iTunes have launched 11 nights of free concerts set to take place in the capital as of next week, going by the name of iTunes Live: London Sessions and taking place at AIR studios in Hampstead. The acoustic gigs have a collaborative theme; for example, KT Tunstall will appear with Billy Bragg, Roisin Murphy will appear with Tony Christie, and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds appear with Spiritualized. Other artists scheduled to appear include Jose Gonzalez, Nizlopi, Soweto Kinch, Laura Marling and Mystery Jets.
Oliver Schusser, director of iTunes Europe, says: "It's very different to what we've done before. We're bringing multiple artists together. We actually went out and spoke with artists directly and said: Who would you like to perform with? So every night is a collaboration with at least two, and sometimes four, artists on stage. For a singer songwriter event of acoustic collaborations, AIR Studios is perfect. It's just about the right size and the acoustics are fantastic".
Entry is free to competition winners - see http://www.ituneslive.co.uk - and live recordings will, of course, be available to buy on all the iTunes stores as of next month.