of 60 artists will perform over the course of the month. As in years past, tickets to the shows are only available for free via competitions. Apple will be giving away a limited number of tickets for each showing. If you're in the UK, you can win tickets via the iTunes Festival app and through media outlets such as Channel 4, Global Radio and Metro. Those in the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan and Mexico can win tickets through competitions run by local media partners. If you can't make it to a live gig, you'll be able to watch the sessions live or on-demand through a dedicated iTunes Festival app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch; on iTunes; or on the Apple TV. Apple also usually sells audio of the sessions once they have completed.
iTunes Festival app on Apple TV
My Apple TV didn't show an update, and I'm not exactly sure when it popped up, but the iTunes Festival, 30 nights of free music featuring an eclectic lineup, is now an app on the Apple TV. If you're a music lover, it's a lot of fun.
Apple updates iTunes Festival London 2012 app
Just because the Olympics are over doesn't mean there's not a lot of things to do in London -- the iTunes Festival, for one. Today Apple updated its app for the festival. iTunes Festival London 2012 version 3.5 adds additional performance and reliability improvements, additional language support, and now the app is available in additional countries. The availability of the app in additional countries is important for those festival attendees visiting London but who don't have a UK App Store account. The 2012 iTunes Festival will run from September 1st to September 30th this year. Over sixty acts will be performing on different nights including Usher, Emeli Sandé, Jack White, Norah Jones, Plan B, and more. Tickets are free, but only available via online lottery. Once again the festival will be held at Camden's Roundhouse in London. iTunes Festival London 2012 is a free download.
Daily Update for May 18, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple's iTunes Festival scheduled for September
Apple has announced some details on the 2012 iTunes Festival in London. This 30-day music event will take place at The Roundhouse and feature free performances by Usher, Emeli Sandé, Jack White, Norah Jones and One Direction among others. Tickets will be distributed via lottery, and fans in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands can vie for a seat. Apple will stream performances to computers running iTunes and iPhones, iPod touches and iPads with the iTunes Festival app installed. The fun starts on September 1 and runs for the whole month.
Apple releases iTunes Festival features, app
The iTunes Festival London is a month-long series of concerts featuring more than sixty artists performing in London's Roundhouse. The fun starts on July 1st and Apple's got you covered with an iOS app, steaming shows and exclusive music in iTunes. The free universal app, aptly named iTunes Festival London 2011, offers details on the month's lineup plus live and on-demand video of highlighted performances (for a limited time). Fans like me who aren't in London can still get a peek at what's going on. Meanwhile, a featured page in iTunes lists albums available from the scheduled performers. Watch for live tracks once the shows begin. In the meantime, check out these photos from previous years. Tickets are free and distributed via a lottery. Good luck and have fun!
Apple announces dates for iTunes Festival London 2010
Apple has announced dates for the 2010 London iTunes Festival. The festival will run every night in July this summer. Sixty artists will be performing over thirty-one days at Camden's Roundhouse in London. The first three nights will feature performances from Scissor Sisters, Tony Bennett and Ozzy Osbourne. Tickets to the shows are only available for free via competitions. Apple will be giving away 25 pairs of tickets for each showing. The entry form for the competition is here. Users may apply for as many of the gigs as they'd like. Those who can't make the festival can still watch highlights, read the latest news, and see behind-the-scenes photos on the event's Facebook and Twitter pages. All performances will also be recorded and sold on the iTunes Music Store worldwide. [via 9to5]
Check out London's iTunes Festival
Now this is pretty cool. Sixty of the hottest and most respected names in popular music, like Travis, Amy Winehouse, Stereophonics and more, will play gigs at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. The only way to get tickets is to win a contest [iTunes Link], but those who don't win needn't worry, as all sixty shows will be made available in the iTunes Store.This is pretty cool, as you can catch the show for free (if you lucky enough), and then download the very performance you attended from iTunes as a professional recording (as opposed to those *other* live recordings you have). Thanks, Gary!
