Apple Music Marks 10 Years With Los Angeles Studio Launch

Apple Music has reached its 10th anniversary and is celebrating with a state-of-the-art studio complex in Los Angeles, California. The three-story, 15,000-square-foot facility is the company’s boldest investment in content creation, artist support, and audio innovation.

The new space is situated in Culver City’s Hayden Tract and is designed by Los Angeles architect Eric Owen Moss. It includes two radio studios equipped with immersive spatial audio technology. These spaces are adaptable for live interviews, informal discussions, or impromptu artist performances. At the heart of the campus is a 4,000 square-foot soundstage built for live shows, multi-camera video shoots, fan events, and screenings.

There’s also a dedicated spatial audio mixing room, a photo and social media lab, an edit room, a green room, and private isolation booths for songwriting, podcast recordings, and interviews.

“With this new studio, we are furthering our commitment to creating a space for artists to create, connect, and share their vision,” adds Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s Co-Head. This Los Angeles facility will anchor Apple Music’s growing global network of creative hubs, joining other sites in New York, Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, and Nashville.

Apple Music One, the flagship digital radio station, is marking the anniversary with a day-long slate of special broadcasts. The celebration started with “Don’t Be Boring: The Birth of Apple Music Radio with Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden,” airing from 6 to 8 a.m. Pacific Time. The segment revisited the streaming platform’s early days and defining stories.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time, Apple Music 1 broadcasted “10 Years of Apple Music,” an eight-hour special packed with exclusive artist interviews, song debuts, live event recaps, and coverage of cultural milestones that shaped the platform.

The celebration culminated with “Live: 10 Years Of Apple Music” from 4 to 7 p.m. Pacific Time, hosted by Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden. The event featured performances by artists who have significantly contributed to the platform’s history.

Among the featured guests was Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter Amaarae, who joined Zane Lowe to discuss how she brings her music to life on stage. During the #NewMusicDaily segment, she reflected on the evolution of her process and the unique fusion of Afropop and R&B in her recent work. The segment provided a window into her creative journey and the increasing international reach of African artists.

The Los Angeles studio’s opening festivities also included an interview with acclaimed pop-rock trio HAIM. The group, known for their celebrated debut album Days Are Gone (2013), used the occasion to discuss a decade-long career, the reissue of their landmark album, and their experiences recording new material in Los Angeles’ evolving music landscape.

Atlanta rapper Gunna was an early guest in the new studio’s lineup, becoming the first hip-hop artist to record in the freshly unveiled broadcast space. Gunna spoke with Ebro Darden about his fifth studio album One of Wun (2024), recent chart success, and how touring and personal experiences inform his writing process. “I’m really putting my all into it…you got to come to a show and catch the show,” Gunna stated.

Rapper Saweetie participated in the festivities through a special Apple Music “takeover” session, during which she ranked tracks from her catalog and reflected on her growth as a headline artist. Her conversation, streamed live from the new Los Angeles facility, gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her trajectory, ongoing projects, and her approach to artist development.

Texas rapper BigXThaPlug also joined the slate of interviews, sharing insights on his breakout in Dallas hip-hop and the creative process behind his recent releases. His full conversation with Apple Music included discussion on the influence of regional scenes and his plans to maintain momentum as one of hip-hop’s most promising rising stars.