Apple is bringing concert discovery to two of its flagship apps, Apple Music and Apple Maps, the company announced today. In the Apple Music app, fans can access a new feature called Set Lists, which allows users to browse and listen to the set lists of their favorite touring artists and learn more about their productions. Meanwhile, Apple is adding a new concert discovery feature to Apple Maps, including more than 40 new guides curated by Apple Music editors that will initially highlight music venues in 10 cities around the world, as well as the ability to browse upcoming events. Browse shows from venues via Shazam’s concert discovery feature.
The Shazam feature rolled out last spring as part of a suite of features that allow concertgoers to discover nearby live shows by leveraging information from artist discovery platform Bandsintown. Now that discovery will also be available through Maps, Apple says.
The changes aim to make Apple’s services more competitive with rivals such as Spotify, which now has robust concert discovery functionality in its own app following a revamp last year that brought a Live Events Feed tailored to interests. of users. However, Apple’s new guides aren’t tailored to the end user – they’re curated by Apple Music editors, similar to a guide offering. And the Apple Music app is only personalized in the sense that fans can now browse shows in their area.
Image Credits: Apple
Apple says the new music location guides will begin rolling out today on Maps in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City and San Francisco in North America; Berlin, London, Paris and Vienna in Europe; Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney in the Asia Pacific region; and Mexico City in Latin America. Available in the Maps app at apple.co/MusicVenues, they range from symphony halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York or Musikverein in Vienna, to techno clubs in Brooklyn and Tokyo, to live jazz in Paris and more.
The company may have been able to use some of the IP from its acquisition of the classical music streaming service Primephonic, which served as the basis for the new Apple Music Classical app, to help with content about the classical music venues in its curated guides.
Meanwhile, Apple Music’s new Set Lists also launch today at apple.co/setlists, and will initially feature artists such as Sam Smith, BLACKPINK, Peso Pluma, Kane Brown, Blink-182, and Ed Sheeran. Apple has given no idea how often these Set Lists would be updated with more artists and tours, but we expect to see more over time.
Image Credits: Apple
While they’re useful additions for Apple customers, the features ensure no one jumps from Spotify to Apple to access them. Spotify these days is better at directing fans to the shows from the artists they really like and stream regularly, rather than just a handful of big names. And, as announced at the Stream On event in March, it also provides growth and discovery tools for artists, including enabling them to market their merchandise and live events in the app, and their new releases to fans within the main music discovery feed. Users can also tap a button to save an event to their own calendar in the Live Events Feed and also browse other shows worldwide.
Apple’s new features will arrive starting today, but it may take some time to reach the global user base.