It's been more than a year since Apple launched its imaginatively-titled "Apple Music Classical" platform, the dedicated app for classical music lovers that, despite a few quibbles and quirks, we were rather impressed by when we tried it out at launch. Billed as the "world's largest classical music catalogue", Apple Music Classical runs in parallel with the Apple Music streaming service, with its own dedicated app that users can download separately for free. Free, of course, if you already subscribe to Apple Music.
The Classical platform is now getting a new feature, as Apple has announced the launch of the Apple Classical Top 100, an up-to-date rundown of the most popular classical albums globally. The weekly chart brings together five data sources, including Apple Music Classical, iTunes and Apple Music, from over 165 countries to build a comprehensive view of who's chilling out to Chopin and who's heading to work with Haydn.
From 22nd July, the Classical Top 100 will be updated every Monday, with each chart including activity from the previous week from Friday to Thursday. In case you were wondering, the first Top 100 number one album is Bach's Keyboard Concertos performed by Chinese pianist Tianqi Du and the Academy of St Martins in the Fields. We doubt it's the last time we'll see Bach at the top of the table...
With platforms such as Spotify diversifying their content through audiobooks and podcasts, it's been a bold step for Apple Music to put so much of its faith in what some consider to be a somewhat niche musical genre. According to Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music, “Apple Music Classical has been a huge hit with classical fans around the world. With the launch of Apple Classical Top 100 and the recently announced new partnerships, the app is transforming the world of classical music.”
If you already have the app, you can check out the full Apple Classical Top 100 here.
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Read our five-star Apple Music review
