Classical: Still Relevant and Why It Needs Its Own App

Let’s get one thing out of the way: classical music isn’t dead.

Despite how rarely you see it on trending charts or TikTok soundtracks, classical remains one of the most performed, studied, recorded, and emotionally resonant genres in human history. It spans over a thousand years of musical evolution — from Gregorian chant to minimalist film scores.

And yet, for many listeners today, classical music feels like it’s hidden in plain sight. Not because it isn’t being made or enjoyed, but because streaming platforms haven’t figured out how to treat it right.

That’s why — even in the golden age of "all music everywhere" — classical deserves its own app.

What Makes Classical Different?

Classical music is fundamentally structured differently than most popular genres. Here’s what complicates its relationship with standard streaming services:

• Multiple movements: A single “work” can span 3 to 12 tracks — but should be played as a whole.
• Composer vs. Performer: Do you want Bach played by Yo-Yo Ma or Glenn Gould? Same piece, totally different experience.
• Works vs. Recordings: There may be hundreds of recordings of the same symphony, each with its own tempo, interpretation, or instrumentation.
• Naming conventions: "Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21 – II. Larghetto" isn’t as easy to search as “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish.
• Genres and eras: “Classical” is just a sliver of the timeline — what about Baroque, Romantic, Impressionist, 20th century, postmodern?

This complexity overwhelms the metadata structure of most streaming services. It makes browsing difficult, discovery erratic, and recommendations mostly useless.

The Apple Music Classical Solution

Apple Music recognized this gap and created a dedicated app — Apple Music Classical — to treat the genre with the depth and respect it deserves.

Features include:

• Composer-centric browsing
• High-res audio up to 192kHz/24-bit
• Thousands of curated recordings and liner notes
• Sorting by work, conductor, soloist, and ensemble
• Proper grouping of multi-movement works

It’s not perfect, but it’s a major step forward. It acknowledges that classical isn’t a genre — it’s a universe, and it needs its own tools.

Why Spotify and Others Fall Short

Spotify is optimized for singles, playlists, and algorithmic personalization — not slow, deliberate exploration.

Classical fans often find:

• Poorly labeled recordings
• Incomplete or scattered works
• Confusing duplicates
• Recommendations that make no musical sense

The result? Frustration. And a lot of missed opportunities.

Why Classical Still Matters

Classical music is:

• A powerful tool for focus, study, and meditation
• A gateway to music theory, orchestration, and historical context
• A vast and emotionally rich archive of human expression

It’s not just about the past — it’s a living tradition. Modern composers are still writing symphonies. Ensembles are still innovating. Film scores blur the line between classical and ambient.

Streaming services that ignore classical risk alienating a deeply loyal, culturally influential listener base.

Final Thought

Classical music isn’t niche — it’s foundational.

If streaming wants to be truly universal, it has to adapt its systems to the needs of classical listeners. That means better metadata, richer context, curated experiences, and genre-aware design.

Until then, services like Apple Music Classical will carry the torch — not just for Bach and Beethoven, but for the future of streaming as culture, not just convenience.