Separate classical music app in 2022
Primephonic's music catalog will be available in a separate app, which is free to use for Apple Music subscribers. As an Apple Music subscriber, you therefore have more choice from the classical repertoire. It is no longer possible to subscribe to Primephonic and the service will go black on September 7th. The dedicated classical music app is due out next year, featuring Primephonic's highly regarded interface that today's users are accustomed to. To pass the time, current Primephonic subscribers get 6 months of Apple Music for free, with access to hundreds of thousands of classic albums, all in lossless and high-resolution audio. Also, hundreds of classical albums are available with spatial audio.
In addition, there is good news for Apple Music subscribers who love classical music. They get a much wider range of classical music with unique Primephonic playlists and exclusive audio content. Apple also promises better browsing and search functions by composer and by repertoire. You also get more metadata and new features.
Primephonic is a Dutch-American start-up, based in Amsterdam. Founder Thomas Steffens previously worked at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he advised various cultural institutions. This is how he came into contact with the music world. Primetronic was funded by an American philanthropist who, like Steffens, was frustrated with current streaming music services such as Spotify. It is therefore remarkable that Apple has been chosen.
Why a separate app for classical music?
In our overview of listening to classical music on iPhone and iPad, we explain that you can run into some problems in Apple Music when you want to listen to classical music:
- Track names are very similar: there are several piano sonatas, preludes and rhapsody's written by different composers.
- Opera and symphony names are sometimes better known by their original names (Mozart's Zauberflöte vs. The Magic Flute, Verdi's Othello vs. Otello, Goldberg Variations vs. Goldberg Variations).
- You can often search smarter by entering the catalog number (BWK) or opus number. But then of course you have to know it.
- Also inconvenient is that you can't switch from the iTunes Store to Apple Music. Sometimes it can be useful to search the iTunes Store or Wikipedia to see which albums a particular musician has made, and then search Apple Music in a targeted manner.
- Apple Music unfortunately does not provide clear information about the composer. When you do a search and scroll through the results list, you will only see the track name, playing time, artist and year.
< One piece of music has often been played by several orchestras and soloists. Which one are you looking for, which one is the best? You can put several keywords in a row, for example ‘Lars Vogt Bach’ to find Bach pieces played by Lars Vogt.
In 2018, Apple already announced a partnership with Deutsche Grammophon, another classical music heavyweight.
Read the press release below:
Apple acquires classical music streaming service Primephonic
The renowned classical music experience is coming to Apple MusicCUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA AND LONDON Apple today announced it has acquired Primephonic, the renowned classical music streaming service that offers an outstanding listening experience with search and browse functionality optimized for classical, premium-quality audio, handpicked expert recommendations, and extensive contextual details on repertoire and recordings.
With the addition of Primephonic, Apple Music subscribers will get a significantly improved classical music experience beginning with Primephonic playlists and exclusive audio content. In the coming months, Apple Music Classical fans will get a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits.
“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.”
“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.”
“Primephonic was founded to ensure that classical music will stay relevant for future generations,&rdquo ; said Gordon P. Getty, a major shareholder of Primephonic. “Primephonic and Apple together can realize that mission and take classical to a worldwide audience.”
Primephonic is no longer available for new subscribers and will be taken offline beginning September 7. Apple Music plans to launch a dedicated classical music app next year combining Primephonic's classical user interface that fans have grown to love with more added features. In the meantime, current Primephonic subscribers will receive six months of Apple Music for free, providing access to hundreds of thousands of classical albums, all in Lossless and high-resolution audio, as well as hundreds of classical albums in Apple Music's Spatial Audio , with new albums added regularly.