Fashion house Burberry gets Apple Music channel to promote British acts

Luxury English fashion house Burberry gets its own dedicated Apple Music channel to promote British acts. It is Apple’s first global brand to get a channel.

The move is expected to bolster the tech giant’s music streaming service with a wider reach and additional taste-maker. It will also expand Burberry’s positioning as a lifestyle brand.

The Burberry channel, set up in Apple Music’s ‘Curators’ section, profiles emerging and established British acts with performances, songs, videos and playlists. Acts on the channel include Tom Odell, James Bay and George Ezra (whom it has used at its fashion shows and in campaigns) as well as emerging names as Lilla Vargen and Georgie.

A show by Alison Moyet at its Womenswear show in London next week is to be filmed for inclusion.

In England, Burberry has close links with the music scene, with its Burberry Acoustic showcase series which it launched in 2010. It has filmed nearly 100 performances for acts including Keane and Clare Maguire, which have garnered 19 million views on YouTube. The channel is seen as an extension of this.

“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,” said Burberry CEO and Chief Creative officer Christopher Bailey.

Interestingly, Burberry’s last CEO Angela Ahrendts left two years ago to join Apple as its Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores.

The two brands have worked together previously. Two years ago it used Apple iPhone 5s devices to capture and share all digital images, video, and live-streamed content before, during, and after a fashion show. It also worked with iTunes to produce exclusive recordings of music used at fashion shows.

This month sees the end of Apple Music’s free three-month trial period. Whether it’s 11 million registered users to date stay on with the service will determine if it is a success. Apple has a target of 100 million users, hoping to exceed Spotify’s 20 million paid users and 75 million total users.

If and when Apple extends its channels to other major brands, it would be yet another point of difference with other streaming services.

This week Apple debuted four more ads for Apple Music through its YouTube channel stressing its ability to help users find new music. The ads feature gospel and soul singer Leon Bridges, singer songwriter Shamir, folk performer Flo Morriessy and rapper Flying Lotus.