Apple announces iTunes Festival: London

Apple on Wednesday announced its first ever iTunes Festival, a new event in London that brings together "world-class bands, intimate live performances and the best in digital technology." The event, which will be free, takes places from July 1 through July 21 -- over 31 consecutive nights -- and brings together more than 60 of the world’s hottest acts at the capital’s prestigious Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). The headline performance by MIKA will take place on Sunday, July 1, while others such as Travis, Groove Armada, Stereophonics, Amy Winehouse, Crowded House and Beverly Knight will also play throughout the month at the small-venue event: the audience will be limited to just 350 people, according to Apple.

"Situated on The Mall in central London, the ICA is firmly at the heart of British and world culture," the company said when describing the venue. "From exhibiting the likes of Jackson Pollock back in the 1950s, to showcasing the best in underground cinema and modernist debate, it has always been something of a creative playground for artists (the Independent Group met here; Madonna frequented the bookshop)."

Apple has published a preliminary list of performing musicians on its website.

Users will have a chance to win each of the 150 pairs of tickets each night, beginning with the opening performance; however, users will only be able to win once.

Apple said that every single show will be professionally recorded and made available for purchase on iTunes. The company will be offering photographs, festival blogs, videos, podcasts and artist interviews on its website to help promote the event.

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Other story tags: digital music/video