Apple launches its own music app for classical music: 5 million works in the highest quality

You can already find the new offer in the App Store. Searching for "Apple Music Classical" will take you to the app, which was "developed specifically for classical music", as Apple announces. The offer is nothing less than "the largest classical music catalogue in the world". In figures, the company promises access to over five million titles - from new releases to the works of the old masters. Thousands of albums can even only be found exclusively in Apple's Classical app.

An Apple Music subscription is required to use the service. Unlike Spotify, for example, Apple does not offer a free service that is financed by advertising. The plan for one person currently costs 13.90 francs per month in Switzerland and just under eleven euros in Germany and Austria. There are discounts for families with several users and for students.

However, the main target group for the new Apple offer is likely to be people who previously used specialised streaming services such as Qobuz, Idagio or Naxos Music Library to stream classical music in high quality. The company has announced that it will offer the content in "the highest quality available". This means: Hi-Res Lossless with a maximum resolution of 192 kHz/24 bit. Works are also available in Spatial Audio format. The effect of listening to music as if you were sitting in a concert hall is likely to be even more impressive with classical pieces than with pop music.

More metadata for better search

According to Apple, the classical music library should be easy to search. An "optimised search" is important in this area of music because users search differently here than for other genres. "Complete and accurate metadata" can be used to find pieces by specific conductors or orchestras. In extensive classical works, it should also be possible to search for individual movements.

In addition, there are "thousands of editorial notes, such as biographies of composers, descriptions of important works and more", Apple announces. Among other things, the company is working with "the world's most renowned classical music institutions" so that listeners can "constantly discover new, unique and exclusive content and recordings".

Apple is likely to benefit from the fact that it acquired Primephonic in August 2021. The streaming service already specialised in classical music. A classical music offering had been expected earlier in the industry following the takeover.

Switch could become more attractive

Apple Music recently had an estimated 88 million paying subscribers. Spotify recently had around 205 million people with a paid plan. Apple is unlikely to close this gap with its offer for classical music fans. However, it will make the Apple Music plan more attractive for certain target groups. For example, anyone who currently pays for Spotify and spends an additional 13 francs a month (ten euros in Germany or Austria) on Idagio could consider switching to Apple Music in future. Especially as the announced features have the potential to create a classical music community here.

And what about an app for Android users? Well, there isn't one right at the start, but it should be coming "soon". The option to download music will not be available - at least for the time being. And there is also no dedicated app for the iPad.