iTunes is putting its stamp on South by Southwest, piggybacking on the annual
event with its own music festival. The company said it will debut its popular iTunes
Festival, a free concert series held in London for the past 7 yrs. While the London
version is a 30-day event, the U.S. festival will feature five nights of rock, country,
pop and hip-hop at South by Southwest, an international showcase for music,
film and interactive projects to be held next month in Austin, Texas. The iTunes
festival will be held March 11-15 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, where Austin
City Limits is held. The first night will include performances by Coldplay, Imagine
Dragons and London Grammar. Some performers include Keith Urban, Coldplay,
Willie Nelson, Pitbull, Zedd and newcomer Mickey Guyton, other acts will be announced
later. The iTunes festival in London typically attracts artists like Coldplay. Lady Gaga,
Elton John, Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry were among the performers at the
Roundhouse Theater last September. The festival will be streamed live and on-demand
through the iTunes store, iTunes radio and on Apple devices.
Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said iTunes
had long considered having a U.S. counterpart to its U.K. festival, but had struggled
to find the right fit. SXSW turned out to be a natural. While Cue didn't say whether
the iTunes Festival at SXSW would become an annual event, he pointed to London
as an example of how it could grow.
Source: Billboard
event with its own music festival. The company said it will debut its popular iTunes
Festival, a free concert series held in London for the past 7 yrs. While the London
version is a 30-day event, the U.S. festival will feature five nights of rock, country,
pop and hip-hop at South by Southwest, an international showcase for music,
film and interactive projects to be held next month in Austin, Texas. The iTunes
festival will be held March 11-15 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, where Austin
City Limits is held. The first night will include performances by Coldplay, Imagine
Dragons and London Grammar. Some performers include Keith Urban, Coldplay,
Willie Nelson, Pitbull, Zedd and newcomer Mickey Guyton, other acts will be announced
later. The iTunes festival in London typically attracts artists like Coldplay. Lady Gaga,
Elton John, Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry were among the performers at the
Roundhouse Theater last September. The festival will be streamed live and on-demand
through the iTunes store, iTunes radio and on Apple devices.
Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said iTunes
had long considered having a U.S. counterpart to its U.K. festival, but had struggled
to find the right fit. SXSW turned out to be a natural. While Cue didn't say whether
the iTunes Festival at SXSW would become an annual event, he pointed to London
as an example of how it could grow.
Source: Billboard