Apple Music Classical: 15 Things You Need to Know About the New App

[singhs.apps]

Now that Apple is touting the high-res lossless capabilities (which they didn't really do with Apple Music when it got it), will they soon have a product or service that supports it? How will Apple leverage hi-res lossless with existing/new products?

- Bluetooth doesn't have enough bandwidth to support high-res, so no Apple Airpods or Beats wireless will do
- On Mac OS, automation resolution switching for USB output isn't supported, so you can't use e.g. Mac Mini as a music streamer to a good external DAC; hi-fi nerds want the source's resolution, no re-sampling in the computer
- You can use e.g. an iPad connected to an external USB DAC via suitable cables, since iOS/iPadOS supports resolution switching, but that solution won't fly for hi-fi nerds. Also not very convenient; no remote control possible
- Apple could allow integration with Roon (as Tidal and Qobuz do), but Apple generally wants to control the experience, so this probably won't happen
- Apple could release a proper Apple Music/Classical streamer with USB/I2S (to high-end DAC's) and HDMI (for multi-channel Dolby Atmos amplifiers) (simple re-model of Apple TV chassis), remote controlled by any Apple device. But such a product would probably not sell in enough volumes to justify the development and support of it

Any more ideas how Apple might leverage hi-res music?

Have you setup Mac as a music source?

I have hooked the Mscaler to Mac via USB, but I do not know what setting to use in MIDI (I have a mix of tracks ranging 128 Kbp’s to 24/192 khz playing through Apple Music )..
Setting the midi to 192khz means midi will up scale before sending it to the Mscaler ? Or does it mean that midi sends music to Mscaler as per the tracks bitrate upto 192khz ?

 

[Solomani]

on my iPad mini 6, on App Store I see the Apple Music Classical app being hyped, then the app says “Get” — as in download it now.

This is confusing since the app description says only compatible with iPhone. But like I said… ON my iPad browsing the App Store, it says Get.

What exactly am I Getting??

 

[antiprotest]

on my iPad mini 6, on App Store I see the Apple Music Classical app being hyped, then the app says “Get” — as in download it now.

This is confusing since the app description says only compatible with iPhone. But like I said… ON my iPad browsing the App Store, it says Get.

What exactly am I Getting??

View attachment 2180300

You get the iPhone app on the iPad. Just like how other "iPhone only" apps work on the iPad.

I hope they are just wanting to push this out sooner rather than later, and then update it for the iPad and maybe even the Mac later.

 

[Solomani]

You get the iPhone app on the iPad. Just like how other "iPhone only" apps work on the iPad.

I hope they are just wanting to push this out sooner rather than later, and then update it for the iPad and maybe even the Mac later.

As this iPad Mini 6 is my first iPad I bought for myself, now I see. So far all the apps I've downloaded for this iPad seem to be native iPad apps, they have that tag saying "works on this iPad". Before I download the apps, I even look at the iPad-centric screenshots, indicating to me what the app looks like on the iPad and compares to the screenshots on the iPhone.

And yeah... that's a horrible compromise, downloading an app intended for iPhone, but still technically installs on the iPad. Yuck.

 

[hanser]

I am curios where they will set the borders of classical music. There is a lot of crossover material, and what about soundtracks? Is John Williams´Star Wars score classical? Or only if played by the Berlin Philharmonic?

Testing the new app with John Williams as composer: Some, but not all film scores are included, but often not the original recordings but obscure rerecordings or arrangements. The original Star Wars score is not found under John Williams as composer and only listed when I search for Star Wars or for John Williams as artist. Also there are a lot of errors: e.g. the result "Amistad" list on top one minor track of "E.T." There is a lot to do, still.

 

[jpedd1971]

Apple today unveiled Apple Music Classical on the App Store. Here are 15 things you need to know about the new app:

• Apple Music Classical is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service that Apple acquired in 2021. The new app leverages Primephonic's playlists and audio content, search capabilities, metadata, and more.
• Apple Music Classical works in tandem with the existing Apple Music app, providing dedicated features to engage with classical music on the Apple Music platform more directly, but with many of the same features like support for Spatial Audio.
• As its name suggests, the app singularly contains classical music, offering over five million tracks, hundreds of curated playlists, and thousands of exclusive albums.
• Apple says that it has been working with classical music artists and institutions to offer exclusive content and recordings in Apple Music Classical, including Hi-Res Lossless and Spatial Audio tracks.
• The app's design is based on Apple Music, but with a simplified UI that heavily uses Apple's New York font instead of SF Pro.
• There is no Radio tab in the Apple Music Classical app, and it is not yet clear if it will support classical Radio Stations from Apple Music.
• The app features a more capable search experience, allowing users to search by composer, work, conductor, catalog number, and more.
• The Now Playing screen has an all-white or all-black background, unlike Apple Music, which generates a background from the currently playing track's album artwork.
• The Now Playing screen features an info button instead of lyrics, providing detailed written descriptions of songs.
• The app features rich composer bios, editorial notes, and detailed information about key works.
• Apple has commissioned unique artwork of famous artists for Apple Music Classical using color palettes and artistic references from the relevant classical period. The first portraits include Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Johann Sebastian Bach, with more to come in the future.
• There is no version of Apple Music Classical for iPadOS, making it an iPhone-only app.
• An Android version of Apple Music Classical is in the works and set to arrive "soon," according to Apple.
• Apple has launched a new Twitter account for Apple Music Classical, @appleclassical, to track news and updates about the app.
• Apple Music Classical is included for free as part of an existing Apple Music or Apple One subscription, but it is not included in the $4.99-per-month Apple Music Voice plan.

Apple Music‌ Classical is now available for pre-order on the App Store and due to be released on March 28, 2023.

Article Link: Apple Music Classical: 15 Things You Need to Know About the New App

Two other things you should know: 1) Apple autofills your Apple Music Classical (AMC) library with any existing classical titles you have in Apple Music, which is fine, but it threw in some random jazz albums; and 2) your AMC and Apple Music libraries are connected. So, if you delete a random jazz album that found it's way into Apple Music Classical library, it will be deleted from your regular Apple Music Library. Likewise, if you add a classical album to AMC library, it will also be added to your Apple Music library.