In the tech world, acquisitions can be a blessing and a curse. Apple just purchased the classical music streaming service Primephonic to make its own classical music streaming application.
What's Going on With Primephonic?
As is often the case when one company buys another, Primephonic is going away. As of this writing, the service is no longer accepting new users, and it'll completely shut down on September 7, which doesn't give current users very much time to enjoy the service before it's gone.
Fortunately, Apple will incorporate Primephonic's functionality and playlists into the Apple Music service, leaving fans a place to experience the content.
In the future, Apple intends to release a standalone classic music application in 2022, so fans can get the full experience offered by Primephonic at some point later. Apple describes its intentions, saying that it will offer "the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits."
For its part, Primephonic posted a note on its website where it says, "As a classical-only startup, we can not reach the majority of global classical listeners, especially those that listen to many other music genres as well. We therefore concluded that 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."
What Happens to Exist Primephonic Users?
The company announced in its FAQ that customers with an active subscription will receive a prorated refund. From there, they can sign up for an Apple Music plan and keep listening to their music as it transitions over. The company is also sending a code for 6 months of Apple Music for free.
With Apple Music's spatial audio feature, it's actually a great place to take in the depth offered by classical music, so this transition might not be a bad thing.