Apple has acquired Primephonic, the classical music streaming service headquartered in the Netherlands.
Classical music fans have long had issues with mainstream music services like Spotify and Apple Music, especially when it comes to searching for definitive versions of composer-led works.
Apple Music plans to launch a dedicated classical music app next year combining Primephonic’s classical user interface with more added features.
Primephonic is no longer available for new subscribers and will be taken offline beginning September 7.
Apple says that, when it launches, its new dedicated Apple Music Classical experience will offer “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”.
In the meantime, current Primephonic subscribers will receive six months of Apple Music for free, including its library of Lossless and high-resolution audio, as well as hundreds of classical albums in Apple Music’s Spatial Audio.
“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.”
“We love and have a deep respect for classical music, and Primephonic has become a fan favorite for classical enthusiasts.”
Oliver Schusser, Apple
Thomas Steffens, Primephonic’s co-founder and CEO, said: “Bringing the best of Primephonic to Apple Music subscribers is a tremendous development for the classical music industry.
“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.”
Gordon P. Getty, a major shareholder of Primephonic, said: “Primephonic was founded to ensure that classical music will stay relevant for future generations. Primephonic and Apple together can realize that mission and take classical to a worldwide audience.”
A note on the Primephonic website today reads: “Three years ago, Primephonic was launched to create a better future for classical music by addressing the challenges and complexities of the genre for the streaming era. We felt compelled to develop a streaming service that truly gets classical right—so that’s what we did over the last 3 years. But to fully achieve the next phase of our mission, we need to bring our classical streaming expertise to millions of listeners worldwide
“As a classical-only startup, we can not reach the majority of global classical listeners, especially those that listen to many other music genres as well. We therefore concluded that in order to achieve our mission, we need to partner with a leading streaming service that encompasses all music genres and also shares our love for classical music. Today, we are therefore thrilled to share a great step forward in our mission – Primephonic is joining Apple Music!”Music Business Worldwide
