Soon you'll be able to listen to Mozart's trilling arias and Beethoven's brooding symphonies in full spatial audio thanks to Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) recent buyout of the world's premier classical streaming service Primephonic.
Neither Apple nor Primephonic disclosed the terms of the deal.
Apple said it plans to integrate Primephonic's best features into the Apple Music app to deliver a "significantly improved classical music experience" for its subscribers. Apple Music will soon offer expanded browsing and search capabilities, allowing classical enthusiasts to narrow down specific pieces by composer and repertoire as well as better handling and management of music metadata.
Apple also said it plans to launch a standalone classical streaming app sometime next year that will combine "Primephonic's classical user interface that fans have grown to known and love with more added features."
"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 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."
Immediately following the announcement, Primephonic stopped taking new subscribers, with the app set to go offline on September 7. As a result, existing Primephonic subscribers will receive a free 6-month subscription to Apple Music.
Primephonic launched three years ago with the dual mission to meet the challenges of classical music in the streaming era and bring the genre to the ears of the next generation.
Primephonic billed itself as "Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) of classical music." The app's unique search functions and its music library's high level of curation have made it "the place" for classical music buffs.
However, in an open letter on its website, Primephonic it felt that the only way to advance the cause of classical music was to partner with a major streaming service.
"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. Today, we are therefore thrilled to share a great step forward in our mission -Primephonic is joining Apple Music!"
Primephonic is just the latest in a series of music-focused buyouts by Apple. The company bought out the Beats headphone brand for 3 billion in 2014 and bought the song naming service Shazam for an alleged $400 million.