WASHINGTON — In a bid to expand its classical music offering, Apple recently announced that it has acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic and will launch an app dedicated to the genre in 2022.
The tech giant stated that it would incorporate the application’s functionality and playlists into Apple Music.
The result will be “a significantly improved classical music experience,” Apple said.
“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, in a press release.
“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.”
There will also be a standalone Apple Music classical app coming sometime in 2022.
Effective immediately, Primephonic is no longer accepting new customers, and the service as it exists will shut down on Sept. 7.
Apple says Primephonic’s playlists and “exclusive audio content” will be the first to be integrated into Apple Music.
Down the line, it will add “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 a show of how serious Apple is about appealing to classical fans, the company says “a dedicated classical music app” will launch next year that will use Primephonic’s “classical user interface that fans have grown to love.”
Primephonic launched three years ago, and its team says this deal is about the scale and works towards reaching more listeners.
“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,” Primephonic wrote in a note on its webpage.
“We felt compelled to develop a streaming service that truly gets classical right — so that’s what we did over the last three 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,” Primephonic said.
“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.”
Customers with an active subscription will receive a prorated refund. They will also be getting a code to redeem six free months of Apple Music, as per Primephonic’s FAQ.
“Users will receive a prorated refund back to the original payment method based on the days left on your subscription,” Primephonic said.
“Look for an email from Primephonic with more information about your refund, along with a code for six months of Apple Music for free (redeemable before Nov. 30, 2021).”
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Saptak Datta and Praveen Pramod Tewari
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