As we already told you a few days ago, Apple Music Classical is already very close to debuting. It will do so on March 28., and all iOS users who want to can already “pre-purchase” the app (I put it in quotes because it’s free), which will be automatically downloaded to their devices when it’s available, in just over two weeks. At the moment we have not seen a version of it for Android, so perhaps Apple has decided that this experience is exclusive for iOS users, although I understand that this could anger some Primephonic users.
The app that will give access to Apple’s classical music catalog arrives late compared to what was initially planned, as we remember that Apple, when carrying out the purchase of Primephonic, stated that this exclusive app would be launched throughout 2022. Says the proverb, in these cases, that it is never too late if happiness is good. Of course, at the moment we only know what Apple has told us in the Apple Music Classical app tab in the App Store. And the truth is that the advance is promising, although we will have to wait to be able to try it to make a real assessment of the service.
Let us remember, however, that Apple’s classical music catalog is fully accessible from Apple Music, something that has caused some to wonder if it was necessary to create a specific app for this musical genre. Why Apple Music Classical and not other specific versions for the most listened to music genres? Apple Music Rock, Apple Music Jazz, Apple Music Urban… surely each of them would find a good handful of unconditional users.
There are those who claim, quite sensibly, that the main reason for this is to satisfy the demand of former Primephonic users. This, of course, is true, but it is not that the users of said service want to have a specific app for elitism or similar reasons (I have come to read that it is because they could get offended if among the results of their searches it could sneak , for example, Rosalía’s most recent success, something truly absurd). No, the reason for suing an app like Apple Music Classical is that, Actually, yes, it is more than necessary.
To understand it, it is necessary to understand the differences between classical music and other musical styles. Let’s say, for example, that you want to listen to Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. Simple, right? You will only have to write the song and the group in the search box, the song you were looking for will immediately be displayed and you can start listening to it. And the same with Delirium of grandeur by Rosalía, Telegraph Road by Dire Straits, Al son de una guerra by Nena Daconte and Never let me down again by Depeche Mode.
It’s not the same if you’re looking for, say, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, or Pachelbel’s ever-present Canon. Any of these searches will return you a huge list of results with no specific sort order except, in some cases, the popularity of each of these versions. Different performers, directors, studio and live recordings… I invite you to review, for example, the number of versions of Albinoni’s Adagio on any of the main platforms.
Thus, there are two aspects that will be essential for the success of Apple Music Classical: catalog management and content curation. Apple must offer a direct search and catalog browsing experience that meets different criteria than the other music genres on Apple Music. A criterion that should fit the uniqueness of this genre like a glove, something that you will only achieve if you have added all the feedback from the community and a truly remarkable list of editors.
If they have done it right, Apple Music Classical could be both the app that lovers of classical music await, as well as a significant number of users who would like to learn more about the genre, but for now only have a few lists of the style from “The 101 Pieces of Classical Music You Must Hear Before You Die”. Will they have succeeded? We will know in just over two weeks.
