The Dutch company was little else than a startup focused on classical-only and with limited reach. It's lack of a dedicated software player and reliance on Orastream's adaptive bit-rate technology to deliver the promised 24-bit/96kHz FLAC streaming to their premium subscribers, was not a convincing formula in the current, highly competitive and fast-moving music streaming environment. It's accumulated metadata efforts were basically it's largest asset.
Now, Primephonic will be basically merged within Apple Music, and current services will be taken offline starting September 7. Existing users can get refunds and receive also a 6 month free trial on Apple Music. Not that many classical listeners would be happy to use the service's terrible user interface. Apparently Apple intends to merge the metadata and offer a separate, dedicated experience for classical music. One can always hope that Apple Music would change its interface to again allow users proper handling and visualization of cover art and additional artwork, as iTunes once did with CoverFlow.
With the addition of Primephonic, Apple Music subscribers will get an improved classical music experience beginning with Primephonic playlists and exclusive audio content. As the announcement confirms, in the coming months, Apple Music Classical fans will get a dedicated experience with 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.
“We love and have a deep respect for classical music, and Primephonic has become a fan favorite for classical enthusiasts,” says 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.”
“Bringing the best of Primephonic to Apple Music subscribers is a tremendous development for the classical music industry,” adds Thomas Steffens, Primephonic’s co-founder and CEO. “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.”
“Primephonic was founded to ensure that classical music will stay relevant for future generations,” says Gordon P. Getty, a major shareholder of Primephonic. “Primephonic and Apple together can realize that mission and take classical to a worldwide audience.”
Primephonic is no longer available for new subscribers. Apple Music plans to launch a dedicated classical music app next year combining Primephonic’s classical user interface that fans have grown to love with more added features. In the meantime, current Primephonic subscribers will receive six months of Apple Music for free, providing access to hundreds of thousands of classical albums, all in Lossless and high-resolution audio, as well as hundreds of classical albums in Apple Music’s Spatial Audio, with new albums added regularly.
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