We have been waiting for the arrival of Apple Music Classical for more than a year now. In case you don’t remember, in August 2021 Apple bought Primephonica streaming music service specialized in classical music and which, despite not being particularly veteran, had built a more than remarkable catalogue, to which we must add that the information included in it was very extensive and that the quality sound provided was also more than remarkable.
This accumulation of virtues caused it to experience significant growth, along with some of the most positive ratings from its users. And in this regard we must remember that, although there are very varied profiles, something quite common in consumers of this type of music in particular is that they tend to be especially demanding, which makes us assess even more positively than the level of satisfaction of users with the service were so high.
Thus, when Apple and Primephonic reported on the purchase operation, those from Cupertino stated that among his plans was the creation of Apple Music Classical, an app that would provide access exclusively to Apple Music’s classical music catalogue, both the one it already had previously and the titles that would be added to it after completing the purchase. As I remembered at the beginning, the operation was announced in August 2021, and the Apple statement stated that the app it would arrive throughout 2022.
But as we already told you in mid-December, that deadline was not finally met, which made us wonder if it was a delay (involuntary or intentional) or if Apple had decided to backtrack on its plans and, finally, Apple Music Classical would not come to exist. Something that, without a doubt, would have been quite annoying for all Primephonic users who made the leap to Apple Music.
However, the wait is about to end, since Apple has already published the Apple Music Classical app on the App Store, as you can check in this link. Of course, at the moment they are in “pre-purchase” modesomething curious, since the app is freeand its tab in the store indicates that its arrival is scheduled for the next 28th March. This is what Apple says in its description:
«Get the app designed specifically for classical music. Available to Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost. Instantly find any recording in the world’s largest catalog of classical music thanks to a search engine specially designed for the genre. Enjoy the best audio quality available—up to 192kHz/24-bit lossless Hi-Res Audio—and hear your favorite classical music like never before with spatial audio and no ads.
With Apple Music Classical, it’s easy to get started and get familiar with the genre. It has hundreds of must-play playlists, in-depth composer biographies, comprehensive guides to many essential works, and intuitive search features.
The most complete classical music experience
• Get unlimited access to the world’s largest catalog of classical music (more than 5 million tracks), including new releases, great masterpieces and thousands of exclusive albums.
• Search by composer, work, director or even by catalog number and find any specific recording instantly.
• Listen in the best audio quality (in high resolution up to 192 kHz/24-bit lossless) and enjoy thousands of albums available in spatial audio with Dolby Atmos.
• Thanks to complete and accurate metadata, you’ll be able to make sure you know exactly what and who you’re listening to.
• Learn as you listen with thousands of composer biographies, descriptions of key works, and more.
• Listen via AirPlay on compatible wireless devices.
Requirements
• An Apple Music subscription (individual, student, family, or Apple One) is required. Not available with the Apple Music Voice plan.
• Available in all countries where Apple Music is offered, except China, Japan, Korea, Russia, and Taiwan. Available features and content may vary by country or region.
• Apple Music Classical is available for all iPhone models with iOS 15.4 or later.
• To listen to music on Apple Music Classical, you must have an Internet connection.«
Thus, the most notable points are the sound quality, up to up to 192 kHz/24-bit lossless (and of course, also spatial audio), the size of its catalogue, of more than 5 million tracks, and the editing and curation work carried out to generate playlists. We will have to wait to see them, of course, but this is a point in which Apple Music usually puts a lot of care, so we can expect the level to be maintained in Apple Music Classical.
As we expected, access to this app and specific version of the service will be included in the general subscription to Apple Musicand it is not surprising that the exclusion of the Apple Music Voice plan is mentioned, since we must remember that these users do not have access to the Apple Music app either, so to access their catalog they must resort to Siri.
I wonder, however, if Apple could consider offering an exclusive subscription for Apple Music Classical, which provides full access to the service’s catalog, but not to the rest of Apple Music’s musical styles, nor to the Apple Music app. . And with respect to the app and to the service, I have been waiting for you since the announcement of the purchase of Primephonic, so I will count the days until March 28.
