Apple is doubling down on live music. Starting today, Apple Music fans will be able to access two new features that will help them discover upcoming concerts and gigs in more than 10 cities around the world.
Look out for a brand new feature called ‘Set Lists’, which will be available to all Apple Music subscribers today (May 16, 2023). This new content will be housed in a new dedicated space in the app, allowing subscribers to browse upcoming concert tours that might interest them.
Apple knows that an artist’s setlist is often sought out by fans who want to either prepare for an upcoming show by memorizing lyrics or relive previous live performances, which is why it will curate these setlists into playlists under the new space.
The first artists that are set to be available on Apple Music’s new ‘Set Lists’ feature include Sam Smith, BLACKPINK, Peso Pluma, Kane Brown, blink-182, and, of course, Ed Sheeran – Sheeran’s Eventim Apollo performance in London is also on Apple Music Live, which is available to stream for Apple TV Plus subscribers.
As part of the new live music features, Apple will also launch Apple Music Guides on Maps, which will highlight live music venues across more than 10 cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, Berlin, London, Paris, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney, and Mexico City.
More than 40 guides, each of which is curated by Apple Music editors, will be rolled out today, allowing subscribers to browse the venues’ upcoming shows from Maps through Shazam’s concert discovery module.
The staying power of live music streaming
Being able to see your favorite music artist or band perform in person at a top-quality music venue or festival is a monumental event in most people's lives. It’s something that a lot of us missed during the pandemic as many live-streaming companies shuttered.
The pace of live-streaming businesses ceasing production hasn’t completely let up in the years since the height of lockdowns either, with Mandolin Live Stream closing down its doors in April. Pandora’s Sessions and Spotify Live also shut down last month.
However, Apple’s recent push to focus on live music streaming is a sign that there is still demand for this type of content. Indeed, in the past couple of months, Amazon’s Freevee debuted a new live music streaming show called Monumental: An Artists Den Experience, which will showcase live performances and exclusive interviews. Tidal also recently launched a new Live social music streaming feature that allows subscribers to live-stream music sessions.
As one of the best music streaming services, Apple Music is a firm favorite for us – not least because you can stream in the incredibly immersive Dolby Atmos. And for those of us that can't get to our favorite artist's upcoming performance, this is a welcome solution to make sure we don't miss out completely.
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