Apple Releases Revamped iTunes Festival App Ahead of SXSW, iOS 7.1 Not Required - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases Revamped iTunes Festival App Ahead of SXSW, iOS 7.1 Not Required

Apple today updated its iTunes Festival app to version 5.0, ahead of next week's SXSW iTunes Festival, which kicks off on Tuesday, March 11. As noted by MacStories, the iTunes Festival app shows up in the iTunes Store with a revamped icon and is listed as having a "refreshed design" and support for SXSW, but the app isn't available for download in the U.S. just yet.

itunesfestivalapp
Clicking on the download link results in an error message that asks users to try again later, but it will presumably be downloadable shortly. Users in other countries have been able to download the app with iOS 7.0.6, suggesting SXSW streaming does not require iOS 7.1 as was reported earlier this week.

Apple's SXSW iTunes Festival is the first it has hosted in the United States, with previous iTunes Festivals occurring annually in London. The festival will offer five free nights of music, beginning on March 11 at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas. Featured artists include Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar, Soundgarden, Pitbull, Keith Urban, and more.

All of Apple's iTunes Festival concerts are presented for free, with tickets available via a lottery system. Live and on-demand streams of the shows will be available through the revamped iTunes Festival app and the Apple TV.

Update 2:07 PM PST: The iTunes Festival app can now be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...
iOS 27 on iPhone 17 1

iOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday May 2, 2026 8:43 am PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and there are already many rumored features and changes for iPhones. The first developer beta of iOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in...
Apple Announces 2026 Pride Band Watch Face and iPhone Wallpaper Article 2

iOS 26.5 Coming Soon With These New Features

Monday May 4, 2026 8:40 am PDT by
iOS 26.5 is expected to be released next week, following more than a month of beta testing. The update is relatively minor, but there are a couple of new features and changes across the operating system that we have recapped below. iOS 26.5 lays the groundwork for end-to-end encryption for RCS in the Messages app and ads in the Apple Maps app, and it will include a new Pride wallpaper and a...

Top Rated Comments

CosmoPilot Avatar
159 months ago
So much for Gruber's stellar record!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
159 months ago
There go any hopes of getting 7.1 anytime soon....
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sky Blue Avatar
159 months ago
That little birdie was wrong!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lucky736 Avatar
159 months ago
So much for all those stories of needing iOS 7.1

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
159 months ago
7.1 will be released when it's ready... If they rushed it you'd complain and taking too long means more complaining...

I've worked on 7.1 Beta 1-5, let me tell you - You don't want it until it's ready...
Ugh. Stop being so awkwardly condescending.

Of course he wants it when it's ready. He wants it because rumours were that it'd be ready in the first week of March.

Second, 7.0 has been out for almost 8 months with crappy performance. Taking 8 months is not 'rushing'.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Richardgm Avatar
159 months ago
I dont even know anymore

Hope in humanity is gone.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)