I have to agree with Costanzo here. I can see how better classical music searching/filtering would significantly improve existing streaming services, but I have huge doubts about Primephonic and Idagio's viability over the long term. I know plenty of people who feel frustrated by Spotify's handling of classical music, but most of them just embrace the suck and construct personalized playlists of renditions they enjoy (or, in some cases, renditions they can tolerate). I think most casual listeners opt to deal with the pain of their existing streaming service, but I can't think of anyone who might want to buy a brand new streaming service just for the classics. If Spotify bought out Primephonic/Idagio, I could see people really enjoying their services on a more versatile platform.Such serendipity may be possible only if classical music exists on services alongside pop, hop-hop, country, Latin and the rest...“The segregation of classical music would be a shame,” [Anthony Roth Costanzo] said. Mr. Steffens and Mr. Janczukowicz, of Primephonic and Idagio, argued that the major services’ algorithms would always nudge listeners toward pop.
Guilty! Spotify also makes it really easy to share playlists; that "social media" aspect is good for sharing recommendations of favorite recordings, etc. with friends. I also totally agree that that separation would be a huge loss for everyone, even though my spotify statistics tell me that roughly 92% of my listening is classical and I might fall into that category of people who seriously consider a new streaming service.I know plenty of people who feel frustrated by Spotify's handling of classical music, but most of them just embrace the suck and construct personalized playlists of renditions they enjoy (or, in some cases, renditions they can tolerate).