Apple Gets Into Live Concert Streaming


By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries at Digits


Music fans who can’t make it to the iTunes Festival in London this year can still see the likes of Coldplay, Adele and the Foo Fighters live, with a new app from Apple that streams the shows in real time. The free app, iTunes Festival London 2011, is worth noting because it marks the first time Apple itself has come out with such a program.


Usually the tech giant’s apps are more fundamental – things like iMovie and the Pages word-processing app. The iTunes Festival app demonstrates how apps for individual events are becoming more important – and how live streaming entertainment could be key for the iPad and iPhone in the future.

But reaching out to fans online and through apps is becoming increasingly important for artists. “We make a lot of effort to try to keep the fans entertained and keep in touch,” said Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park in an interview with Digits. In addition to having their London show streamed through the iTunes app, the band also has an official iPhone app and a mobile game called Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion. “We have a lot of fun with it,” Shinoda said of the band’s projects with its online fanbase.


But he said there’s a need for something that centralizes artists’ efforts on the Web. “People live in so many different communities online,” he said. “As a user I’d be happier if I could have a simple way to aggregate all of that.”


The iTunes Festival app lets fans watch live streams in high definition and replays on demand. It also gives them more information on their favorite acts – and of course ties back to iTunes in case they want to buy some music. Those of us who have the new Apple TV can even stream the performances to the larger screen – an enticing selling point for Apple as the battle heats up over Internet-connected TV systems.


In a test of the app on the iPad and iPhone, the live stream came through crystal clear – even when your Digits blogger was on a 3G connection only, rather than on Wi-Fi.


The festival runs through the end of July, so fans still have plenty of time to check out the show.