UPDATED: Apple's New Dedicated Classical Music App With Spatial Audio Is Now Available

Launching on iOS... and Android

By
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk
Lawrence Bonk
News Reporter
  • Florida State University
Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more.
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Updated on March 28, 2023 10:29AM EDT
Fact checked by
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Fact checked by Jerri Ledford
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Updated 3/28/23:

Today, Apple Music Classical is available to Apple Music Subscribers. The standalone music streaming app lets users search the classical music catalog and listen to their selections with Spatial Audio for an immersive music experience. The app also includes an Editor's Choice performance for available works, and the interface has been laid out for "at a glance" information and allows listeners to curate their playlists traditionally or using categories such as composers, recordings, or works. Exclusive album artwork is also available.

Currently, Apple Music Classical is only available to Apple subscribers, however, Apple says that Android availability is "coming soon."

Apple just announced a standalone classical music streaming app that will launch later this month. 

As the name suggests, Apple Music Classical specializes in classical music. This is the result of Apple acquiring the classical music service Primephonic in 2021. The upcoming app streams 24-bit hi-res lossless audio at 192 kHz, but Apple is placing a major emphasis on spatial audio here. 

Apple Classical Music

Apple

Spatial audio is a great fit for classical music as it gives recordings a greater sense of presence, allowing listeners to feel like they are in the room with the players. Apple says the app will launch with thousands of spatial audio recordings, with more being released in the coming months.

Metadata has also been given some attention here. Classical tracks often get lost in the shuffle on traditional music-streaming apps, as there are often many recordings of the same track, which leads to incorrect metadata. Apple Music Classical promises thorough and accurate metadata, so you can search for tracks via composer, work, conductor, or even the catalog number. 

Apple is also bringing in some fun here, giving users access to curated playlists, exclusive albums, composer biographies, and even deep-dive guides for key works.

The app launches as an iOS exclusive, but the company says it is coming to Android soon. The app will be free for current Apple Music subscribers when it launches on March 28.

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