Apple to open 600-capacity music hall in London

Apple is opening Apple Music Hall, a 600-capacity live music venue inside London's Battersea Power Station, the company announced, marking its first permanent performance space in the United Kingdom.

The venue features a 38-foot wide stage that can be reconfigured for traditional front-facing sets or in-the-round performances, and a 48-speaker spatial sound system positioned around the audience. It is hardwired for 16 or more cameras feeding a purpose-built broadcast control room, with support for iPhone video capture running alongside traditional broadcast cameras. A dedicated recording and mix studio behind the stage allows each performance to be captured as a multitrack recording and mixed in Spatial Audio, live or in post-production.

Performances will be livestreamed globally to Apple Music subscribers, Apple said, allowing fans outside London to watch one-time-only shows. Apple Music's vice president Oliver Schusser said the facility contains more cameras and speakers than any venue of its size anywhere in the world. He said Apple is not trying to compete with other venues, adding that the company will run the venue like a venue, with tickets, and that its sole purpose is...