From beige checks to sound checks: Burberry and Apple team up for music play

Paul Madill
By Paul Madill | 16 September 2015
 

Famous for its iconic beige checks more than its sound checks, luxury clothing label Burberry is set to launch a channel on Apple Music today.

It becomes Apple Music's first major fashion brand to get a custom channel, and joins media names like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NME, Wired, GQ and Vice on the service.

From the related fashion world, Vogue is also involved with Apple Music, and has its own playlist, as do GQ.

Burberry will sit within the 'Curators' section of the streaming service, and in some senses this builds on and extends Burberry's existing 'Acoustic' content. There will also be exclusive videos on the channel, such as performances from British artists to be filmed at Burberry's Womenswear show in London on 21 September.

There will also be selections from Burberry CEO Christopher Bailey, along with runway music and other emerging British talent.

“I am excited about our partnership with Apple on this amazing platform which will enable us to take what we do now with Burberry Acoustic and share it with an even bigger audience,” Bailey said.

Interestingly, it is also the first time the two companies have worked together since Apple hired Burberry's chief executive Angela Ahrendts in 2013. She was appointed vice president of retail and online stores and was paid a not inconsiderable $73.4 million in stock and cash in her first year.

There had been a previous link between Apple and Burberry when the former supplied the fashion label with unreleased iPhone 5s hardware. This was used to photograph, film and stream elements of the Prorsum Womenswear S/S14 show, which promoted the imagery capabilities of the then-forthcoming technology.

Apple Music was always going to be a formidable player in the streaming space when it launched, and since day one, it was also rumoured to have strong brand potential.

When the service launched ZenithOptimedia surveyed 1000 Australians using a GMI panel to understand the potential impact it might have in the competitive Australian streaming industry.

Zenith's research found that of the 43% of 18-34 year olds not currently using a music streaming service, a whopping 40% said they would try the Apple service. However, while the growth potential is huge, ZenithOptimedia insights director Luisa Howard said at the time that the potential for brands to unlock that upside is dependent on their ability to enhance the user experience.

“Apple Music will supercharge the growth of the entire streaming category, not only opening up music access for brands, but more excitingly, opening up more innovative and dynamic ways for brands to contribute to a better and more valued consumer music experience,” Howard said.

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