Apple buys Swedish classical record label

Apple has acquired BIS Records, a 50-year-old Swedish file label with a concentrate on classical music, as a part of its persevering with efforts to draw classical music followers.

BIS Records founder Robert von Bahr stated Tuesday that Apple just lately purchased his file firm and can fold it into its Apple Music Classical and Platoon music companies.

Von Bahr, who just lately turned 80, stated that each BIS Records and Apple share a “fundamental belief in the importance of preserving audio quality,” citing the iPhone maker’s surround-sound spatial audio know-how as “something I have followed with interest.”

“BIS’s specialty, while paying our dues to the core repertoire, has been to nurture young classical artists and interesting living composers and to safeguard the musical treasure that we all represent long into the future,” von Bahr stated in an announcement. “Apple, with its own storied history of innovation and love of music, is the ideal home to usher in the next era of classical and has shown true commitment towards building a future in which classical music and technology work in harmony.”

Apple didn’t reply to a request for remark from CNBC in regards to the deal’s value.

The acquisition is one other instance of Apple making an attempt to tell apart itself from streaming-music rival Spotify by specializing in classical music.

In 2021, it purchased the classical music streaming service Primephonic for an undisclosed sum. Besides letting customers stream classical music, Primephonic additionally constructed an unlimited database containing info like composers, orchestras and conductors that helped present a extra compelling expertise for followers of the style.

Eventually, the tech large debuted its personal Apple Music Classical streaming app this previous spring, pitching it as a means for present Apple Music subscribers to entry over 5 million classical tracks that may be searched by way of knowledge like composer, conductor or catalog quantity.

In 2018, Apple purchased the small music-distribution-and-technology agency Platoon for an undisclosed quantity. Apple ultimately launched an app dubbed Platoon for Artists, meant to assist musicians promote their songs and look at streaming analytics.

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