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Primephonic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Primephonic was a classical music streaming service that was acquired by Apple in 2021. Envisioned as a supplement to major streaming services, Primephonic aimed to address the classical music niche with search features customized for the genre, hand-coded metadata, and compensation for artists based on time streamed, not tracks played.[1] Access to the service ultimately ceased in September 2021.[2]

History

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Primephonic was co-founded by CEO Thomas Steffens, Simon Eder, and Veronica Neo in 2014.[3][4][5] The company launched as a download service before adding streaming services in 2017.[4]

Primephonic launched in the United States in 2017.[6]

On August 30, 2021, Apple Inc. announced it had acquired Primephonic. Access to the service ended on September 7, 2021.[7] On March 28, 2023, Apple released Apple Music Classical—a secondary app for Apple Music subscribers that incorporates similar features.[8] The app uses much of the music and data from Primephonic.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Adam (June 21, 2019). "Primephonic Wants to Save Classical Music, 1 Stream at a Time". PC Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "Apple acquires classical music streaming service Primephonic". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Flockett, Anna. "From startup to successful sale in four years". Startups Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Lunny, Oisin. "Meet Primephonic, The Streaming Company On A Mission To Save Classical Music". Forbes. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  5. ^ "Apple acquires Amsterdam-based premium classical music streaming service Primephonic - Silicon Canals". siliconcanals.com. August 31, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  6. ^ Chan, J. Clara (August 30, 2021). "Apple Music Acquires Classical Music Streaming Platform Primephonic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  7. ^ "Apple Buys, Shuts Down Primephonic Classical Music Streaming Service". PCMAG. August 30, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  8. ^ Peters, Jay. "Apple Music Classical is now available from the App Store". The Verge. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  9. ^ Charlton, Hartley. "Apple Music Classical: 15 Things You Need to Know About the New App". MacRumors. Retrieved March 9, 2023.

Further reading

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