Frédéric Chopin as depicted in one of the Apple Music Classical composer portraits. Photo Credit: Apple
An Apple Music Classical (AMC) page is officially live on the App Store ahead of the long-awaited platform’s expected launch tomorrow.
Apple disclosed a number of details pertaining to its classical-music app, which higher-ups first teased back in August of 2021, towards March’s beginning. And besides touching on the standalone service’s price, availability, and offerings, the Cupertino-headquartered company indicated that Apple Music Classical would go live on Tuesday, March 28th.
Now, one day before the much-anticipated rollout, AMC is available to preorder via the App Store, and the corresponding page is shedding additional light upon what’s billed as “the app designed specifically for classical.”
Which devices support Apple Music Classical?
AMC will be available for download on iPhones equipped with iOS 15.4 or later (the oldest such unit is reportedly the iPhone 6s) when it debuts on March 28th. Meanwhile, Apple has stated that an Android version “is coming soon.”
In terms of geographic availability, the service is poised to launch in all markets where Apple Music operates – with the notable exceptions of China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. AMC will arrive in the latter four nations sometime down the line, according to the iPhone developer, which hasn’t yet established a related release date or window.
How much does AMC cost?
Despite being a standalone app, AMC is included with Apple Music subscriptions (individual plans are currently priced at $10.99 per month in the States) at no extra cost. Each Apple Music subscription tier except the Voice Plan will automatically unlock Classical, Apple communicated, and it doesn’t appear that listeners can subscribe directly to AMC itself.
How large is Apple Music Classical’s library?
According to Apple, Classical will boast “the world’s largest classical music catalog,” referring to north of five million tracks ranging “from new releases to celebrated masterpieces.” Moreover, this seemingly voluminous library will likewise encompass “thousands of exclusive albums,” per Apple, which also highlighted plans to prioritize “exclusive content and recordings…at launch and beyond.”
Worth mentioning is that Universal Music debuted a classical-music service of its own via Deutsche Grammophon last November, before acquiring the UK’s Hyperion Records – and touting itself “as the definitive home for classical music globally” – about two weeks ago.
Which features does AMC have?
On top of the above-described five-million-track library, AMC is equipped with a “specialized search” function that was designed for classical music, Apple indicated. As part of the feature, one can “search by composer, work, conductor, or even catalog number, and find specific recordings instantly,” execs relayed.
Additionally, Apple stated that AMC will come with the “highest audio quality” (referring to “up to 192 kHz/24 bit Hi-Res Lossless,” with “thousands” of works supporting spatial audio), “complete and accurate metadata,” over 700 expert-curated playlists, “exclusive artwork” including composer portraits, and “thousands of editorial notes” (extending to “composer biographies, descriptions of key works, and more”).