Apple Acquires Classical Music Service Primephonic, Will Launch Dedicated Classical Music App

Apple today announced that it has acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic, and will be folding it into Apple Music.

apple music
Primephonic offers an "outstanding listening experience" with search and browse functionality optimized for classical audio, plus handpicked recommendations and "contextual details on repertoire and recordings."

"We love and have a deep respect for classical music, and Primephonic has become a fan favorite for classical enthusiasts," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats. "Together, we're bringing great new classical features to Apple Music, and in the near future, we'll deliver a dedicated classical experience that will truly be the best in the world."

Apple says that with the Primephonic purchase, ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers will be provided with an improved classical music experience. This will start with Primephonic playlists and audio content, and in the coming months, Apple will offer a dedicated Primephonic experience with improved browsing and search capabilities by composer and repertoire, better classical music metadata, and more.

Primephonic will be taken offline on September 7, and is no longer available for new subscribers. Next year, Apple says it will launch a dedicated classical music app that combines Primephonic's classical user interface with added features.

Current Primephonic subscribers will receive six months of ‌Apple Music‌ access for free with access to hundreds of thousands of classical albums that support Lossless and Spatial Audio.

Top Rated Comments

szw-mapple fan Avatar
34 months ago
I’m happy about the improvement to the classical search and browsing but I don’t really want a separate app just for classical.
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Krizoitz Avatar
34 months ago

Next year, Apple says it will launch a dedicated classical music app that combines Primephonic's classical user interface with added features.

What’s the point of that, I wonder? Will they have a different database from the main Apple Music? If so, why? ??‍♂️
Listening to classical music is a very different experience than listening to modern music. Not in that one is better than the other, but the way the music is made is different. A Jay-Z song is a Jay-Z song, absent maybe a few covers, the artist and the song are tightly coupled. With classical music (which actually covers about 7 periods going back 1500 years until the present) the same composition can be performed by a wide variety of orchestras, ensembles, etc. I might prefer Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture as performed by the London Phillharmonic in 1995, where as you might prefer the same but the 2007 performance, or the New York Philharmonic instead. Some of the criteria for searching and sorting doesn’t map as well to the ones used more mainstream music.
Or you might have a favorite violinist and you want to find performances that include them. An app tailored to classical music can include that type of information that is unlikely to be used/needed for mainstream music.
Classical pieces also tend to be much longer and while they can be broken up into smaller parts, such as different movements, the listening style is going to be less shuffle or playlist based, listening to the entire performance is more common.

So while the regular Apple Music app can, of course, include Classical Music, a dedicated separate app can provide a better experience for people who are more into it. Similar to how you might want a separate audio book app, even though you could technically listen to audio books in the Apple Music app too.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xraydoc Avatar
34 months ago
I'm pleased about this.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
34 months ago
Sweet! Classical music has lagged behind in playlist, search, and suggestion quality with most major streaming services. Upping the support for classical music listeners (like me) is greatly appreciated.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
34 months ago
Very cool.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThunderSkunk Avatar
34 months ago
I appreciate the adding of services catered to adults.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...