Apple Music is taking the live music experience to the next level with its latest announcement. The popular music streaming service has unveiled new concert discovery features on Apple Maps and Apple Music. The move aims to connect fans with their favourite artists and enhance their live music experience.
According to Apple, their “global team of expert curators” has crafted over 40 new “Guides” that handpick the best venues to experience live music in cities across the globe. These Guides can be accessed on Maps, allowing fans to effortlessly browse upcoming shows directly from the app via Shazam’s concert discovery module.
Shazam, the renowned music recognition app, introduced this feature in March 2022, a considerable four years after Apple’s acquisition. By collaborating with Bandsintown, an event recommendation platform boasting 77 million registered fans and 570,000 registered artists, Shazam’s concert discovery feature provides comprehensive concert information and tickets for upcoming shows in your vicinity.
To access Apple Music’s Guides, simply visit apple.co/MusicVenues. The featured cities include a plethora of vibrant musical destinations in North America such as Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, and San Francisco. In Europe, Berlin, London, Paris, and Vienna. Tokyo, Melbourne, and Sydney in the Asia-Pacific region; and Mexico City in Latin America.
But Apple Music’s commitment to revolutionizing the live music experience doesn’t end there. They have also launched a new feature called “Set Lists.” This dedicated space presents a selection of major tours, enabling fans to listen to set lists from concerts and gain insights into the production. If you’re curious about upcoming shows in your area, head over to apple.co/setlists and launch Shazam’s concert discovery module, which leverages concert information from Bandsintown.
This move by Apple Music intensifies the competition with its rival, Spotify. In September 2020, Spotify teamed up with Songkick, the concert discovery app acquired by Warner Music Group in 2017, to launch virtual concert listings. Two years later, Spotify began testing concert ticket sales directly to fans through their “Spotify Tickets” site.
Apple Music’s new concert discovery features on Apple Maps and Apple Music, coupled with their “Set Lists” space and “Apple Music Live performance series,” solidify their position as a key player in the live music scene.
