Apple announced on Monday, August 30, it had acquired the classical music streaming service Primephonic, which will be taken offline to be better integrated into Apple’s offerings, including an Apple-branded classical music streaming service slated for 2022.

Primephonic, on its website, explained its reasoning for the move, saying, “As a classical-only startup, we cannot reach the majority of global classical listeners, especially those that listen to many other music genres as well.”

“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,” Primephonic added. 

Apple, in its statement, said Primephonic provided “outstanding listening experience with search and browse functionality optimized for classical, premium-quality audio, handpicked expert recommendations, and extensive contextual details on repertoire and recordings.”

Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, added, “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.”

As a result of the acquisition, Apple Music subscribers will get a better experience, beginning with Primephonic playlists and exclusive audio content.

Moving forward, Apple will also integrate other Primephonic features, such as improved browsing and search capabilities, such as searching by composer and by repertoire, detailed classical music metadata, and additional features.

Primephonic will no longer be available for new subscribers, with the service going offline on September 7.

Existing Primephonic subscribers will, however, get six months of Apple Music for free. – Rappler.com