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Apple Music Classical Expanding to More Countries Later This Month

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Apple Music Classical will be available in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao starting January 24, according to a post from Apple on X, formerly known as Twitter. The app can be pre-ordered now on the App Store in these regions.

apple music classical
Apple Music Classical first launched in most other countries last March, offering Apple Music subscribers access to over five million classical music tracks at no additional cost. The app features advanced search functionality, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.

The app is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It is built upon Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.

In the U.S., a standard Apple Music subscription costs $10.99 per month.

Tags: Apple Music Guide, Apple Music Classical

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Top Rated Comments

orbital~debris Avatar
orbital~debris
33 months ago
Is one of those countries Mac?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carswell Avatar
carswell
33 months ago
Yawn.

Had such high expectations for Apple Classical, most of them dashed upon release.

Lack of support for lossless and hi-res playback on some Apple and most non-Apple devices, including my Sonos system, ended up being the dealbreaker for me.

Fortunately, Qobuz showed up in Canada soon after AC went live. Switched and haven't looked back, though Qobuz's search engine could be better. Then again, so could Apple Classical's...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T
TheBeverage
33 months ago
Please put it on Apple TV.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
freedomlinux Avatar
freedomlinux
33 months ago

The app can be pre-ordered now on the App Store in these regions.
I better hurry before the App Store sells out /s
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carswell Avatar
carswell
32 months ago

I wonder why classical music specifically requires it's own service. Any ideas?
This has been discussed ad infinitum in earlier Apple Classical threads but basically boils down to the fact that classical works don't really fit the artist-album-track model used in most streaming services, including Apple Music and Spotify.

For example, if the artist is the performer, where does the composer go (or vice versa)?

These issues are especially problematic when it comes to search engines: how many symphony no. 3s or sonatas in D minor are there and how do you distinguish between them? what if I want to search for a specific movement in a work? what if I want to search by catalogue number (BWV for J.S. Bach's works, K for Mozart's and others, including duplicate catalogues and very obscure ones)? Etc., etc.

It can usually be done in Apple Music and Spotify, though finding a specific album or track may require several different searches before you get it and sometimes you just won't. In Apple Classical, it's better though far from perfect (The New Yorker's classical music critic Alex Ross's takedown is worth reading) and usually excellent in Idagio.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
SkydiveGuy
32 months ago
How about expanding to CarPlay?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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