In an effort to expand its classical music offering, Apple today announced the acquisition of Primephonic. The Amsterdam-based service, which launched in 2014, will focus on a musical genre that was sorely lacking in Apple Music’s pervasive approach to streaming.
The service will effectively be discontinued as a stand-alone offering as it is absorbed into the larger Apple Music platform. On September 7, Primephonic will close its doors for good, while Apple prepares for the 2022 launch of a classical music app based on its own streaming service.
“Artists love the Primephonic service and what we’ve done in the classic business, and now we have the opportunity to join Apple in delivering the best experience to millions of listeners,” said Thomas Steffens, Co-Founder and CEO of Primephonic. in a press release issued by Apple. “We can bring classical music to the mainstream and connect a new generation of musicians to the next generation of audiences. “
According to an interview with Primephonic’s CTO published last year, the service has launched in 150 countries. It also appears to have an older population than the more generalized streaming services.
“Most of our users are over 55 and very educated and relatively well off”, Henrique Boregio says Mixpanel in 2020. “We joke in the office saying that we don’t know if we start to like classical music and then we get rich, or if it’s the other way around.
Apple notes on the upcoming offering: “Apple Music Classical fans will get a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and repertoire, detailed displays. classical music metadata, as well as new features and benefits. “
While the classic new service is in development, the company is offering an olive branch to existing Primephonic users in the form of six months free of Apple Music.
