Apple has announced the release of Apple Music Classical, which is now available to download in the App Store. Apple originally planned to launch a classical music app in 2022, but the app was not announced until this year.
"We love music — that's really what we're all about — and classical music is foundational to music of all genres," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats. "Apple Music Classical is a dedicated app that is great for classical experts as well as anyone who is new to classical, with the largest classical music selection in the world, the very best search and browse capabilities, the most premium sound experience with Spatial Audio, and thousands of exclusive recordings. We believe this is the very best classical music streaming experience available anywhere, and for us, this is just the beginning."
The new Apple Music Classical app offers Apple Music and Apple One subscribers access to over five million classical music tracks, including new high-quality releases, in addition to thousands of exclusive albums, and other features like composer bios and deep dives on key works.
Over 700 playlists are available to guide listeners through 800 years of music, with more to be added, according to Apple. Beginners can start with The Story of Classical audio guides, which blend expert commentary and selected works to introduce key composers, periods, instruments, and classical terminology.
Meanwhile for devotees, there's the chance to go behind the scenes of selected recordings as leading classical artists offer track-by-track audio commentary. Every week, Apple Music Classical's hand-picked Hidden Gems will also highlight a selection of lesser-known works, while Composer Undiscovered playlists promise to bring a new perspective to famous names.
The app offers a simpler interface for interacting with classical music specifically. Unlike the existing Apple Music app, Apple Music Classical allows users to search by composer, work, conductor, catalog number, and more. Users can get more detailed information from editorial notes and descriptions.
Apple Music Classical also features lossless audio of up to 24 bit/192 kHz throughout the service so listeners can experience the nuances of every performance, while a Spatial Audio catalog adds new albums every week as legendary recordings are remastered and contemporary performances are captured in Spatial Audio.
Additionally, Apple Music has partnered with classical institutions including the Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Opéra national de Paris, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Vienna Philharmonic — to bring Apple Music Classical listeners new and exclusive content and recordings.
Apple Music Classical will also host several live performances featuring some of these partners at Apple Store locations around the world as part of the Today at Apple programming beginning in March 2023. Users can sign up to Today at Apple events via Apple's website.
Apple Music Classical is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service that Apple acquired in 2021. Apple Music Classical will only support iOS devices running iOS 15.4 or newer, and an Android version of the app is coming soon, according to Apple. Apple made the app available for pre-order earlier this month.
The app is currently available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Dutch. Note that the app is not available in China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, and Turkey.
