William Gallagher
Apple has acquired classical music streaming company Primephonic, and plans to both improve the current Apple Music service, plus launch a dedicated classical offering.
Apple has previously made minor concessions to classical music in iTunes, and then AppleInsider got classical musicians to evaluate AirPods Max. Now the company is making its biggest stride to bringing classical to Apple Music with the acquisition of Primephonic.
"We love and have a deep respect for classical music, and Primephonic has become a fan favorite for classical enthusiasts," Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, said in a statement.
"Together, we're bringing great new classical features to Apple Music," he continued, "and in the near future, we'll deliver a dedicated classical experience that will truly be the best in the world."
"Bringing the best of Primephonic to Apple Music subscribers is a tremendous development for the classical music industry," said Thomas Steffens, Primephonic's co-founder and CEO. "Artists love the Primephonic service and what we've done in classical, and now we have the ability to join with Apple to deliver the absolute best experience to millions of listeners."
"We get to bring classical music to the mainstream and connect a new generation of musicians with the next generation of audience," he said.
Primephonic is no longer accepting new subscribers, and will go offline from September 7. Current Primephonic subscribers will get six months of Apple Music for free.
Initially, Apple Music subscribers are to benefit from new exclusive content from Primephonic, as well as Primephonic playlists. Apple plans to improve browsing and searching for classical music over the next months.
Then in 2022, Apple intends to launch a dedicated Apple Music classical app. It will be based on Primephonic's current system, but all more as-yet unspecified features.
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22 Comments
This sounds great. I'm a casual classical fan, but even I can tell that the particulars of Classical Music are messy in the Music app.
Primephonic paid their artists compensation based on time streamed, not songs played. I presume that's because classical songs have much wider durations. I wonder if Apple will honor that process or replace it. Pop songs tend to be the same length: 3-5 minutes.
Classical music is a much larger market than most people think it is. I will wait patiently to see what Apple does here. I too, am a big time classical music listener. Brahms over Taylor Swift any day.
Great news. I’ve long wished for better classical discovery in Apple Music. Looking forward to seeing what Apple do for classical fans.
Speaking a music educator, this is long overdue.