Primephonic launched their new streaming service tailor-made for classical music fans with an opulent event at Soho’s Six Storeys on Wednesday (14 June).
The service intends to ‘re-invent the classical music experience’, and offers high-definition 16-bit FLAC quality audio and a huge catalogue entirely dedicated to classical.
Unlike on other streaming services, where metadata arranges content by artist and album, Primephonic takes a different approach, with users able to search by, for example, composer, conductor or orchestra.
As a result, users will be able to browse through various versions of the same piece, as recorded by different orchestras and performers, or via composer, with their works compiled chronologically.
The launch was celebrated in opulent style at the Six Storeys building in London’s Soho, with foor floors decked out in a different period style across the history of classical music, with accompanying themed live performances, food and cocktails.
A performance from members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra followed an address from Simon Eder, co-founder of Primephonic, and Veronica Neo, head of business development.
They explained that Primephonic have also adapted their pay-out model to reflect the differences between pop and classical. While revenue is generally earned by the amount of ‘plays’ of a track elsewhere, the new service will pay labels proportionally to the amount of seconds their works have been played.
As Neo explained: "Mahler’s ‘Symphony Number 3’ is a 100-minute long piece of work, how can three or four movements of that symphony earn the same as three or four plays of Justin Beiber’s ‘Sorry’? Especially when performed by a 100-strong orchestra."
The service is available now in the UK and US for £14.99 a month, following a one month free trial.
