An Apple Music festival, featuring Pharrell and more, is coming in September

By Stephanie Topacio Long Published August 18, 2015

apple music festival 2015 pharrell big camo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple is gathering together big names in music for its inaugural Apple Music Festival in the U.K. this summer. Picking up the baton from the iTunes Festival, which ran for eight years, the Apple Music Festival at London’s Roundhouse will run from Sept. 19 to Sept. 28. Headliners announced so far include Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Florence + The Machine, and Disclosure.

“The Roundhouse is such a historic venue … there’s always a special energy in the crowd,” Williams said in a statement. The musician’s involvement isn’t surprising, considering that he’s been a staunch supporter of Apple Music since even before its launch. He released his most recent single, “Freedom,” exclusively on the streaming service the day that Apple Music debuted.

Recommended Videos

Those of us who don’t live in the U.K. won’t have to miss out on Williams and the other performers. The festival will be available for streaming on Apple Music and iTunes through nearly any Apple device, including Apple TV, so even those who aren’t Apple Music subscribers can enjoy it. Some of the content will be exclusive to the service’s users, though. Beats 1 and Apple Music Connect will have additional coverage, backstage news, and footage from the artists themselves.

“We wanted to do something really special for music fans this year,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services in a press release. “The Apple Music Festival is a greatest hits set of ten unbelievable nights featuring some of the best performers on the planet appearing live and interacting directly with their fans on Connect and Beats 1.”

Engaging fans is especially important in September, as it’s not long before the 3-month free trial period comes to an end for fans who signed up just after Apple Music’s June 30 launch. In addition to drawing in new users, the event may help keep some of the existing ones around.

Topics

Stephanie Topacio Long

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

Mobile

Google Assistant and YouTube Music coming to Galaxy Watch 4

Watch 4 media controls.

Google is building on its close partnership with Samsung to bring the Galaxy Watch 4 deeper into the Android ecosystem, with new communication, productivity, and entertainment features.

In the coming weeks, new Galaxy Watch 4 owners will be able to install and set up Google Play apps during the initial configuration process, right out of the box. Your favorite apps from your Android smartphone will show up as recommendations on your new Watch 4, so you can quickly install them with a single tap without the need to hunt for them on the Play Store.

Computing

An M2 MacBook Pro is coming, but without this key feature

The 2021 MacBook Pro with the lid open on a white table.

We’ve been wondering for some time what Apple will do with the entry-level MacBook Pro, which is still using 2020’s M1 chip despite its 14-inch and 16-inch siblings upgrading to the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Now, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has revealed what Apple plans to do.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman explains that Apple will outfit the entry-level MacBook Pro with an M2 chip. This upcoming Apple Silicon chip will be the successor to the M1 and should provide a greatly improved experience compared to 2020’s offering.

Mobile

Apple iOS 15: News, features, and everything you need to know

Apple's newest iPhone operating system, iOS 15, launched on September 20. The update brings new features and controversial design changes to the vast majority of iPhones, including many older devices. Whether you're planning to buy a new iPhone 13 or holding onto your older iPhone model, here's everything you need to know about iOS 15 and its subsequent updates.
What devices can get iOS 15?
The new Apple iPhone 13 models will ship with iOS 15, but there are hundreds of millions of iPhone users with older devices who will benefit from the update as well. Apple released iOS 15 to all iPhone models going back to the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6 Plus, and original iPhone SE, making these the longest-supported iPhone models yet. The corresponding iPadOS 15 rolled out to a slew of devices, including the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4, iPad (5th-generation), and iPad Pro 9.7, as well as the new iPad Mini 6 and 10.2-inch iPad, of course.
What are the new features of iOS 15?
There are many new features and improvements in iOS 15. Here are a few of the most exciting ones to watch out for once you update:
Notifications
If you're the type to ignore notifications or let them pile up, this update should make your life a bit easier. A new Notification Summary on the lock screen compiles your notifications for a cleaner look. You don't have to worry about missing anything, though. The summary uses on-device intelligence about what you interact with the most to separate and prioritize notifications, so urgent notifications like messages won't be lost among app reminders.

The new Focus feature enhances the Notification Summary even further. You can choose from among the preset Focus modes -- Work, Personal, Sleep, and Do Not Disturb -- or create up to 10 Focuses so iOS 15 can prioritize notifications based on your circumstance. Focus modes can even be set to a location, and once you set your status, it automatically applies across all connected Apple devices. There are new notification settings and new widgets for the home screen that let you see the notifications in your Focus mode. Throughout the notification system in iOS 15, icons for apps are larger and text is clearer, making it easy to catch up with everything at a glance.
Sharing
Apple knows how important video calls and messaging are today, and it has announced a variety of new features for both FaceTime and Messages that are all built around SharePlay.