Apple has made a strategic move into the classical music domain by acquiring the esteemed Swedish music label BIS known for its critically acclaimed catalog, TechCrunch is reporting.
This development follows the launch of Apple’s dedicated classical music app earlier this year, signaling the tech giant’s keen interest in this musical genre.
BIS, famous for its catalog of both current and future classical music recordings, brings a treasure trove of classical music to Apple’s portfolio.
Founder Robert von Bahr confirmed that a small team from BIS would join Apple, working alongside the Apple Music Classical and Platoon divisions. The collaboration aims to enhance Apple’s classical music offerings.
Classical music has historically lagged behind in the streaming landscape, accounting for only 0.8% of music streams, even in the U.S., a streaming-friendly market. Apple’s entry into this space seeks to capitalize on potential growth in classical music streaming.
The BIS acquisition not only grants Apple access to a vast catalog of classical recordings, but it also enhances the company’s credibility within the classical music industry.
Building a successful business and audience for classical streaming has been a challenging endeavor for Apple and the broader industry.
Classical music’s complexity, including compositions, individual artists, albums, movements, and multiple languages, has made it difficult to translate recording metadata and discoverability into a seamless streaming experience.
Sound quality has also been a concern for classical music enthusiasts.
Apple has been steadily working on addressing these challenges. In 2021, the company acquired classical streaming specialist Primephonic and subsequently launched the Apple Music Classical app earlier this year.
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I’ve got to ask: How does the BIS catalog include classical music recording from the future? Seems like this acquisition is more about flexing the space-time continuum than investing in the classical music genre and beefing up streaming offerings on the Apple Music Classical app.