Eddy Cue on iTunes Festival: 'It's All About the Artists and the Music'

[MacRumors]

For several years, Apple has put on a month-long concert series in London called the iTunes Festival. This year's series included performances from a number of artists, across a variety of genres, including Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Elton John, Ludovico Einaudi and many more.

Even with the huge success of the festival in London, Apple was hesitant to put on a similar series in the United States. This month, however, at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, Apple presented an iTunes Festival with a number of different artists including Willie Nelson, Soundgarden and Coldplay. Apple journalist Jim Dalrymple sat down with Apple's iTunes chief Eddy Cue to discuss the concert and why it took so long to bring it to the States.

"I wasn't sure we would ever bring it to the U.S.," Cue said. "We have something so special at the festival in London that you had the feeling that if you did it anywhere else, it just wasn't going to be quite good enough. You have to have the right place. The combination of Austin, which has a culture of music, and this venue is fantastic -- it's made for music."

Cue went on to note that Apple is "not trying to pitch our products", instead the company wants to focus on "the emotion of the artists and the fans."

Dalrymple says that it's not just the fans who like to enjoy the music -- after playing its opening performance, the band Imagine Dragons went offstage and then sat in the balcony to watch Coldplay, an atypical thing for a major musical act. Apple doesn't choose huge stadiums for its musical events, though it could probably sell out. Instead, Apple chooses small venues like the 2750-seat Moody Theater in Austin that it used at SXSW. It also gives away tickets for free, allowing all fans an equal opportunity to see their favorite acts, regardless of their ability to pay for tickets.

He also mentions the production behind the iTunes Festival, saying that the sound quality is the best he's ever heard at a live event. With concerts being streamed live around the world on iPhones, iPads and the Apple TV, quality is important. Cue says that Apple takes a lot of pride in the iTunes Festival because the company has "such an admiration for what the artists do."

Apple updated both the iTunes Festival iOS app and the companion Apple TV channel ahead of this week's iTunes Festival. On-demand streams of the Austin concerts will be available for a limited time, while concerts will also stream live through Saturday.

Tonight, Isaiah Rashad, ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar will appear, with Capital Cities, Band of Skulls and Soundgarden on stage on Thursday. Friday will see G.R.L, Zedd and Pitbull, with Mickey Guyton, Willie Nelson and Keith Urban wrapping up the festival on Saturday. The full lineup is also available on the iTunes Festival website.

iTunes Festival can be downloaded free from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Eddy Cue on iTunes Festival: 'It's All About the Artists and the Music'

 

[JerryCards]

If I were in Austin, I would like to see Coldplay in person.

 

[Nunyabinez]

Audio quality may be awesome at live event, not so much from iPhone's speakers.

 

[mrat93]

Pretty cool that a top-level exec would do an interview with a guy who frequently and accurately confirms or denies Apple rumors.

 

[macribas]

Again... not free

Why do they keep saying tickets are free?
There are daily drawings where only paying holders of badges and wristbands are able to register.
The cheapest way to get in was with a $180 wristband - and win the ticket in the lottery.
Showcasing SXSW artists didn't pay for their wristbands (not with money anyway, but with blood, sweat and tears) and can get in the drawings. And local Apple employees also had a shot at an internal drawing for a number of tickets without having to pay. But general tickets are not free.

 

[TRS-80]

barf

You couldn't pay me to watch those "artists".

 

[brinary001]

I have Imagine Dragons' guitar pick and drum stick and would love to be down there and have them sign it (I assume this is a little more meet-and-greety than a typical concert).

 

[Slix]

I gotta say, I really enjoyed watching Coldplay last night.

This type of live streaming music event is great for the artists, the viewers, and everyone involved, since it brings sales too.

 

[Nunyabinez]

I have Imagine Dragons' guitar pick and drum stick and would love to be down there and have them sign it (I assume this is a little more meet-and-greety than a typical concert).

Last year Imagine Dragons played at the university where I work. I didn't go because they're not my cup of tea, but my daughter had tickets and ran into them at the University Mall day of the show.

They posed with her for pics and seemed like decent guys. I always like to hear stories about how celebrities are cool to their fans.

 

[robwithtwobs]

If it's "all about the artists and the music", why don't Apple pay the artists anything?

 

[tann]

Didn't actually realise there was a non London iTunes Festival! That's awesome.

 

[Hitch08]

Does anyone know if you can stream/watch the concerts at a later date? Or, can you only watch them live?

 

[pittpanthersfan]

Apple arranges a week of concerts free to SXSW attendees and streams the whole thing to iDevices for free and still people complain.

 

[anubis72]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUzKZqvJnA

 

[Futurix]

I hope London festival continues regardless

 

[Jessica Lares]

Aww, that was a nice story about the Imagine Dragons guys going to watch Coldplay. I love all the interviews that usually take place during festivals because they all are very similar. They're all love music as much as we all do.

Why do they keep saying tickets are free?
There are daily drawings where only paying holders of badges and wristbands are able to register.
The cheapest way to get in was with a $180 wristband - and win the ticket in the lottery.
Showcasing SXSW artists didn't pay for their wristbands (not with money anyway, but with blood, sweat and tears) and can get in the drawings. And local Apple employees also had a shot at an internal drawing for a number of tickets without having to pay. But general tickets are not free.

If general tickets were available, millions and millions of people would show up. If you were a wristband holder, you'd be happy to have those iTunes Festival tickets at that price, especially when you're having to pay for everything else and spend most of your time trying to get to get entry to anything.

 

[brinary001]

Last year Imagine Dragons played at the university where I work. I didn't go because they're not my cup of tea, but my daughter had tickets and ran into them at the University Mall day of the show.

They posed with her for pics and seemed like decent guys. I always like to hear stories about how celebrities are cool to their fans.

Oh yea that is way cool. I'd give anything to meet them like that...

 

[juminoz]

It would be awesome if they host this in different city each year, at least for the ones in the US. I'm wondering how they picked Austin.

----------------
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Check out my music channel at Tunes of The World

 

[Antoni Nygaard]

I streamed imagine dragons show today, but it's not possible to see coldplays show. Anyone know why?

 

[brinary001]

It would be awesome if they host this in different city each year, at least for the ones in the US. I'm wondering how they picked Austin.

Do you mean the iTunes festival or SXSW? Because it's my understanding that SXSW is always hosted in Austin. But yea I totally agree. If the iTunes festival traveled to a new city every year, I would definitely go once it got close to my hometown (currently Saint Louis).

 

[Tech198]

ya, music

I've never heard of any of these, expect for Coldplay..

(age creeps up on ya don't it)

 

[TheGenerous]

No Nickelback?

 

[diazj3]

'It's All About the Artists and the Music'... Apple is "not trying to pitch our products"

yeah right...

Nothing lamer than a cut-throat business trying to appear as a philanthropist.

 

[ouimetnick]

I wish they would stream Green Day's side project band, The Foxboro Hottubs.

 

[KieranDotW]

You couldn't pay me to watch those "artists".

Let me guess, you only listen to underground stuff like the Beatles or Queen?