The Best Streaming Classical Music Services
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Looking for the best streaming classical music services? Here are our top picks, including both free and paid options.
Free Streaming Services
There are a few great streaming services that offer free trials. If you are looking for a free way to enjoy classical music, here are some of the best options.
Pandora Radio
Pandora Radio is a free streaming service that offers personalized radio stations based on artists or genres that you enjoy. You can create your own stations, or listen to pre-made stations. Pandora Radio is available on desktop and mobile devices.
Naxos Music Library
Naxos Music Library is the world’s largest online classical music library. It offers streaming access to more than 1.3 million tracks, including over 50,000 CDs, as well as high-quality downloads in MP3 and FLAC formats.
Naxos Music Library is available on a subscription basis, with plans starting at $4.99 per month. There is also a free 14-day trial period.
Paid Streaming Services
If you’re a fan of classical music, there are a few paid streaming services that are worth your time and money. Classics Online offers high-quality streaming of classical music, with new releases added every Tuesday. Qobuz is another great option, offering lossless audio quality and a broad selection of music.
Idagio
Idagio is a streaming service for classical music, founded in Berlin in 2014. The company has a team of former classical music industry insiders and entrepreneurs, and is one of the first companies to bring the music genre into the digital age.
The Idagio app offers a library of over one million tracks, which can be streamed on demand or offline. Users can create playlists, set up alarms, and find new music with the help of recommendations from Idagio’s editorial team. The service is available in 190 countries and offers a 30-day free trial.
Primephonic
Primephonic is a streaming service that specializes in classical music. It offers a wide range of classical music, from well-known pieces to lesser-known works, and you can search for specific composers, performers, or pieces of music. The sound quality is excellent, and there are no ads. You can also download tracks for offline listening. Primephonic offers a free trial, and then plans start at $7.99 per month.
Local Public Radio Stations
If you’re looking for an option that’s both local and deeply committed to classical music, your best bet is a public radio station. In most markets, these stations offer at least one classical music show during the week, and often more.
WQXR
WQXR is a classical music radio station in New York City owned by Entercom. It is the flagship station of New York Public Radio, which also operates WNYC, WNYC-FM and The Greene Space. The station broadcasts on 105.9 FM HD1 and is also available online as a streaming service.
WQXR was founded in 1936 by John V.L. Hogan, who pledged that the station would be “devoted to the service of music and musically minded people”. The station originally broadcast from the Empire State Building, but moved to its current location at 485 Lexington Avenue in 2001.
The station’s mission is to “expand the appreciation of classical music”, and it offers a wide range of programs, including news, interviews, performance recordings and live concerts.
WNYC
WNYC is a public radio station in New York City. WNYC’s mission is to be the most influential, trusted and essential provider of news, information, arts and culture for the New York metropolitan area.
