
Apple® has released Apple Music® Classical, an independent music streaming app designed for classical music lovers. With Apple Music Classical, Apple Music subscribers can easily locate any recording from the world’s largest classical music catalog using fully optimized search; enjoy the best audio quality available and experience many classical favorites in a completely different way with immersive Spatial Audio; explore expertly curated playlists, detailed composer biographies, and descriptions of thousands of works; and so much more. Apple Music Classical is available on the App Store starting today and is included at no extra cost with almost all Apple Music subscriptions. The combination of Apple Music Classical and Apple Music provides a complete music experience for everyone, from classical music enthusiasts to first-time listeners and everyone in between.
Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, said,
“We love music — that’s really what we’re all about — and classical music is foundational to music of all genres. 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.”
Here’s what makes Apple Music Classical so wonderfully unique.
- With over 5 million tracks, Apple Music Classical has the world’s largest classical music catalog, covering the entire spectrum from celebrated recordings to forgotten gems.
- Classical works have multiple movements and tracks; famous pieces have hundreds of recordings with different orchestras, conductors, and soloists; and many composers have their own special catalog classifications, from Bach’s BWV to Mozart’s K. With these complexities in mind, Apple Music Classical has redesigned search to instantly deliver exactly what users are looking for using all combinations of keywords, from composer and work to opus number, conductor, artist, or instrument and even a work’s nickname. Looking up a work reveals all its recordings, plus an Editor’s Choice performance. And searching for a composer displays all available works.
- The Apple Music Classical interface ensures listeners always know who and what they’re hearing, with everything laid out at a glance: work name, orchestra, conductor, contributing artists, and even year of recording. Apple Music Classical lets listeners add more than just albums, tracks, playlists, and artists — it also supports uniquely classical categories such as works, composers, and recordings.
- Apple Music Classical features lossless audio of up to 24 bit/192 kHz throughout the service so listeners can experience the nuances of every performance. In Hi-Res Lossless mode, sound is so astoundingly crisp and clear that each note feels close enough to touch. And thanks to revolutionary Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, listeners can enjoy thousands of recordings from the best seat in the concert hall, immersed in a 360-degree soundscape where music comes from every direction, including above. Apple Music Classical’s Spatial Audio catalog adds new albums every week as legendary recordings are remastered and contemporary performances are captured in Spatial Audio.
- Apple Music Classical’s editors have created over 700 playlists to guide listeners through 800 years of music, and more will be added. 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. For devotees, there’s the chance to go behind the scenes of selected recordings as leading classical artists offer track-by-track audio commentary. Plus, every week, Apple Music Classical’s hand-picked Hidden Gems highlight a selection of lesser-known works, while Composer Undiscovered playlists bring a new perspective to famous names.
- Apple Music Classical’s Browse tab helps listeners explore the largest classical catalog in the world, guided by their interests, from composers, instruments, and periods, to conductors, orchestras, and choirs, as well as classical genres such as chamber music and stage works. With so many ways to explore, there are limitless possibilities for finding new favorites.
Apple Music Classical listeners will also enjoy exclusive brand-new artwork, including hundreds of playlist covers, as well as unique, high-resolution digital portraits for many of the world’s greatest composers. Apple Music has partnered with many of the greatest classical institutions in the world to bring Apple Music Classical listeners new, unique, and exclusive content and recordings at launch and beyond. Apple Music Classical will also host several live performances featuring a few of these incredible partners at Apple Store locations around the world as part of the Today at Apple programming beginning in March 2023.
Apple Music Classical is available for download on the App Store everywhere Apple Music is offered, excluding China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Türkiye. Existing Apple Music subscribers can immediately enjoy Apple Music Classical at no additional cost. Apple Music Classical is available for all iPhone models running iOS 15.4 or later. Apple Music Classical for Android is coming soon. To listen to music on Apple Music Classical, users must have an internet connection.