Primephonic
| Industry | classical music streaming service |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 2021 |
| Successor | Apple |
| Website | music |
Primephonic was an Amsterdam-based classical music streaming service that was acquired by Apple in 2021. 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 ceased in September 2021.[2]
History
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] Apple Music planned to integrate Primephonic's assets into a similar classical music streaming service, Apple Music Classical, in 2022, but the service's release date was not announced until 2023 and was released on March 28, 2023.[8]
References
- ^ Smith, Adam (June 21, 2019). "Primephonic Wants to Save Classical Music, 1 Stream at a Time". PC Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "Apple acquires classical music streaming service Primephonic". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ Flockett, Anna. "From startup to successful sale in four years". Startups Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Lunny, Oisin. "Meet Primephonic, The Streaming Company On A Mission To Save Classical Music". Forbes. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ "Apple acquires Amsterdam-based premium classical music streaming service Primephonic - Silicon Canals". siliconcanals.com. August 31, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ Chan, J. Clara (August 30, 2021). "Apple Music Acquires Classical Music Streaming Platform Primephonic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
- ^ "Apple Buys, Shuts Down Primephonic Classical Music Streaming Service". PCMAG. August 30, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
- ^ Peters, Jay. "Apple Music Classical is now available from the App Store". The Verge. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
Further reading
- Gelt, Jessica (September 11, 2018). "Roll over, Beethoven, you're streaming now; Primephonic offers classical music fans million-plus tracks at their fingertips". Los Angeles Times. p. E.3. ISSN 0458-3035. ProQuest 2101736526.
- McDermott, Sarah (July 21, 2020). "Hate classical music? This app wants to change your mind". CNET. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- Sisario, Ben (June 23, 2019). "In Streaming Age, Classical Music Gets Lost in the Metadata". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
