Apple Music has officially cut the ribbon on its expansive new studio space in Culver City, marking a significant step in the company’s quest to foster creativity and collaboration. The state-of-the-art Apple Music studio, spanning 15,000 square feet, is designed as a multifunctional hub where artists can conduct radio interviews, record music, perform photo shoots, and create video content, blending technology with the arts seamlessly.
Opening Doors to Innovation
The Apple Music studio, set to launch this summer, will house premier programming such as the Zane Lowe Show. While the construction cost remains undisclosed, the state-of-the-art design reflects Apple’s renowned aesthetic with warm wood floors, sleek black walls, and vibrant accents. Equipped with two large radio studios, this space also boasts spatial audio speakers built into the ceilings, customizable lighting, and discreet wall cameras. These features cater to both intimate interviews and small audience performances.
Oliver Schusser, Apple Music’s leading executive, shared, “We want this to be an open house for artists, songwriters or any creator to come in, hang out and create content, connect with their fans or connect with other artists. This is our interpretation of the intersection between technology and the arts.”
A Creative Playground
Beyond radio studios, the Apple Music studio includes a soundstage perfect for live shows or screenings, a photo studio, and edit bays for content creation. Consistent with Apple Music’s emphasis on spatial audio, the facility features an audio mixing room designed for immersive sound experiences.
Rachel Newman, Apple Music co-head, elaborated, “It’s a blank space on purpose, so that an artist can come in and create whatever they want. Radio was always a front door for us to work closer with artists, and now they’ll be able to do so much more. We wanted the ability to scale and fit into any kind of vision the artist might have.”
Celebrating a Decade of Apple Music
As Apple Music unveils the studio, the company marks its 10-year milestone since its 2015 launch. This new space addresses the growth beyond the original studios, accommodating the increased demand for video content in artist collaborations, as Schusser explains the intent to deepen music engagement and expression on the platform.
Reflecting on the last decade, Schusser expressed concerns at the start: “There was a fear that customers would just press a button and play music in the background and that’d be it. That’s why we focused on Apple Radio. We wanted to build a music service for music fans, a platform where artists could express themselves and showcase their music.”
A Vision for the Future
Natalie Eshaya, head of Apple Music Radio, highlighted the studio’s role in evolving the radio format, incorporating visual storytelling to enhance artist-fan connections. To commemorate the milestone, Apple Music launched special programming, headlined by “Don’t Be Boring: The Birth of Apple Music Radio” with Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden. This anniversary celebration includes a live show featuring influential artists and broadcasts counting down the 500 most-streamed songs on the platform.
The unveiling of the Apple Music studio in Culver City underscores a decade of innovation and hints at the vibrant future of music engagement, pairing cutting-edge technology with artistic freedom.
