Photo Credit: On Air

Content from the UMG-owned production studio is available to stream now.

With the emergence of concert streaming’s high-growth potential, on-stage performance streaming platform On Air is now offering new monetization opportunities for intellectual property owners and artists. The platform aims to elevate the fan experience by offering a true cinematic experience with content available in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Since 2020, On Air has hosted a serious catalog of live concerts and performances from A-list artists and shows. That includes performances from the likes of Zara Larsson, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and Years & Years from iconic music venues spanning Royal Albert Hall, OVO Arena Wembley, BBC Studios, and more.

But that’s just the beginning: expanding upon their existing on-stage video catalog, On Air recently forged a deal with Mercury Studios for concert performance footage. Mercury Studios, a division of UMG, is a multi-faceted music content studio and treasure trove of seminal concert footage. Just recently, On Air joined forces with DMN to further propel the platform.

Mercury Studios’ sizable catalog features over 2,000 hours of standout performances by the most prominent names in music — including Peter Gabriel, Lynyrd Skynrd, Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Journey, ZZ Top, Santana, Eric Clapton, Toto, and The Who, as well as assets from legendary production company Eagle Rock. Now, that historic and important catalog is finding another outlet via On Air to reach fans – with the ingestion and dissemination process well underway.

“On Air provides an exciting opportunity to showcase the breadth of Mercury Studios’ programming, from award-winning documentaries to concerts by iconic artists like Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Chicago, Jeff Beck, Cypress Hill, and INXS. This partnership with On Air will further expand the reach of these remarkable performances,” said Rob Gill, SVP Global Operations, Mercury Studios.

Jakub Krampl, co-founder and CEO of On Air, sat down with DMN to reveal how On Air’s latest deal with Mercury Studios expands global exposure opportunities and monetization for all IP owners, labels, and artists on the platform. For starters, Mercury Studio’s catalog is impressive, and that will draw a bigger audience interested in higher-quality live performances.

“We’re here to support the distribution of catalogs and monetization of longform content in 4K with Dolby Vision and Atmos technology,” said Krampl. “On Air provides an end-to-end service to artists, labels and rights holders — all backed by a cutting-edge tech stack.”

On Air’s vast infrastructure expertly covers every aspect of the streaming process, solving problems typically faced by IP owners when they attempt to distribute content across mainstream channels.

A sampling of On Air’s live concerts and performances from A-list artists filmed at iconic music venues. (Photo Credit: On Air)

According to Krampl, On Air offers a ‘premium streaming service for on-stage entertainment,’ handling everything from pre-production and on-site production management to an exclusive post-production process that ensures higher-quality content for its users.

On Air’s DRM-protected streaming platform plays comfortably across desktop, mobile, and TV endpoints. Stretching things further, the company also pushes engagement by marketing content and managing assets across multiple platforms, including social media with tailored campaigns.

And when the opportunity arises, On Air also helps to negotiate branding and agency partnerships to further stretch the reach of its footage.

The platform offers prime viewing experiences to fans in over 190 countries, while taking adequate measures to prevent unlawful distribution. Among the most prominent offerings available to stream are Zara Larsson’s sold-out ‘Venus Tour’ at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds live at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester, Yoshiki’s ‘Requiem Classical World Tour’ recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, and a pair of sold-out All Time Low shows, captured at OVO Arena Wembley (2023) and Merriweather Post Pavilion (2024).

One of On Air’s biggest differentiators is its audio and picture quality, with streams available to watch in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Krampl explains that the solution, crafted by On Air’s partnership with Dolby, “provides every user with the opportunity to experience our productions with the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos and ultra-vivid pictures of Dolby Vision for a premium entertainment experience.”

“On Air has successfully achieved a live stream in Dolby Vision, which hasn’t been done before — and that’s only one of the many advanced solutions we’re capable of providing,” Krampl continued, while pointing to the company’s All Time Low OVO Arena Wembley capture. That show was delivered in 4K UHD with HDR and Dolby Atmos immersive sound, and accessed across 56 countries simultaneously over the web, mobile and TV apps.

In fact, all On Air-produced shows are filmed in close partnership with Dolby. “We’re delighted that On Air uses Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision to give them an edge in concert streaming,” said Jane Gillard, Head of Music Partnerships Europe for Dolby. “Artists invest so much into live shows – sound, visuals, effects, lighting. In using the best in Dolby technology, On Air are able to deliver an experience that beats standard video and stereo hands down.”

The on-stage performance streaming space has a number of big competitors, though On Air’s focus strategies of Dolby-powered streams, complementary solutions, and competitive pricing could prove to be significant differentiators.

Krampl explains that On Air’s entire service infrastructure is developed in-house, which makes it ‘independent of third-party platforms and agencies.’ This self-developed tech-stack and content delivery platform, according to Krampl, allows On Air to address problems before they arise, ‘while continuing to develop and innovate’ for their stakeholders.

The On Air HD stereo service is available to viewers at $10.99 per show, with the On Air catalog available to stream on-demand with unlimited replays.

Photo Credit: On Air

Why is now the moment for concert video to expand and reach a wider audience? Krampl points out that On Air is aware of how current economic challenges have significantly shuffled audience priorities and where they want to spend their money.

Exorbitant ticket prices and the cost of travelling to venues present barriers that threaten to separate artists from their fans.

On Air aims to democratize access to live music and provide a genuine connection between audiences and performers. Their ‘cutting-edge solutions directly offer the energy and magic of live performances to audiences’ around the world.

The On Air app, available across Apple iOS, Android, and Fire TV, is designed to make viewers feel like they’re in the center of the action. Users can tune in to On Air’s cinematic show library in 4K UHD and spatial audio from anywhere, and seamlessly switch to the big screen at any time.

Which country is witnessing a CD-powered surge in album sales? Read on… (Photo Credit: DMN Pro)

Before streaming, downloads, UGC monetization, and virtual concerts, the CD reigned supreme and powered the recording industry’s most lucrative era. But after flatlining into obscurity, is the CD format quietly staging a comeback?

In this DMN Pro Weekly report, we take a look at some strange new data surrounding this decades-old format. That includes canvasses across multiple markets and datasets for signs of CD-selling life, and a deeper examination of why so many artists — from Taylor Swift to The Weeknd to New Jeans —  are now pressing their albums on digital disc.

Enjoy.

Table of Contents

I. The CD: A Format That Refuses to Ride Into the Sunset

II. Artists Seem to Like CDs – And Why Not?

III. A Look at the Numbers: What Are They Saying About CD Sales?

A. US: The Luminate YoY Crash – And the Stark Contrast With RIAA Figures

B. UK: Sorry, No Booming Comeback Here

C. But Wait: Why Are Global CD Sales Ticking Upward?

IV. The Situation In Japan & South Korea

V. So, Are CDs Coming Back?

Please note: the following report is for DMN Pro subscribers only. Thank you!

Photo by Luke Heiber on Unsplash

As one of the earliest adopters of immersive music mixes, Alex Solano is the mixing engineer behind Dolby Atmos projects for labels like Atlantic Records, Photo Finish, NinjaTune, EMPIRE, Position Music, and many others. Solano’s company, AlexProMix, assists labels and distributors in leveraging revenue generation opportunities provided by Dolby Atmos formats.

The following recaps an interview of Alex Solano — Immersive Audio Specialist — with Music Business Insider. Solano’s AlexProMix is a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

When Solano entered the Dolby Atmos world in 2021, the tech was expensive and complicated. Now, even though the tech has shifted and immersive audio is accessible to anyone with headphones, Solano points out that there’s still a financial cost and investment to ‘doing Dolby right.’

Speaking about the future of audio mixing, Alex Solano revealed the learning curve that led him to become a certified Dolby Atmos engineer. Solano also highlighted the incredible opportunities in store for striving immersive mixes’ engineers.

Because Solano was one of the early adopters of immersive audio in 2021, he faced challenges finding learning resources for Dolby Atmos. By creating educational videos on YouTube, Solano believes he’s paving an easier path for aspiring Dolby mixing engineers.

According to Solano, to do Atmos ‘right’ and experience it correctly requires a room with specialized equipment. “That’s what differentiates a bedroom producer working on headphones, making beats, and publishing their music from somebody experienced in the field and mixing in an immersive room of 12 speakers.”

It was Dolby Atmos that connected Solano to major labels to be certified. “I’m on the approved Dolby Atmos mixer list, which means that any producer, artist, or engineer who wants to convert their music into Atmos can do so. I’m already certified with Universal Music and Warner Music.”

Solano insists that artists and producers need to be aware of the fast-paced segue into Dolby Atmos. “When you look at the history of recorded technology and the switch from mono to stereo, engineers who could only work in mono became irrelevant.”

With a clientele that includes labels, publishers, and distributors, Solano says he’s experiencing a drive toward spatial audio. “My clients pitch their song to Apple, and Apple says, where’s the spatial audio? They’re like, what spatial audio? Apple says go find an engineer.”

“Based on feedback from professionals, music industry events, and the majors, all music formats supported in Dolby Atmos will soon be the standard for converting new music and back catalog music. Otherwise, music streaming services will not support it.”

“To get editorial playlisting, you must have that Dolby Atmos Master,” says Solano.

But what about AI-converted Dolby Atmos mixes? Solano reveals Apple is only accepting immersive mixes if they have the original stamps from a mixing engineer. “From a creative standpoint, no artist that invested in making their music sound great in stereo wants to run it through an AI algorithm. They want it to be remastered correctly.”

Now that Dolby Atmos technology is available to music mixers, creators, and producers via Apple, Tidal, and Amazon, Solano believes it unlocks a world of opportunities to reimagine music arrangements and mix music in a way that immerses the audience and the listener.

With widespread adaptation of gaming, immersive audio has ended up becoming a normal, everyday-experience for this generation. Solano believes artists can ‘future-proof ‘their music by adopting immersive formats.

Solano believes that once the music industry catches up and adapts to immersive audio, the tech will be ‘very common.’ “The fact that you can experience spatial audio on earbuds makes it accessible to anyone.”

Photo Credit: Spotify

Ready for a more expensive “Spotify Deluxe” subscription option? Daniel Ek certainly is, and according to the Spotify CEO, the potentially $18-per-month package is on the way.

Ek confirmed as much during Spotify’s second-quarter earnings call yesterday, when the business shed light on its best-ever quarterly profit and forecasted topping a quarter of a billion global subscribers in Q3.

In keeping with prior quarters’ results, the lion’s share of Spotify’s $4.13 billion (€3.81 billion) in Q2 revenue derived from subscriptions. And that category continues to benefit (at least in revenue per paid account) from price increases, which have, among other things, placed the monthly cost of Spotify’s Individual audiobook-equipped tier above its Apple Music counterpart in the States.

Of course, only time will reveal the long-term effects of charging more than competitors for largely overlapping products in a difficult economy. Keeping the focus on the top level and the present, however, Spotify reported adding seven million subscribers and generating $3.64 billion (€3.35 billion) from paid accounts during the second quarter.

Evidently eager to keep the momentum going, boost ARPU, and stand out from the highly competitive streaming crowd, Spotify is teeing up a Deluxe package, per Ek’s initially mentioned remarks.

“We have expanded our subscription offerings to consumers who might be looking for different types of content,” the 41-year-old said. “By introducing new subscription plans, we are successfully giving subscribers even more listening choices.”

Later in the call, the Stockholm native acknowledged Spotify Deluxe – albeit without disclosing the precise contents or released date thereof.

“What we do see is that there’s a good subset of that group now – we’re at 246 million subscribers – that want a much better version of Spotify,” continued Ek. “Those are huge music lovers who are primarily looking for even more flexibility in how they use Spotify and the music capabilities that exist on Spotify. … The plan here is to offer a much better version of Spotify.

“So think something that could be $5 above the current Premium tier; it’s probably around a $17 or $18 price point. But sort of a deluxe version of Spotify that has all of the benefits that the normal Spotify version has but a lot more control, a lot higher quality across the board, and some other things that I’m not ready to talk about just yet,” he concluded, later noting that the corresponding plans are in their “early days.”

While fans who have for years been awaiting HD audio might take issue with the “early days” description, we now have direct evidence of Spotify’s upgraded-tier ambitions. Higher-quality listening will presumably be part of that package, which has itself been rumored for some time.

Those rumors, attributable to anonymous sources as well as verified Spotify code and feature tests, have also pointed to robust mixing tools, bolstered playlist capabilities, and expanded audiobook access. Given the varied offerings of competitors like Apple Music and Amazon Music, both of which embraced HD audio at no added cost years back, it’ll be worth monitoring the commercial results of Spotify Deluxe when it finally arrives on the scene.

The long-awaited Spotify HiFi offering is reportedly set to debut later in 2024 as part of an add-on package. Photo Credit: Mark Rohan

After years of speculation, Spotify is reportedly poised to add higher-quality audio later in 2024. But unlike on Apple Music and Amazon Music, subscribers may have to pay more, to the tune of at least $5 extra per month, for the long-awaited feature.

Another update concerning Spotify HiFi just recently entered the media spotlight, this time in a brief report from Bloomberg. As many observers and audiophiles undoubtedly know, it’s been years since Spotify first disclosed plans for upgraded audio quality.

But the 2021 additions of high-resolution audio by Amazon Music and Apple Music at no extra cost seemingly derailed those plans, and since then, rumors have swirled about when exactly Spotify will begin offering higher-definition listening. (That subscriptions have been climbing for Spotify all the while certainly hasn’t fueled a sense of urgency.)

In short, it previously appeared that HD audio would be part of a more expensive “Supremium” subscription. But in April, against the backdrop of Spotify’s decidedly far-reaching embrace of bundles, a Redditor’s code findings suggested that the platform intended to make HiFi one component of an add-on for existing subscribers, not a standalone plan. Separate HiFi leaks subsequently surfaced on Reddit in May.

Now, Bloomberg has shed additional light on this rumored “add-on for existing customers.”

Citing an anonymous and purportedly in-the-know person, the outlet indicated that the add-on will cost $5 or more per month, come with “better audio” as well as personalized playlisting features, and roll out “later this year.” All told, enabling the add-on will increase current subscribers’ monthly charges by an average of 40 percent, per the report.

Of course, it remains to be seen how many of Spotify’s 239 million or so subscribers will spring for the HD-audio option, which would follow price increases in the U.S. and the U.K.

Running with the estimated 40 percent price increase for higher-quality listening and other features, though, individual Spotify subscribers in the U.S. would be paying between $16 and $17 monthly.

That’s well above the $12.99 per month (and $129.99 annually) charged by Qobuz for its Studio tier, which supports 24-bit 192 kHz listening. Closer to 2024’s start, we took an in-depth look at leading streaming services’ audio capabilities.

Nevertheless, logic and evidence suggest that Spotify, which claims to be having success with audiobooks, will find some takers for the add-on out of the gate.

And needless to say, that means heightened revenue for the profit-minded service, which is already set to generate materially more in the U.S. between price increases and (assuming they survive legal challenges) bundling-classification changes. (The ongoing arrival of fresh plans and subscription options, including a music-only tier, could factor into Spotify’s defense against an MLC lawsuit.)

Bigger picture, Spotify’s highly ambitious aim of hitting $100 billion in annual revenue is still a distant goalpost; at the current exchange rate, Q1 revenue totaled $3.9 billion. However, aggressively upping prices, debuting new plans and add-ons, and embracing non-music formats may well help to make the objective a reality in the approaching years.

Where do streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music stand in the world’s largest music market? Here’s our detailed look at leading platforms’ subscriber stats as well as key streaming landscape takeaways, exclusively for DMN Pro subscribers.

Last week, subscriber data leaked to Digital Music News revealed that Spotify remains atop the heap of streaming music platforms, at least in the US. But despite Spotify’s tally of more than 50 million subscribers stateside, Apple Music is narrowly ahead in the all-important category of individual subscriptions. And when it comes to overall subscribers across all packages, Apple Music isn’t as far behind as previously thought.

Despite being publicly traded, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon have historically opted against breaking down their stateside music streaming shares. In its earnings reports, Spotify attributes monthly active users and subscribers to regions like North America as opposed to particular nations, for instance. And when disclosing its own subscribers, Apple only provides a grand total for all subscription services and bundles without breaking down music-specific subscriber details.

Now, that changes: thanks to a trove of market share data shared with Digital Music News, we have a far better picture of how streaming music platforms are stacking up — at least in the critical U.S. market. The data therein, including plan-specific subscriber numbers and mechanical rates, helps paint what could be the clearest picture to date of domestic streaming market share.

Report Table of Contents

I. Introduction: A Recap of Music Streaming Platforms’ Existing U.S. Market-Share Data

II. Spotify Subscribers by the Numbers: Where the Service Is Leading Apple — and Where It’s Trailing — in the U.S.

Graph: Streaming Platforms’ U.S. Market Shares and Year-Over-Year Growth As of February 2024

Graph: Spotify Consumers’ Outperforming Net Purchase Intent

III. Are Spotify and Apple Music Competitors Gaining Ground in the States? Here’s What Q1 2024 Data Says

IV. A Brief Look At Mechanical Rates Amid An Intensifying Battle Over Bundling

Graph: The Per-Stream Mechanical Rates of Spotify and Others by Plan, February 2024

Graph: Spotify v. Amazon Music — Mechanicals Payable and Pay Per 1,000 Streams by Plan, February 2024

V. As Streaming Competition Intensifies, Additional Data Could Show Where the U.S. Market Stands

Please note: redistribution of this report without permission is not authorized. Thank you.

Photo Credit: Spotify

Is the long-awaited release of upgraded Spotify audio finally upon us? After years of speculation, new evidence suggests that higher-quality listening could almost be here.

Like the multitude of other pieces of evidence concerning improved Spotify audio quality, this latest information came to light in leaked screenshots that surfaced on Reddit. Possibly because so many rumors have surrounded Spotify’s plans in the area – a full three years have passed since different eagle-eyed users spotted a “HiFi” icon – the news has caused a relatively small media splash.

Regarding the subject’s twists and turns, the prospect of a standalone HiFi tier made way for rumblings of a comparatively expensive and feature-heavy Supremium offering complete with optimized audio and more. Then, reports last month pointed to a pivot away from Supremium and back towards a “Music Pro” add-on of sorts.

And according to the user, OhItsTom, who provided the fresh batch of Spotify audio-quality screenshots, the relevant feature is now known internally as “Enhanced Listening” as opposed to HiFi.

Running with the details provided directly from said screenshots, those who pay for Enhanced Listening will be able to “stream wirelessly in up to 24-bit on compatible devices through Spotify Connect.” (Perhaps not coincidentally, Spotify in July of 2023 released a video guide on how to use Connect.)

A “Lossless label” will show when listeners are “streaming in up to 24-bit,” per the text, which expressly mentions a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. Technically, though, that rate, presumably one of several attributable to upgraded audio depending on internet speed or download settings, is already supported by Spotify, with Apple Music and Amazon Music (both of which upgraded their audio years ago) boasting a top-end sample rate of 192 kHz.

Those Spotify competitors also have up to 24-bit depth for audio, while their respective bitrates add another layer to the inherently complex and involved discussion. Tying the point back to Spotify HiFi, the same screenshots further note a bitrate of up to 2,117 kbps for a device under Enhanced Listening.

Looking beyond these multifaceted sound-quality specifics, time will tell whether Spotify actually moves forward with the audio upgrade. Although the business is zeroing in on monetization and profitability, a formal announcement hasn’t yet arrived concerning Enhanced Listening.

A Redditor effectively summed up the situation when responding to the post containing the screenshots. “Thank you for sharing the leaks but to be honest I’m fed up with them hyping us non-stop,” the individual wrote. “I just wanna see HiFi happening.”

Spotify is reportedly preparing to offer higher-quality audio and more as part of a “Music Pro” add-on. Photo Credit: Henry Be

Forget about Supremium: Spotify is reportedly prepping a “Music Pro” subscription add-on, complete with “DJ remix features” and upgraded audio.

The possible development of Music Pro entered the media spotlight in a report from The Verge, which cited new Spotify code findings from Redditor Hypixely. As those who’ve been patiently awaiting improved Spotify audio probably know – it’s now been nearly three years since some users spotted a HiFi icon on the platform – this isn’t the first time that code has pointed to optimized listening.

In brief, speculation about a HiFi addition eventually made way for rumors of a broader “Supremium” tier. As we reported (based once again on Spotify code) last September, Supremium, far from only containing HiFi audio, would provide “advanced mixing tools,” bolstered audiobook access, and more at $19.99 per month for individuals in the States.

Closer to April of 2024’s beginning, though, different reports indicated that Spotify was contemplating price increases of $1 per individual plan and $2 per family plan for audiobook-equipped tiers in multiple nations. Subscribers will also have the option of retaining access to music and podcasts (but not audiobooks, 15 monthly hours of which had been baked into paid plans in the U.S.) at current prices, the reports relayed.

As audiobooks were expected to factor prominently into Supremium at a comparatively substantial $19.99 monthly, the price-increase development raised questions about the long-rumored offering. Running with those questions, The Verge has reported that lossless audio, besides “DJ remix features,” will be available as part of the mentioned Music Pro add-on.

(While lossless is often used to describe super-HD audio in general, its widely accepted definition, CD-quality audio with at least 16-bit depth and a sample rate of at least 44.1 kHz, actually applies to most streaming services today. The relevant Spotify code specifically notes 24-bit, 44.1 kHz listening for Music Pro, according to the original Reddit post.)

In keeping with the add-on descriptor, users will have the option of tacking Music Pro onto their subscriptions, per the report. Consequently, the feature will seemingly resemble the previously anticipated HiFi more than the standalone Supremium package.

At the time of this writing, Spotify hadn’t commented publicly on the matter, and it’s unclear how much Music Pro will cost – assuming, of course, that it comes to fruition. But with profitability and monetization taking center stage at Spotify, the approach to HD audio makes sense.

In short, fed-up audiophiles presumably pivoted from Spotify to Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Qobuz, or a different service years back and may rejoin to access Music Pro. Furthermore, those who have stuck around despite clamoring for better audio quality will perhaps pay for the benefit at once.

Alex Solano of AlexProMix recaps the incredible evolution in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio mixing, how the current shift and technology upgrades underscore the industry’s commitment to innovation and enhanced listening experiences.

The following was developed in collaboration with AlexProMix, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

In 2021 when spatial audio came into the picture, the landscape was packed with technical limitations and challenges.

Music mixing engineer and early adopter of Dolby Atmos, Alex Solano, sat down with DMN to reveal his take on the monumental evolution of Dolby Atmos, the opportunities and challenges the shift now offers professionals, and how his mixing template allows professionals to create immersive mixes and stereo mixes simultaneously, within one session.

Today, the immersive audio landscape looks extremely promising for audio professionals, and opens up a multitude of creative and monetary opportunities. But the transition was a painstaking process, involving significant technical upgrades — including a minimum requirement of a 12-speaker setup and an investment in high-end equipment — alongside mastering the complexities of immersive audio mixing.

To fully appreciate Dolby Atmos music mixing advancements, it’s essential to understand the early obstacles and creative hurdles faced by audio mixers.

During the early days of immersive mixes, collaborative innovations between Avid Pro Tools and Dolby were designed to optimize the music-mixing process. But Dolby Atmos mixing in Pro Tools involved complex setups, with separate applications for Pro Tools and the Dolby Atmos Renderer.

The configuration also limited the use of outboard gear due to the integrated closed-system linking Pro Tools with the Dolby Renderer.

Typically, audio experts also needed a separate computer to operate the Dolby Renderer for speaker routing. This setup was expensive, and required the coordination of multiple systems to function effectively within a music production environment.

“No longer could you create a mix on headphones and check the mix in your car,” explains Solano, adding, “With Atmos, a minimum requirement of a 7.1.4 speaker setup is necessary to ensure your immersive mixes translate to multi-channel playback systems.”

The initial setup also enforced a two-stage creation and approval process, stifling creativity and workflow.

After creating an artist’s stereo mix, mixing engineers would have to seek approval before they exported the pre-mastering processed stems into a new session that was designed for immersive audio. After making a Dolby Atmos mix, the engineers would then be required to seek out artist approval once again.

Apart from this constant back and forth for creation and approval, the process of matching the tonality of the stems to the stereo master was also incredibly complex.

Mixing engineers needed a solution that would allow them to implement multiple sound cards simultaneously. According to Solano, that turning point came with the launch of AUX I/O in Pro Tools.

The feature laid the groundwork for more integrated solutions, and more flexible audio routing — including the Dolby Atmos Renderer to different destinations. Although the solutions improved the workflow, Solano says mixers and engineers still faced stability and latency management challenges with AUX I/O.

“Expanding track widths in Pro Tools to accommodate up to 9.1.6 configurations opened new possibilities for mixing, enabling more seamless integration of stereo and immersive formats,” Solano explains. But despite the initial challenges, Solano says these developments opened up possibilities in mixing technology, and hinted at the development of a unified mixing template — ‘one that could cater to stereo and immersive outputs.’

AUX I/O in ProTools marked a significant turning point in allowing the implementation of multiple sound cards. (Photo: AlexProMix)

However, ‘the game changer in the spatial audio space’ came at the end of 2023, when Pro Tools introduced the integrated Dolby Renderer.

The integration facilitated the simultaneous processing of immersive and stereo mixes, and directly routed stems to the Renderer. Furthermore, the capability to monitor binaural and stereo mixes through dedicated AUX tracks further enhanced the mixing process, ensuring consistency across different listening formats.

“Multi-channel plugins offer tailored processing for immersive formats, and multi-mono plugins apply uniform effects across all channels.”

Solano also points out that the distinction between multi-channel vs multi-mono plugins, and understanding their unique application is vital for achieving the desired tonal balance and dynamic range — in both immersive and stereo mixes. “Multi-channel plugins offer tailored processing for immersive formats, and multi-mono plugins apply uniform effects across all channels.”

Parallel to these advancements, early adopter Solano was investing his expertise in creating a mix template that streamlines the mixing process, while ensuring the quality and emotional impact of music is elevated. “The template brings the artist’s vision to life in an immersive sonic environment, while creating an Atmos and Stereo master that are consistent in the emotional impact of the mix,” he says.

Solano’s immersive music template shares insights and practices that can enrich the mixing workflow, opening the gateways for more creators to explore immersive audio’s incredible possibilities.

A live performance from 4AD-signed The Breeders. Photo Credit: Rebecca Sowell

Indie labels are reportedly criticizing – and signaling their openness to pursuing legal action against – Apple Music’s royalty bump for works made available in spatial audio.

The newest twist in the Apple-developed streaming platform’s own royalties pivot (Spotify, Deezer, and others have likewise retooled their models) just recently entered the media spotlight.

This and a number of additional reports were set in motion by Digital Music News’ October of 2023 exclusive about the change at Apple Music. Multiple months passed before different outlets confirmed our coverage, and at least at the outset, these subsequent reports largely lacked fresh information.

In any event, as we noted the better part of four months back, Apple Music is now paying “a higher royalty value” for spatial audio tracks. Late January saw Billboard elaborate that eligible works would benefit from an up to 10 percent boost on the recorded-royalties side.

But rather than deriving from a separate fund, these heightened Apple Music spatial audio payments are being bankrolled by the core royalties pot under the service’s pro-rata model. As the mentioned indie labels see it, the system is transferring compensation from them (as well as other non-major-label players and artists) to today’s biggest-name companies and acts, who are best positioned to release in spatial audio.

(Estimates have attached a $1,000-per-track ballpark expenditure to mixing in spatial audio. Less frequently discussed but decidedly important are related distribution fees. “Artists can add a Dolby Atmos version of their mix per track for $26.99 each – it will be available on supported devices and streaming services including Apple Music and TIDAL,” reads a relevant page on DistroKid’s website.)

As initially highlighted, Apple’s effort to incentivize spatial audio releases (which remain a cornerstone of its business model and wider hardware-software ecosystem) is reportedly eliciting pushback from the likes of Beggars Group, Secretly Group, and Partisan Records.

According to the Financial Times, these companies recently “expressed concerns about Apple’s policy,” with an anonymous “senior executive at a large independent record company” spelling out the belief that the approach will “‘benefit the biggest player, Universal, because they’re the ones with the resources to invest in that.’”

Meanwhile, unnamed sources also indicated that Apple’s financial assistance in covering some costs associated with certain spatial audio projects won’t solve the problem – especially when it comes to multi-thousand-track back catalogs.

And with different parties yet having questioned the actual artistic worth of spatial audio, execs intend to try and coordinate with Apple to secure the sought policy changes. Should the undertaking fail to bring about the desired result, the professionals “would explore legal or regulatory options,” according this time to “people familiar with the matter.”

Apple’s AirPods Max are a cornerstone of Apple’s premium content+hardware ecosystem, which includes Apple Music’s Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos (photo: MaxWdhs)

After years of investing in lossless and spatial audio, Apple Music and Amazon Music have cemented premium audio as a key part of their offerings. But the market leader, Spotify, is still plotting its entry into high-definition and spatial audio, raising questions about the streaming landscape’s trajectory in 2024 and beyond.

Nearly three years have passed since Apple Music and Amazon Music announced (on the same day) far-reaching premium audio expansions, extending both to spatial audio and lossless formats. Almost simultaneously, Spotify users uncovered a HiFi icon on select versions of the app. And with the Stockholm-based platform having revealed plans earlier in 2021 to adopt high-fidelity audio, a launch seemed imminent. 

As frustrated users frequently lament on social media, though, Spotify has yet to move forward with these plans. Inversely, Apple Music and Amazon Music are framing premium audio as a major reason to choose their services. “Hear sound all around,” reads central text on Apple Music’s subscription landing page, with the Amazon Music Unlimited counterpart encouraging listeners to “experience spatial audio” and enjoy “the HD difference.”

But a distinction in the approaches to premium audio – an all-in strategy on the one hand versus, at least to date, no strategy whatsoever on the other – suggests a significant competitive differentiator between the services. Following uncertainty about the interest in and reach of lossless and spatial audio, it’s become abundantly clear that higher-quality listening options are here to stay.

Report Table of Contents

I. The Premium Audio Imbalance: Apple & Amazon vs. Spotify

II. Graph: Premium Audio Today: A Quick Look At Who Offers What (and for How Much)

III. Spotify’s ‘Supremium’ Tier: The Long-Rumored Package At a Glance

IV. Spotify Playing Catch-Up With Premium and Spatial Audio – Will Premium Audio Be a Gamechanger for Apple Music and Amazon Music in 2024?

V. By the Dates: A Timeline of Premium Audio’s Streaming Integration

VI. Source Documentation

If you’d like to download this report, simply send an email to support@digitalmusicnews.com.

Alex Solano became a music tech enthusiast when, at age 12, his older brother brought home an electric guitar. His journey since then has led to him becoming one of the leading voices in spatial audio production and engineering, having worked with countless independent and label artists and catalog remasters.

The following was developed in collaboration with AlexProMix, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

AlexProMix founder Alex Solano believes Spatial Audio has revolutionized the audio world. Past multi-channel high-resolution audio formats like DVD-A and SACD (super audio CD) were held down to the status of a ‘niche product’ due to requiring a physical media format with proprietary disc players and 6+ connected speakers to enjoy. For artists and distributors, the new Spatial Audio formats can easily be integrated into existing DSPs.

The adoption and massive push for Spatial Audio by music streaming services is a game-changer, Solano explains, and allows artists to ‘get more exposure and future proof their music.’ Moreover, the format’s core qualities of better fidelity and dynamic range also bring IP owners higher per-stream royalty payments from platforms like Apple Music.

Solano calls Dolby Atmos ‘an amazing immersive experience’ that engulfs the listener with sound, adding, “For music producers, songwriters, and artists, this is truly the way of the future. “Once you hear your music in Dolby Atmos, you can’t be satisfied with Stereo again.”

Solano emphasizes that amplifying the expression of music isn’t a technical process — and is more about finding the ‘sound of the song and the message of the lyrics.’

“There are endless opportunities for creating immersive sounding mixes that will be able to distribute your song and your message — and who you are as an artist — in the days to come.”

Solano provided DMN with a few examples that he points to as ‘reference quality’ in Spatial Audio mixing:

1. Stressed Out, Blurry Face — twenty one pilots
2. Renegades, VHS — X Ambassadors
3. Blessed, (feat. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Made In Lagos: Deluxe Edition — Wizkid

The tools artists use for mixing in Spatial Audio can be an important differentiating factor.

We plan on covering some of Solano’s favorite plugins for mixing in our next article, but in the meantime, we wanted to highlight some of the most used tools. Tools like NUGEN Audio Halo Upmix, Perfect Surround Penteo Pro, and Sound Particles’ Energy Panner and Brightness Panner are invaluable. They enable creative sound placement, which is essential in immersive audio.

Apple Music is offering bolstered royalty payments for works available in spatial audio, according to a leaked email. Photo Credit: Auguras Pipiras

It turns out Deezer’s not alone in dramatically retooling its royalty framework, as Apple Music is now contacting uploaders about “a higher royalty value” for works available in spatial audio.

According to an official email sent by Apple Music and shared with Digital Music News, the streaming service is currently informing various parties – presumably including distributors, IP owners, and possibly others yet – about the increased compensation for music that supports spatial audio listening.

While details concerning precisely which markets are involved and exactly who’s receiving the message should emerge down the line, Apple Music hadn’t commented publicly on the matter at the time of this writing. However, the language used in the correspondence appears to suggest that the heightened royalties will reach all eligible content owners and distributors globally.

“To recognize the creative investment and value that high-quality Spatial Audio brings to both fans and artists,” reads the email that Apple Music has sent out, “we will be making changes to how royalties are calculated. Plays of content available in Spatial Audio will receive a higher royalty value.”

The remainder of the brief notification prompts recipients to “please review and accept the new agreement for each applicable territory,” with “The Apple Music Team” available to answer “any questions” on the topic. Though the text doesn’t contain information about the “higher royalty value” itself, it does indicate that “Apple Music financial reports have been updated to reflect these changes.”

Bigger picture, the clear-cut incentive to release music in spatial audio has entered the media spotlight not only as Deezer’s preparing to implement an “artist-centric” model in France, but ahead of the quick-approaching 2024 launch of the Vision Pro headset.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsor Apple Music will, of course, be part of the forthcoming product, which Apple claims will boast its “most advanced Spatial Audio system ever.” Additionally, Cupertino-based Apple has made a number of smaller-scale investments in spatial audio in recent months and years, and according to execs, 80 percent of Apple Music’s “worldwide subscribers” listened in the format during 2022.

Furthermore, time will tell whether streaming services besides Deezer and Apple Music are also planning to explore across-the-board royalty pivots for certain works. Amazon Music has invested in multiple spatial audio exclusives of its own, whereas Spotify is reportedly poised to debut a Supremium tier with, among other things, high-fidelity audio.

With the rise of audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos on streaming platforms, spatial audio has become unmissable for all artists. Whether we discuss the perspective of well-established musicians or emerging artists, there’s no denying that the music industry is evolving, and leaning more and more toward a potential new standard of audio experience.

Sweetwater has been a long-term partner of Digital Music News, which is proud to share this news.

Apple Music launched the Dolby Atmos format on its platform in 2021, making waves in music streaming by giving significant visibility to new immersive audio formats. The following year, the platform reported that most of their listeners (80%) had switched to the spatial audio format. What does that widespread adaptation mean for music professionals?

Spatial Audio Well On Its Way to Become A New Standard

First things first: spatial audio is special because it matches a human’s natural perception of sound. At any given time, the human mind perceives and registers multiple sources of noise from our environment. There are several sources of sound when we walk down a street, for example. But when we listen to music in a stereo format, we receive only two sources of sound. With spatial audio, sound sources instantly jump to 37.

Thanks to its partnership with Apple Music, Dolby Atmos is now one of the most well-known formats. Developed by Dolby Lab, it allows the listener to be surrounded in immersive 3D sound. However, that is only one of the many gifts spatial audio brings to the table.

It goes without saying that any spatial audio format has to be taken seriously by all music professionals — especially artists and producing teams.

But there are two primary reasons why industry professionals should stay up to date on the spatial audio trend, and fully embrace it.

• • • To fit the requirements of music streaming platforms and maximize chances of getting playlisted, Dolby Atmos mastering is quickly becoming crucial for artists. Over the last couple of years, the audience for spatial audio mixes seems to be growing. Reports also suggest listener engagement for this format is higher than older formats.
    • With spatial audio, artistic vision can attain entirely new dimensions of listener experience. Major labels are in a rush to re-record and remaster back catalogs of some of the most influential artists. However, these actions of remastering tracks are not binary. Re-coloring music and dividing parts of it is highly subjective and specific equipment is required to get the job done right. All in all, spatial audio is taking up more space. It is giving artists more freedom to engage and attain specific aesthetics that fit their creative vision during studio mixing.

Staying Ahead Of The Curve: The Best Practices

So what now? Spatialized audio does make significant new promises for the creative process. However, to ensure that mixes fit an artist’s unique goals and ideas, the right equipment is crucial. Whether we talk about a home recording studio or a more professional space, the right setup is key. Every artist, producer, or music professional has their expertise and specialty. But when we talk about technical recording details in a studio, not everyone is capable of tackling it effectively.

When setting up a studio with the intention and the gear to create music in these new formats, you need to rely on the right people to guide you and set it up.

This collaboration-led excellence is what Sweetwater had in mind. After starting as a recording studio, gearing up to be on the cutting edge of technology, they created a commercial audio offer that could potentially benefit any music professional. From designing to building, the equipment can be expertly handled and utilized. However, the way these tools are leveraged is what will make or break the final track.

It’s all about learning from experience and artistic perception — something Sweetwater launched in their studio with workshops and masterclasses. But what happens once the tracks are finalized as perfectly as possible?

Making Sure That Music Is Rendered The Right Way

If we’re working on creating better music, higher-quality audio, and finding a better way to convey emotion through music, listeners should be able to hear it anywhere. When composing and mixing in a studio, we consider how it would sound at home or in cars. However, venues such as stores, restaurants, or even elevators are often overlooked. This new technology and format demands novel requirements of how we play music in outdoor venues and businesses. If these places aren’t equipped with the right hardware to deliver new formats, how can we render the music the way it was created?

With a focus on solving this problem, Sweetwater launched their Commercial Audio service. This bespoke service designs, builds, and installs the entire sound system in accordance with architectural and budgetary limitations. For obvious reasons, nobody expects contractors or business owners to be well versed in sound systems’ and speakers’ technical aspects and placement in various spaces. Sweetwater will take the initiative to create the right spatial audio atmosphere for any public place.

Spatial audio has introduced a new vision of how music is formulated, created, and broadcasted. As a result of this evolution, the general perception of music is also gradually shifting. Demand for this format continues to grow, leading to inevitable implications for the music industry and the broader retail side.

About Sweetwater

From a recording studio to the first online retailer of commercial audio in the US, Sweetwater has made the journey deeply rooted in professional music. Having gone through the discovery of spatial audio and the testing and setting up of new equipment, Sweetwater has gained extensive experience of spatial audio, and how it will impact the industry. One of the first steps that should be taken is picking up the right hardware for listening to audio. That focus will vastly impact the creative process in a studio — and amplify the final listener experience.

With the capability of setting up sound systems in recording studios, hair salons, and even Olympic stadiums, Sweetwater is here to support upgrades and developments. Recording arts is a job in itself; yours is music!

The rumored Spotify Supremium plan will reportedly include high-fidelity audio, advanced mixing tools, 30 hours of monthly audiobook access, and more. Photo Credit: Thibault Penin

Back in June, reports indicated that Spotify was prepping a “Supremium” tier – including long-awaited HiFi audio – for a 2023 launch. Now, new details about the plan, its possible price and features among them, have emerged.

An inquisitive Redditor by the name of Hypixely, who is per his or her profile a computer science student, just recently penned an in-depth post about Supremium. The involved information was identified through “a little digging within the Spotify app,” according to the OP as well as screenshots that seem to show the relevant Spotify code.

The aforesaid reports, besides noting that the streaming platform was teeing up the debut of Supremium, claimed certain Spotify premium users would receive free monthly audiobook credits starting in October.

Then, closer to September’s beginning, different sources communicated that these paid Spotify users would specifically benefit from 20 hours of monthly audiobook access at no additional cost. Bearing in mind the point, the eagle-eyed Redditor’s examination of Spotify code further uncovered evidence of the 20 hours’ worth of complimentary audiobook listening for paid users.

But Supremium (known internally as “Nemo”) will according to the same source come with 30 hours of monthly audiobook listening and “24-bit, high-fidelity sound.”

Building upon the latter title, the “HiFi” descriptor doesn’t appear in the code, which refers to the package as “Spotify’s top tier experience for the sound obsessed,” the Redditor relayed.

Also part of the reportedly $19.99-per-month package are the “ability to make playlists with AI” and enhanced library filtering tools, per the findings. These tools, the summary states, would enable one to organize saved songs “by mood, activity, and genre.”

Meanwhile, perhaps the most noteworthy of the reportedly in-the-works Supremium features (save the higher-quality audio) are “advanced mixing tools.” The tools would “let you be the DJ” and are said to include options to customize playlists’ track order by BPM, “danceability,” or through a seemingly AI-powered “‘smart order’” tool designed to craft “the best sequence using key and tempo.”

The mixing tools also encompass playlist-specific mood and genre filters, per the resource, and the ability to allow “smooth transitions” via “cue points.” Lastly, an offering called “Soundcheck” (Spotify has a plugin of the same name) would afford subscribers the chance to “learn more about” their listening habits and determine the “mix of sounds” that appeals to their unique preferences, according to Hypixely’s post.

Predictably, Spotify hadn’t confirmed or denied its Supremium plans at the time of this writing, instead opting to put out a noncommittal statement on the subject. But logic and evidence suggest that a formal announcement will arrive sooner rather than later – particularly as the platform’s major-label partners continue to clamor for higher ARPU and adjacent superfan buildouts.

ThreeDee Music founder and CEO Matthias Stalter, whose company has partnered with TuneCore Germany. Photo Credit: TuneCore

TuneCore Germany and spatial audio company ThreeDee Music have announced a tie-up that they say will enable the Believe-owned distributor’s artists to “obtain Dolby Atmos mixes at attractive rates.”

Berlin-based TuneCore Germany and London- and Munich-headquartered ThreeDee Music emailed DMN this morning about their “path-breaking collaboration.” Founded in 2021 by Abbey Road Studios producer Matthias Stalter, ThreeDee is said to be “on track to become a market leader in 3D music production” for Central Europe this year.

On this front, the two-year-old company’s independent team and “wide spectrum of expertise” allow for “significantly” shortened production times as well as work that “lives up to the highest audiophile standards,” according to execs. Besides production, ThreeDee offers recording, mixing, mastering, and composition services (or “writing and composing songs that are made to measure for music in spatial audio”), its website shows.

Back to the ThreeDee-TuneCore union, the aforesaid Dolby Atmos mixes at attractive rates are specifically available to the distributor’s artists in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, TuneCore Germany head Colin Eger communicated. “We firmly believe that independent artists should have access to the latest technologies to present their music on the highest level possible,” the former Warner Music higher-up Eger also said.

And in remarks of his own, ThreeDee’s previously mentioned founder and CEO, Matthias Stalter, elaborated upon the partnership’s perceived significance for indie professionals.

“A shared interest has always been to make music productions in 3D accessible on the highest possible level to a much wider and broader audience,” Stalter relayed in part. “Through our cooperation we are now able to support independent artists to present their songs in a completely new format and to wow their fans with an immersive listening experience, a feat which until now was reserved for major acts only.”

Earlier this year, George Ezra released six re-recorded tracks in spatial audio as part of a deal with Amazon Music, and China’s NetEase Cloud Music in late May announced Dolby Atmos support. More recently, Universal Music Germany in July inked a separate agreement with ThreeDee, covering Dolby Atmos production on frontline releases as well as certain catalog projects.

Then, ThreeDee last week scored a different pact yet, this time with Hamburg-based dance label People Want to Dance. The latter was established in 2022 by Andreas Weitkämper (previously a longtime Warner Music exec) and Busy Und Aggro Agency founder Ekki Klages.

(Photo Credit: Rawpixel.com on Freepik)

As the march towards more realistic entertainment environments continues, the music industry is potentially diving headfirst into 3D audio. IRCAM Amplify is one player attempting to eradicate the barriers to adoption.

Spatial audio’s immersive and dimensional aspect — and its appeal to the larger music audience — isn’t exactly a novel concept for industry mega-players like Apple Music, Sony, or Microsoft. But is there a tipping point ahead into 3D audio ubiquity?

According to a study published in Fortune Business Insights, the global 3D audio market was worth $3.8 billion in 2019. The study’s prediction that it could grow to a whopping $12.97 billion by the end of 2026 now seems highly convincing. 2021 saw major streaming giants Apple Music and Amazon Music stepping into the 3D audio realm.

In January, Apple’s VP of Services Eddie Cue reported that Apple Music listeners more than tripled the platform launched a spatial audio feature, and monthly plays grew by over 1,000%. Apple Music also partnered with Mercedes-Benz to bring the treasure trove of spatial audio to drivers around the world. Now celebrating its success, the streaming giant is calling spatial audio ‘the future of the music industry.’

But for a majority of music industry players, the re-creation of stereo recordings and synthesized sound (both new and old releases) into a multi-dimensional 3D listening experience has been daunting. Labels, producers, and distributors currently wrestle with significant obstacles to 3D audio conversion.

There are different takes on how much work the transition to spatial audio requires. But for many, the conversion of tracks is incredibly expensive, takes too much time, and is highly technically demanding. Naturally, large-scale implementation isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Already, a number of players are emerging to solve these problems for content owners and creators. One company, IRCAM Amplify, is enabling wider access to intricate 3D audio technology. By reducing entry barriers, the company says it will expedite the transition of music into an immersive 3D audio experience.

IRCAM Amplify, a subsidiary of France’s premier audio research institute IRCAM, says it is ‘situated at the forefront of audio innovation,’ and is ‘dedicated to democratizing 3D audio technology.’ The company recently joined forces with DMN to further expand its industry-changing technology.

Frédéric Amadu, CTO of IRCAM Amplify, told DMN that artists and distributors can now effortlessly process songs into 3D audio. “The transition requires minimal technical knowledge and a manageable budget,” he added.

Amadu says IRCAM Amplify’s mission is to make their 3D audio conversion engines accessible to the gamut of industry players — including mega labels, indie artists, distributors, and ‘even bedroom producers.’

Speaking about the existing constraints around large-scale audio spatialization, Amadu said the current pathway to 3D transition requires specialized studios with specific tech equipment. “While these studios are adept at processing individual tracks, challenges arise with mass spatialization.”

Amadu explains that this ‘one-track-at-a-time’ conversion process is highly unfeasible for catalog owners, because it requires a significant investment of time and money. “That’s where IRCAM Amplify steps in. We provide a scalable solution for mass-spatialization of catalog tracks, quickly and cost-effectively.”

With the ability to convert large numbers of catalog tracks into spatial audio at a reasonable price, the company is promoting large-scale adoption of the technology.

The timing might be perfect. Catalog tracks well-recorded for their time — and worth millions and millions of dollars — are now on the verge of quickly sounding ‘outdated.’

For a publisher that owns multiple artist catalogs, conversion of hundreds of tracks into 3D could be a laborious, back-breaking project. Nonetheless, this transition is becoming imperative. If publishers want to continue to monetize their catalogs, they need to find a way to transition their libraries into 3D audio — without an exorbitant price tag.

According to IRCAM, this move to spatial audio will not only ‘revolutionize the listener experience,’ but also ‘broaden the reach of catalog tracks’ that are currently gathering dust without an audience: “As the demand for 3D audio grows, the transition to spatial audio will also increase IP value.”

Amadu says these old catalog recordings, originally produced without any spatial formats in mind, could be ‘reinvigorated and revitalized to gain a new lease on life.’

“Many artists, companies, and distributors are ready to shift to 3D audio. However, they give up because the learning curve is too high and they think it’s too complex. With IRCAM Amplify, any distributor can create 3D audio versions of their tracks in seconds.”

Old recordings, created without any spatial formats in mind, could be ‘reinvigorated and revitalized,’ (Photo Credit: Mikes-Photography)

Amadu emphasizes that IRCAM Amplify aims to democratize 3D to ensure the transition is no longer prohibitive to anyone in the business.

While discussing the challenges artists, labels, and publishers face with audio spatialization, Amadu questioned whether it’s even practical or sustainable for anyone to be spending thousands of dollars on 3D conversion. “Even the most affluent labels might balk at such an expenditure. It’s simply not a feasible approach. So we’re providing a cost-effective solution as an add-on service, offered directly by distributors and labels. This will make large-scale spatialization easily accessible and financially viable.”

Amadu explains how IRCAM Amplify’s AI-powered engine is trained to understand and dissect the DNA of any song — old or new. “Running an automated algorithm that analyzes the track, understanding what it’s made of, what the mastering is like — that knowledge and understanding paves the path for spatial transformation that offers pure excellence.”

IRCAM Amplify launched their AI-powered spatial audio engine beta in May.

Indie artists’ music distributor Believe, and its subsidiary Tunecore, have already joined forces with IRCAM Amplify. The spatial audio beta offers a user-friendly interface that fine-tunes the spatialization process.

IRCAM Amplify’s beta also brings comprehensive support for multiple formats, and easy online access via a simple API. Artists can customize their spatialization approach by adding effects to audio, and incorporate special treatments to the new versions of their tracks. If required, the company’s conversion engine can also accentuate specific instruments or facets of a song. This will create a highly immersive and enhanced 3D experience for the audience. The company believes that this level of detail in customization validates artists’ aesthetic preferences, so the final output aligns with their vision.

With 3D audio gaining listeners and catalog conversions, it will be interesting to see where the format goes next. Amadu believes their AI engine will ‘empower players of the digital music industry.’

As streaming services quickly make the switch to immersive audio experiences, listeners could soon expect 3D audio as a necessity.

And that’s just the beginning. The possibility of wider industry applications include larger scale implementation of potentially realistic simulations of live concerts. As phone manufacturers and other fidelity products make hardware updates that support 3D sound, the future of this immersive experience appears limitless.

This spotlight on spatial audio formats is also drawing attention to another benefit — mental wellbeing. According to a Japanese study, 3D audio’s high-res sound alongside inaudible high-frequency components induce relaxation and boost attention even without conscious awareness. Does that mean we’ll soon find spatialized podcasts, audiobooks, and other similar formats?

From the outset, it does appear like 3D audio could quickly encompass every piece of audio. But it’s important to remember that every few years, new ‘promising’ high-res formats emerge — claiming they’ll change the music world.

So maybe we soon inhabit a world where every recorded piece of audio features sonic immersion. Or, something new and even better will surface to take 3D’s place.

For now, spatialization is improving sound quality and we’re here for it. A sensory 3D space, with sounds emerging from all around us, is edging us closer to audio reality.

Artists, distributors, labels, producers, and digital music companies can streamline entry into immersive 3D formats by participating in IRCAM Amplify Beta here.

A nighttime shot of Hangzhou, where NetEase is based. Photo Credit: Kana Toyama

As competition between China’s foremost streaming players continues to heat up, NetEase Cloud Music has announced support for Dolby Atmos “across its vast music library.”

NetEase Cloud Music (HKEX: 9899) emailed Digital Music News about its Dolby Atmos integration, and the announcement arrives just days after the platform’s Tencent Music rival posted seemingly solid first-quarter financials. According to the NetEase-owned music service, the spatial-audio technology already extends to “smartphones from many renowned brands” as well as “vehicle models from leading automakers.”

And during the remainder of 2023, Hangzhou-based Cloud Music says it intends to make Atmos available to users through “the home music space” and “Intelligent Connected Vehicles.” Meanwhile, the decade-old platform, which reported having an average of 189.4 million monthly active users in 2022, also took the opportunity to emphasize its perceived status as “the most popular entertainment app among China’s vibrant Generation Z community.”

In keeping with the latter claim, higher-ups noted that Atmos will reach the works of (Universal Music Group acts) Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Imagine Dragons, and Sam Smith out of the gate. Driving home the on-platform presence of releases from well-known international artists, Smith provided a brief statement about Cloud Music’s Dolby Atmos addition.

“I’m so happy that fans can listen to my music in a whole new way with sounds all around you. Introducing spatial audio ft. Dolby Atmos, now available on NetEase Cloud Music,” communicated the 31-year-old, whose ongoing world tour includes stops in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong alike.

Now the world’s fifth-largest music market, according to the IFPI, China has as of late demonstrated its vast commercial potential for both emerging and veteran artists.

The Backstreet Boys last year drew a reported 44.2 million viewers to a concert and Q&A broadcast on Tencent’s WeChat, for instance, whereas sales data shows that the aforementioned Taylor Swift moved a substantial number of digital copies of Midnights on Tencent Music’s QQ and NetEase Cloud Music. More recently, BTS agency Hybe and its SM Entertainment competitor relayed that they’d achieved continued growth in China during Q1.

Especially because each of the major labels – Sony Music (which owns a sizable piece of NetEase Cloud Music), Warner Music, and the previously noted Universal Music – has taken far-reaching steps to develop a presence in the nation of about 1.4 billion residents, it’ll be worth keeping a close eye on the revenue possibilities of China moving forward.

NetEase Cloud Music alone reported 2022 income of about $1.28 billion (factoring based upon the current exchange rate), whereas Tencent Music indicated last week that it had generated over $1 billion – and north of $171 million in profit – during 2023’s opening quarter.

Future proof your tracks by getting up to date with Dolby Atmos, a new standard of music.

The following comes from AlexProMix, a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.

AlexProMix helps record labels get exposure on their artists’ music by providing Dolby Atmos mixes to music companies. Today, African-based distributor and publisher M.A.D Solutions announces their exclusive deal with AlexProMix, as their only Dolby Atmos mixer.

Dolby Atmos made accessible for record labels 

Spatial Audio is how music lovers and consumers experience immersive music mixes made in Dolby Atmos and available on music streaming platforms today. For that, we have to thank Apple Music, who added the Dolby Atmos format to all its users’ libraries. At no extra costs, the listening experience got more immersive for everyone, and all rival platforms are aligning with the offer.

For AlexProMix’s team, the analysis is clear. Dolby Atmos is well on its way to become a new music industry standard. The format needs to be added to artists’ development strategies to be able to compete on these very platforms, but also to keep up with the sound quality available.

There is a momentum on Spatial Audio, and no music company should miss it. Dolby Atmos helps getting more exposure and making more of an impact on music streaming platforms, which can help artists on the rise.

High quality for the rise of African artists

On another note, Africa is now one of the most promising markets for the music industry, and more specifically for the streaming industry. We’re even seeing streaming revenue projections reaching $314 million for 2026. Added to the fact that Dolby Atmos is now taking up more space on these platforms, the strategy unravels itself.

Understandably, music from the African continent has been buzzing with interest from the industry. So much so that some major music companies are even looking to tie partnerships with local music companies to take on Nigerian or South African artists on the international scene.

M.A.D Solutions has been working with artists such as Reekado Banks, P-Square, Simi… All African artists emerging on an international level, ready to be promoted worldwide. AlexProMix is here to help them with that.

The best of Dolby Atmos mixing for M.A.D Solutions by AlexProMix

To make sure that their artists get the best exposure possible, M.A.D Solutions is teaming up with AlexProMix as their exclusive Dolby Atmos mixer. All tracks, from new releases to back catalog, will go through Alex Solano (founder and CEO) to get the Dolby Atmos master.

In signing this exclusive deal, M.A.D Solutions is securing a long term relationship with an already acculturated partner to their catalog. Dolby Atmos adoption rate is growing at an impressive speed among the main music platforms in the world. M.A.D Solutions is staying ahead of the curve and building their presence in Dolby Atmos, with the help of AlexProMix.

About M.A.D Solutions

M.A.D Solutions is Africa’s leading music distribution & publishing, digital marketing, and label service provider with business operations in the US, Canada, South Africa, and Nigeria.

About AlexProMix

AlexProMix helps record labels and distributors to grow from the exposure provided by Dolby Atmos, generating more revenue from streaming. The founder, Alex Solano, has been working in the music industry for about 20 years and has delivered over 100 mixes in Dolby Atmos during the last year.

Photo Credit: Klaus Heymann © HNH International Ltd

Klaus Heymann, founder of the Naxos classical label, discusses digital distribution, supporting new artists, and classical education in a drastically changing music climate.

When Klaus Heymann entered the classical space in the 1980s, his label Naxos delivered affordable access to the works of Dvořák, Smetana, Aaron Copland, and dozens of other composers. But the orchestras playing these greats were relatively unknown to Western audiences. On Naxos’ budget-friendly cassettes and CDs, the secret and magical world of Eastern European orchestras broadened the horizons of many classical music buffs.

In 1996, Naxos was the first to jump into the digital space by launching the music streaming platform HNH.com. Back then, streaming was nothing but a fantasy — a madman’s fantasy. Things moved quickly from that initial entrance, thanks to a forward-leaning disposition. Musically, Naxos rapidly spread into a variety of classical categories.

Today, Klaus proudly calls Naxos a ‘complicated company,’ saying, “We’re complicated because we’re the only ones who do everything. We are a label, a classical label, but we also own ten other labels. We do opera and cooperate with all the major opera houses in Europe, including the Royal Opera House. We are also in digital and physical distribution, with the infrastructure to support it all.”

Naxos celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. They’ve had a busy three-and-a-half decades.

In 2003, Naxos launched the Naxos Music Library Subscription platform and the Naxos Spoken Word Library. The Naxos Music Library Jazz emerged in 2005, and in 2007, Naxos launched its download platform, ClassicsOnline. Subsequently, Naxos launched apps and ebooks under Naxos Multimedia. The  Naxos Video Library surfaced in 2011.

2014 triggered further Naxos investment in high-definition lossless streaming and downloading. In 2015, the company launched the database, Naxosworks.com, followed by the Naxos Music Library World.

Between 2020 and 2022, Naxos kicked into high gear with the launch of Naxos Music Library 3.0, the Naxos MusicBox, and  the Naxos Moods playlist app.

Discussing the state of classical music in the digital world today, Heymann said, “With digital and physical distribution, we know what everybody else is selling, where they are selling it, and how they are selling it. That’s a good position to be in.”

According to the BBC, figures from recording industry association BPI showed that classical music was a fast-growing genre in 2018 and 2019, with streaming accounting for 25% of classical consumption.

These numbers were buoyed by artists like Andrea Bocelli, Katherine Jenkins, and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and in 2019, sales and streams of the classical genre increased by 10.2%. Classical music made a good case for growth compared to the 5.7% growth in music consumption across other genres that year. In fact, with physical sales declining across all genres in 2019, sales of classical CDs increased by 6.9%. While the overall streaming market grew 33% in 2019, classical music streams rose 42% — and DMN is thrilled to be partnering with Naxos to expand that level of growth further.

Naxos is also well-known for supporting up-and-coming performers, boosting careers, and getting involved on the performance side.

The Naxos’ affiliated label Grand Piano (2022 marks its 10th anniversary)records long-lost, unrecorded, and valuable pieces and has a sub-label named Grand Piano Overtone. The label features works by pianists played by the pianists themselves. The company’s commitment to its long-term goal of supporting young artists, discovering talent, and helping establish their careers saw artists like Tianwa Yang, Boris Giltburg, and Gabriel Schwabe emerge as major artists.

To further this goal of uplifting new artists, Naxos also sponsors major international competitions such as the Beethoven International Piano Competition (Vienna) and the International Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition (Vienna).

With libraries and masterclass audiovisual recordings, Naxos is also credited with classical music education for professionals and the general population.

Naxos makes its Classical Music, World, Jazz, Spoken Word, and Video Libraries available to universities and public libraries worldwide. Acquiring high-quality masterclass audiovisual recordings to educate young musicians, Naxos believes starting music education at a young age makes all the difference. Another significant reflection of their commitment is the label’s best-selling ‘My First’ children’s book series, which includes My First Classical Music Book, My First Orchestra Book, and My First Piano Book. The label also launched an online music education platform, Naxos MusicBox, designed for kids aged 4-14.

We spoke to Klaus about emerging opportunities for new musicians in a competitive music space, music cataloging, and the future of classical music and video.

DMN: We’ve witnessed an absolute explosion in video formats over the past decade. People love going to concerts, but are they interested in watching a video of a concert?

Klaus Heymann: I think video is here to stay. Most of our new recordings are produced in both audio and video. If you look at the number of streams of an audio-only track on YouTube and a track with video, there’s no comparison. It’s like 10, 15, 20 times the number of streams. So we’re spending a lot of money on video. And we also produce a great deal of video content, including opera, ballet, and theater. We are also creating video versions of our 500 most frequently streamed tracks.

DMN: For classical musicians, do you feel like there are more opportunities now than there were ten years ago, or is it a more challenging space?

Klaus Heymann: I would say yes and no. The level of teaching at music schools is much higher than it was 30 or 40 years ago. There are many more opportunities, but there’s also more competition. The standard of playing, in general, has risen dramatically.

Many young musicians who work hard will never be able to make a living from playing their instrument. If they are lucky, perhaps 10% [would succeed]. So what are they going to do? Are they going to teach? Have they been taught how to teach? Do they know how to make a music video? Do they know how to build a mailing list? [They need to] learn as much as they can about other things they can use to make a living and hopefully do something connected to music. The fact that they can self-promote is a huge advantage. Recording is now very economical.

Producing a recording has become much easier and cheaper — a mixing console today is only the size of my laptop and costs only a fraction of what similar equipment used to cost five or ten years ago. And artists can easily upload their recordings to most DSPs. Getting people to listen to them, however, is a lot more complicated.

DMN: Why is the skill and performance level so much higher now than before?

Klaus Heymann: If you look at the faculties of leading music schools, they are far more international than they used to be. Half the faculties are Italian, German, or Russian. At the same time, there’s more quality educational material available online — masterclasses by real masters on YouTube and primary instrumental teaching on specialized platforms.

DMN: Is there a way to get audiences excited about some composers of the past who are no longer known today?

Klaus Heymann: Naxos today is a label of discovery, whereas before, it covered mostly standard repertoire. But we also produce programs such as ‘Great Composers in Words and Music.’ The lively texts are written by a musicologist in New Zealand, while our audiobook division produces the audio. We plan to continue focusing on discovering new repertoire while paying attention to education.

DMN: With so much important work done by Naxos in recording a wide range of classical music, how much more music do you feel is out there to be recorded in 2022?

Klaus Heymann: Years ago, I was participating in a music conference, and at the end, there was a seminar about ‘Has everything worth recording already been recorded?’

If you study the history of music, you realize that about maybe 2 million hours of music have been composed since — let’s say — the early renaissance to modern times. If you study the record catalogs, about 100,000 hours of unduplicated repertoire have been recorded. Therefore, we have 1.9 million hours of music to record before we have recorded everything.

There is so much music you discover almost every day. I’m just working with a German opera house about recording the operas by Heinrich Marschner — the most important opera composer in Germany between Weber and Wagner. And then I found the composer had written seven very nice piano trios. He wrote fifteen operas, and only two of them have been recorded. If you go into the history of music, you find new repertoire all the time, and a lot of it is really enjoyable.

DMN: Since 2015, you have been building one of the more comprehensive databases of classical music. Is there ever going to be something that includes all compositions ever recorded?

Klaus Heymann: For every new release, we add those data to that database — so it’s constantly up to date. Everybody agrees that our metadata is the most complete. One of the big mega platforms tried to get our data, but they didn’t want to pay for it. I think [I said] about ten or fifteen years ago, in the world of streaming and downloading, whoever has the best metadata will have the biggest business. I’ve been proven right.

DMN: Naxos has been on a spree of acquisitions, growth, and more. So what’s Naxos doing right now?

Heymann: In 2016, Naxos launched a joint venture with long-term strategic business partner Kuke Music [Holding Limited (NYSE: KUKE)] to establish Naxos China. This JV focused mainly on Chinese classical music and musicians, alongside the distribution and licensing business in China. Naxos also has offices in Austria, Norway, and other countries. Over the years, it acquired various European labels and production houses, including Dynamic, Belvedere, ARC Music, Opus Arte, Oehms Classics, and others. It also acquired the Vox Classics catalog.

In 2017, Heymann received a Special Achievement Award from the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), recognizing his entrepreneurial role in the visionary development of the classical music recording industry. Heymann recently celebrated his 86th birthday.

Naxos has won more than thirty Grammy Awards, numerous Penguin Guide 3-star recommendations, and multiple Gramophone Editor’s Choice Awards, among many other international honors.

By offloading CPU loads onto the Graphical Processing Unit, GPU Audio is placing a powerful and underexploited parallel processor at the center of music production. The shift could have massive implications for the emerging music metaverse, AI, resource-intensive production environments, collaboration platforms, and bandwidth-demanding concert live streams. The company might provide the critical backbone required to support a myriad of fast-emerging music industry sub-categories.

Keeping up with the breakneck music industry of 2022 is a difficult task. Once upon a time, billions of streams were dazzling enough – now the industry is bursting with avatar bands, metaverse livestreams, increasingly-sophisticated DAW or plugin options, emerging collaborative platforms, NFT surges and flops, and resource-intensive, immersive audio experiences.

It’s a dizzying explosion — especially when it comes to the topic of powering it all. Concepts like complex spatial audio environments and real-time jamming sound great on paper, but is there enough processing power for all of it?

Graphic cards — or GPUs — are underexploited processing powerhouses capable of more than just graphics, and can take a good beating with massive amounts of workload. They are the backbone of the modern AI industry, the infrastructure of metaverses, and now—the future of audio?

As advancements in tech surpass imagination, computing demands for audio dutifully follow. Upgraded tech like spatial audio, neural networks, machine-learning-based plugins, and heavy virtual analog plugins now highlight a massive need for music developers. A new ‘standard of processing’ is needed to go where tech is going.

The pro-audio industry has tried numerous prospective solutions, from SHARC to FPGAs. But no company has successfully enabled the underutilized power of graphic cards. The tech had been thoroughly idealized yet never effectively executed due to the fundamental differences between GPU architecture and the sequential nature of audio processing.

Now, Los Angeles-based GPU Audio is tapping into the remarkable power of built-in GPUs for audio production and attempting to change the face of a multitude of other industries.

Currently the only company able to fully exploit the processing capability of built-in GPUs, GPU Audio founders refer to themselves as ‘unlockers’ and ‘enablers’ of  ‘accelerated audio computing.’

Judging from initial user feedback, the company appears to be filling a real gap in the industry. Alexander “Sasha” Talashov, co-founder and co-CEO at GPU Audio, described the company as ‘a conductive layer that connects companies, complex tasks, and systems.’ Just recently, the company joined forces with DMN to broaden adoption and accelerate the growth of this powerful solution.

GPU Audio launched its Early Access plugin at NAMM, and it’s already being touted as a solution that brings parallel processing back to the forefront of music production. Post NAMM drop, GPU Audio’s pre-beta users increased 33-times this summer and currently stand at over 20,000 users — up from 600 in the first couple of days of June. Just weeks ago, they further released the “Beta Suite” featuring a growing toolset of audio plugins, beginning with classic, mainstay effects: Flanger, Phaser, and Chorus.

Talashov spoke about the company’s broader mission of establishing new standards for pro-audio, and enabling connections to other computing technology advancements. According to Talashov, a good example is the current VST3 standard. “The VST3 doesn’t provide any new features; it doesn’t connect us with anything. No new hardware, no new software, no new bridges to the rest of the world. So we began there — by connecting it to the GPU.”

Speaking about building this bridge with GPUs, Talashov added, “This is not only connecting platforms — it’s connecting industries.”

It’s no secret that processing power bottlenecking has always been the bane of the pro-audio industry.

Fiendish latency has destroyed the sanity of audio producers everywhere. Then there’s trouble rendering out STEMS, summing a group of mixes, or having to freeze or export and import tracks to save DSP power. But even an investment in expensive hardware fails to defeat bad renders, off-beat STEM processing, and choppy audio workflows in Dolby Atmos. Despite the considerable advances in Apple silicon, walk into an Atmos-certified studio, and you still find engineers using two or three computers to execute projects.

The economics of tapping into existing GPUs versus purchasing expensive hardware is grabbing user attention.

A bottleneck-free hardware setup can easily cost $4,000 or more when purchasing computing power for mixing tracks live. In comparison, a $900 hardware setup will run programs that usually require external acceleration hardware or expensive desktop-grade solutions. By enabling existing GPUs, users can fire up a neural GP, amplifiers, processing, and other essentials with huge performance implications.

Speaking about what GPU Audio is doing, fellow co-founder Jonathan Rowden said, “We greatly power up spatial audio tools. We speed up machine learning and AI tools – even the basics. Tools that use GPU Audio will turn your GPU into a DSP accelerator, saving your CPU headroom for other tasks.”

And what about Apple’s second generation M2 — the buzz that these chips are the ultimate, much-needed native hardware upgrade for track processing?

Speaking about these latest Macbook processors, Rowden appeared unconcerned. “People talk about M1 and M2 MacBook processors as though these eliminate the need for acceleration, but there are still limitations when ‘going native’ for consumer-grade systems. Apple silicon also has GPUs, and we’ll be enabling and unlocking those as well. We’re already working with Apple on solving this and the results are extremely promising. The feature will be available in Early Access in just a few weeks–or less.”

Already, the company has raised $6 million. With its current valuation, GPU Audio could be approaching its Series A by the Spring of 2023.

Talking about what’s coming within the next few months, Talashov said, “If you have a Windows laptop, you can download it today. Our first Beta Suite Bundle was made public on October 8th. It’s compatible on PCs with NVIDIA GPUs. AMD support is now in ‘Early Access’ and available on the PRO Driver based GPUs. Internally, we already have Mac OS support for M1 and M2 GPUs, along with AAX support for ProTools – and before long, users can test this in early access.”

As the system is developed, there’s also the promise of exciting implications for real-time collaboration. Cloud-based DSPs can provide real-time, non-destructive workflow opportunities that could change the game in myriad industries. Rowden elaborated on this, saying, “We operate on the grounds of core-level innovation. GPU Audio can make audio renders available instantly. We can get rid of the export button. Imagine how a simple feature can change the game of how companies design the future of workflows and the impact it will have on creative output – from such a fundamental level.”

GPU Audio is focused on the tech’s scalability and upgradability, and is acutely interested in collaborating with third parties to develop products. Speaking about this, Rowden clarified, “This is what we mean by bridging accelerated computing and pro-audio. This tech is a new standard that we believe can be used anywhere.”

With grand plans of tech applications in various industries, GPU Audio claims it will ‘power the future of audio from music to metaverse’ – and company execs are pretty convincing when they explain how.

From the accelerating computational needs of gamers and PC users to manufacturing industries running mammoth equipment for complicated computations, unlocking the potential of GPUs is what gets the ball rolling.

According to Rowden, “Anywhere a GPU is present, GPU Audio powered applications will be able to harvest its power.”

In the final weeks of October, the GPU hardware powerhouse AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) also invited GPU Audio as guests to the Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles. Rowden called AMD one of their ‘strongest supporters,’ and added, “AMD wants to bring GPU-accelerated audio processing to their creative users – video and graphics creators. Senior leaders at AMD expressed that everything their creative user base needs is accelerated by GPUs, and it makes sense to expand this to audio.”

For AI and machine learning, GPU’s highly parallel nature will process and accelerate workloads.

Designing robotics, industrial equipment, and autonomous vehicles require data input from various sources and sensors, such as video equipment and audio sensors. New neural network models, techniques, and use cases appear rapidly. For speech and image recognition demands and other language processing, GPUs accelerate data ingestion and expedite the entire AI workflow. With the acute interest and support of leaders at multiple GPU hardware companies, GPU Audio is working on a backend and front-end solution for making AI-based audio applications faster and more powerful.

And what about web3 and the metaverse?

GPUs may also supply the enormous computing power needed by web3 developers, so the industry can tackle the massive amounts of channels and pathways that go into metaverse creations.

Rowden is clearly thinking big. “Because GPU Audio utilizes a source of compute that makes up a vast processing infrastructure – especially cloud-based – it stands as the most powerful potential resource for the future of cloud-based DSP. This has massive implications for metaverse and web3-focused projects,” he explained, adding, “GPU powered plugins will be easily deployed on the cloud, and it won’t stop there.”

GPU Audio aims to facilitate realistic immersive experiences in the metaverse by ‘enabling’ the tech that allows a network of cross-communicating and connected virtual worlds. It will also unlock advanced AI executions.

On this front, US-based NVIDIA, a world-leading designer and manufacturer of GPUs, chipsets, and other multimedia software has also taken an interest in what GPU Audio can bring to the table. NVIDIA has asked the company to implement more focused efforts on the development of AI advancement tools and metaverse applications.

NVIDIA is currently developing Omniverse, a collaboration platform for developing metaverses and related products and ecosystems. As that initiative takes root, NVIDIA is now exploring how GPU Audio processing can transform the ‘cost’ of audio processing bottlenecks into an advantage on their cloud.

This is just one example of the pioneering tech that GPU Audio says will change the world – as they continue to enable GPU solutions.

GPU Audio greatly encourages anyone interested to join their more than 20,000 users to participate in Beta and Early Access Testing. Beta addresses the production suite of plugins, while Early Access features a convolution reverb to address new features like Mac M1/2 support before it reaches beta.

Please contact Jonathan Rowden at jonathan@braingines.com (or LinkedIn here) to learn more.

Photo Credit: Sebastiaan Chia

Is a new $20 Spotify Platinum tier coming to the music streaming service soon? Here’s what we know.

Over the weekend, 9to5Mac reported on a new survey option that appears to be shown to those who are canceling their Spotify subscriptions. The survey was offered to someone who is canceling their Spotify subscription after ten years and asks if they would reconsider switching back ‘in the next 30 days.’

The reader provided an image of the proposed Spotify plan dubbed ‘Platinum,’ which would cost $19.99 a month. Some of the perks of Spotify Platinum include:

• HiFi
• Studio Sound
• Headphone Tuner
• Audio Insights
• Library Pro
• Playlist Pro
• Limited-Ad Spotify Podcasts

That particular point has been a sticking point for many Spotify Premium subscribers, who don’t want ads in their podcasts. Spotify’s current offerings are its Individual and Duo plans, which offer ad-free music listening, play anywhere, even offline, and on-demand playback for either one or two accounts.

If Spotify rolls out its Platinum plan as advertised in this survey, it would be the first move to roll out Spotify HiFi in a year. Spotify announced it was working on a HiFi plan in 2021, just a few months before Apple launched its lossless audio and spatial audio features for no additional cost. That likely threw a wrench in Spotify’s plans to offer a higher-tier audio experience–since Apple Music offers that as a baseline now.

Spotify is hoping to bundle other features like a headphone tuner and reduced ads when listening to podcasts as an additional reason to offer a higher-priced music streaming plan. It’s unclear what the Library Pro and Playlist Pro features would bring to the table, either.

It’s also unclear why anyone who uses Apple products almost exclusively would opt for Spotify at this point. For $10 more, you get lossless Apple Music, $2TB of iCloud storage, and access to Apple TV+, News+, Fitness+, and Apple Arcade for the entire family.

Beijing, China. Photo Credit: zhang kaiyv

With competition between domestic streaming players ramping up, Tencent Music’s QQ Music has officially become the first Chinese service to integrate Dolby Atmos.

Dolby and Tencent Music, which operates QQ Music alongside Kugou, Kuwo, and the WeSing karaoke app, just recently unveiled their pact via a formal release. The development represents one component of a broader strategic partnership between Dolby and the Tencent-owned streaming company, which intend to “make music in Dolby Atmos more accessible in China” moving forward.

For now, though, the newly finalized deal is granting QQ Music SVIP subscribers – and specifically those who use the platform via Android smartphones – access to a Dolby Atmos library that spans “a wide range of music genres.”

Said library currently features certain tracks from international artists (Ed Sheeran, Sia, Coldplay) as well as releases from Chinese acts such as Buyi Mao (389,362 monthly Spotify listeners), Mayday (968,814), Jam Hsiao (508,988), and Tia Ray (442,914).

Additionally, 37-year-old Tia Ray, composer Lei Qian, and others touted QQ Music’s Dolby Atmos support in statements.

“Dolby Atmos enables us to open our mind when creating music, introducing new rich depths of sound,” said Ray, who previously received an award from China’s seldom-discussed Migu Music streaming service. “It allows me to see my music in a new way. I hope that music fans on QQ Music will enjoy the phenomenal experience I enjoyed when I first heard my music in Dolby Atmos.”

Lastly, regarding Tencent Music’s long-term vision for Dolby Atmos, the Shenzhen-based company plans “to soon expand access to Dolby Atmos to more use cases, such as vehicles equipped with Dolby Atmos,” execs made clear.

The Tencent Music-Dolby tie-up arrives amid continued music industry growth in China, where companies including Sony Music and Live Nation are actively working to bolster their respective operations.

Specifically on the streaming front, however, Tencent Music reported a 31.7 percent year-over-year jump in paid users for Q1 2022, when revenue approached $1 billion. The Sony Music-backed parent company of NetEase Cloud Music (which is embroiled in a lawsuit with Tencent Music) is likewise taking steps to attract users in the nation of 1.4 billion. Plus, TikTok parent ByteDance in late April debuted in the streaming arena with a platform called Qishui Yinyue.

Prior to the latter’s launch, 2021 saw the Chinese government crack down on Tencent Music – including by outlawing exclusive music deals that had helped the service to get an edge on the competition. Since then, the business has shifted its focus to strategic agreements and bringing China-based artists to international fans, to name some areas.

Meanwhile, in a testament to the Chinese music market’s unique preferences, veteran acts like The Backstreet Boys are still enjoying massive followings in China, where the behaviors of livestreamers, influencers, celebrities, and other entertainment professionals remain a prime concern for government officials.

VEVA Collect is emerging as a premier collaborative platform for musicians worldwide—ensuring everyone involved in the recording process is synched up, properly credited and compensated. Here’s a detailed look at the platform, and how musicians and artists can make the most of it.

Every music producer, songwriter, artist, or engineer has a need to effectively share, store, and protect tracks. But few platforms are tailored specifically for the complex details surrounding music collaboration.

Utilized by top Grammy-winning producers and engineers — with credits like Adele, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and many more — VEVA Collect was created with one goal in mind: to set a new standard for how metadata and music production is handled during the collaborative process.

A product of US-based VEVA Sound, VEVA Collect aims to simplify and organize audio production for collaborators with control over session files, credits, and metadata. Just recently, VEVA joined forces with DMN to give artists a closer look at the platform.

Artists have increasingly been utilizing the platform’s specialized features for project tracking, safe storage and sharing for files, and mixed and mastered versions — while collaborating in new and improved ways. Recently, VEVA Collect has seen an influx of artists seeking better file management and collaboration, for an accelerated and simplified workflow to track, share, and protect their work.

The feedback on this platform is worth noting. “VEVA Collect is incredible,” enthused Willie Linton, sound engineer for Post Malone and Jufu. “I’m mixing an album right now and am running the entire project through this platform. Everything it does to keep my projects organized is invaluable.”

Being touted as the world’s first, secure, cloud-based file-sharing and credits platform built exclusively for the music industry, VEVA Collect’s free account facilitates metadata and workflow management with 2GB of storage. Accurate metadata is at the center of VEVA Collect. To uphold this, Veva has partnered with Quansic for free ISNI registration for every VEVA Collect user.

For advanced features, artists can elect between paid tiers of Individual User, Pro, or Pro-Unlimited.

VEVA Collect users report a visually intuitive interface, layout, fast load times, and ease of navigation with tabbed menus. Here’s a quick look at how VEVA Collect is organized, to help you better navigate and optimize your use of the platform.

A fuss-free dashboard mimics a ‘virtual vault’. This dashboard holds everything creators need to manage a new project. Categorization is visually intuitive for enhanced engagement, placing all essentials at the forefront. Recently updated files, tracking favorites, projects and songs—all within a hyper-organized layout.

Easy-access side bar without superfluous menus. Easy-to-navigate tabbed menus guide simplified usage and streamlined focus on track workflow. The platform offers advanced organization of a large number of files — core to every single track produced by an artist.

The Favorites tab holds Files, Recordings, and Sessions. Drag-and-drop files to add, or browse your PC to upload multiple items simultaneously with fast load times and enhanced sorting options.

Create Projects for new songs. Allows tracking of all credits, songs and demos, as well as essential details like title, thumbnails, record label and artist. VEVA Collect also generates a unique project number for reference.

Song Tab streamlines the entry of critical metadata. ISWC, relevant titles, date of creation, and lyrics and all easily entered and managed. Users can also utilize the space for notes and descriptions to record directions for relevant collaborators.

Files tab for organized project management: Sort and process all multi-tracks, stems, mixes, files and notes—shareable via secure, customizable, tiered permission links.

Parties Tab guides collaboration. Define collaborative parties with unique IPI/CAE, publisher details, PRO particulars, and all other affiliation information. The platform also allows sharing of files with select collaborators at specific times, with expirable links to limit access to parties at different stages of production.

VEVA Collect’s strategy is to simplify the labor-intensive chores generated by complex music collaborations. The goal is to simplify collaboration with users all over the world by setting a sole online ‘access point.’

Here’s a look at a number of VEVA Collect features that distinguish the platform from more conventional storage and sharing options like Dropbox. These features are all geared towards musicians, producers, and other creatives.

NOT your standard ‘Dropbox’. Standard Dropbox-style platforms remain file-centric and limited, while VEVA Collect is created specifically for the music industry’s specific, extensive demands of file storage and sharing management, collaboration, and enhanced security. The platform allows musicians to control every aspect of a project from start to finish, and keep all unreleased and released projects at one reference point.

Non-compressed, Hi-Resolution files. Unlike files placed in a traditional Dropbox, artists’ work files are not compressed, resulting in Hi-Resolution files ideal for mixing engineers and label use.

Pre-injected Metadata. Fields for lists of performers and other details are pre-injected into the platform to expedite metadata entry. Every single aspect of music production is collected at one access point — lyrics, photos, press releases, videos, and canvases — optimizing how artists have performed within the music industry for decades.

Heightened control of high-value files throughout the digital music supply chain. Everything users place on VEVA Collect is DDEX compatible. This offers the ability to build a virtual vault with all multi-tracks, stems, mixes, files and notes —shareable via secure customizable, tiered permission access. Password protection of links and the ability to set expiration dates allows control of who is working on what, when, and where.

Incorporation of advanced collaborative features. Artists can structure a warehouse for all files and relevant project details, and create a hub of assets to distribute to relevant collaborators later. This feature allows management of all stems and the ability to stop shares and un-send links at the click of a button. Since users can send files directly from VEVA Collect, they also exert greater control by tracking downloads.

Industry-leading security standards match banking-level security. Assets stored on the platform are worth millions of dollars, and require more than just 2-factor authentication. With that in mind, a multitude of privacy options and fool-proof security are tailored to suit the needs of leading artists around the world. The aim is to protect high-value projects and keep collaborations private.

All files are shared with AES-256 Encryption to ensure assets are safe until artists are ready to release productions. Users can also stop shares and resend links at the click of a button. By sending files directly from VEVA Collect, project managers can also maintain control by tracking downloads.

“Every product we bring to market is built with the highest standards of data security in mind,” said VEVA Sound President Deborah Fairchild. “We are largely in the business of unreleased music, so security is a top priority in every product we build.”

Full access to all platform features via the VEVA Collect app. With a full companion app boasting every feature available on the platform, VEVA Collect allows placement of all information in one place, in real time. Users can drop notes and files on-the-go, tackling audio, metadata, DAW and file storage within the palm of their hand.

VEVA Collect is also aiming to resolve the music industry’s long-standing crisis of unpaid royalties.

Millions of dollars in unpaid royalties have always been the bane of the music industry’s existence, and significant issues originate during the creation process. Multiple income streams require that creators and rights holders record and capture credits at the source, though this task is often overlooked. To ensure intellectual property is credited to the correct people, VEVA Collect’s advanced credit metadata focuses on collecting data while creating tracks.

VEVA Collect’s “Collect While You Create” feature could potentially revolutionize how every songwriter, musician, producer, and engineer is accurately credited for intellectual property — and be compensated for their efforts accordingly.

“This enables collaboration from a holistic view — not only are the files associated with a project kept in one place, but the who, when, and where of a project too,” Deborah Fairchild continued. “This makes it easier for everyone to get credit and, more importantly, to get paid.”

Since VEVA Collect’s launch in 2021, major producers, artists and studios have made use of the platform’s advanced features for exporting metadata directly into systems using the DDEX RIN standard (they also have the ability to select custom exports with Pro). Now, there’s also an influx of indie and DIY artists using the platform to elevate production and collaboration details, while ensuring they receive downstream credits and payments.

While that won’t fix the industry’s metadata issues overnight, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

Photo Credit: Apple

Back in May, Apple announced a partnership with Dolby to deliver Spatial Music to all Apple Music subscribers. Keenly paired with Apple’s Airpods line of headphones, this is immersive audio’s most significant move to the mainstream.

As an advocate of the creative opportunity spatial music affords, the announcement was very exciting to me. However, since the launch of the upgrade this summer, some curious listeners and audio engineers wonder why the Apple version of Atmos sounds different. 

Those listening closely have noticed that their favorite songs sound different, and not just because of the obvious remix in surround sound. It seems that Apple’s flavor of Dolby Atmos sounds quite different from what is heard in the studio. At the risk of sounding reductive, Atmos+Apple Music sounds bad.

Recently, a friend forwarded an insightful article that Edgar Rothermitch published on Pro Tools Expert. As an audio engineer myself, the article sheds light on why my music sounds so different when I listen to it on the iPhone. For months, I’ve been doing tests, asking colleagues, researching, and even asking people at Dolby what’s going on. However, no clear answers seem to exist.

As the Rothermitch article points out, Apple and Dolby offer a multi-step, convoluted process for an audio engineer to preview what their mix will sound like on Apple Music.

For some strange reason, this mix sounds quite different from what the mixer listens to in the studio through the professional Dolby Atmos Renderer (DAR) software. DAR is what software engineers use to monitor and “package” music into the master ADM format that Dolby uses for Atmos. Listening through DAR is nicely transparent with pretty easily expected results. But as the article lays out, by the time this ADM file gets converted for preview on the iPhone, the mix sounds quite different. 

The technical reasons why the mixes sound different turns out to be a combination of Apple’s decision to use its own Apple Spatial Audio Renderer with a consumer delivery format of Dolby’s called Dolby Digital Plus Joint Object Coding (DD+JOC). What makes this decision even more confusing is that Dolby’s own documentation seems to imply that the ideal future may actually be in a different delivery format – the one that Tidal is using, Dolby’s AC-4 IMS technology.

So why did Apple decide to use a less-than-cutting-edge delivery format that actually makes the music sound worse? Was using DD+JOC an arbitrary decision by Apple or a strategic move tied to its own immersive efforts around its own headphones?

Let’s take a couple of steps back to understand why anyone would care.

What does an audio engineer do?

For those of you who aren’t audio engineers, it’s important to note that audio engineers have wildly different philosophies on what “sounds good.” Some will debate for hours over the specific way to mix or record something the “right way,” while others take a more guttural approach.

Around the time that stereo started going mainstream, you may be familiar with what the Beatles did in separating instruments to different speakers: drums and bass on the left, guitar, horns, and strings on the right. While today that practice is quite rare, the point is that what “sounds good” in mixing is entirely  subjective.

While there is lively debate about process and best practices, every engineer agrees that ear training is fundamental to every mix. An engineer must have the ability to listen critically, while confidently knowing what they mix will translate from a $500,000 7.1.4 speaker setup in the studio to a $50 mono Amazon Echo — and everything in between.

Engineers use expensive speaker systems to artfully refine the details of sound. But ultimately, they can’t forget that most people will probably listen on cheap headphones. Thus, engineers have all kinds of tricks to test their mix: listening in the car, a boombox in their kitchen, a Sonos speaker in the bathroom, a set of headphones they had in the early 1990s… whatever. So long as the engineer has enough context, the engineer can make important creative compromises during the mix to assure that a song can sound its best in most places.

In summary, engineers have to use their ears and find a sweet spot in the mix to fit as many listening situations as possible. Thus the Apple+Atmos issue presents an unnecessary obstacle in an already challenging creative process.

The 3rd Try

We are now on the third try of commercializing Spacial/Spatial/Immersive/Surround/3D music (read here for a more detailed history lesson). 

1. In the 1970s with quadraphonic sound on vinyl and tape.
2. In the late-90s/early-2000s with 5.1 on DVD-Audio and SACD.
3. Present-day with “Object oriented” formats like Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos on Blu-Ray, Tidal, Amazon, and Apple.

In most cases, the technology (and mostly the marketing of the technology) is far ahead of the listener.  Each attempt compounds the inherent complexity of the technology itself with inevitable format wars around selling the technology.

When Quad died in the late 70s, the eventual result was that the film industry adopted the best elements of the technology. Four speakers in a square shape became four speakers in a diamond shape. That mutated to a star shape (5.1) which added a center channel dedicated to dialog and a subwoofer for so-called “Low Frequency Effects” (LFE). The LFE mostly came into existence because it was too expensive or cumbersome to have all of your speakers reproduce a full range of sound, specifically those super-low tones. 

Upon the second attempt at “Surround Sound” in the late 90s, music co-opted the 5.1 film format. With that came heavy debate over what to use in those new center and LFE channels. Should you solo the vocal in the center channel? Should you cross over all low sounds under 80Hz into the sub?

The latest is an “Object oriented” approach, which attempts to ignore speaker configuration altogether. This approach puts the spatial processing more on the listening side of the process, allowing for limitless interactivity: seamless film language replacement, dialog attenuation for those hard of hearing, karaoke, Guitar Hero, VR exploration of a mix, whatever.

The rollout of these formats in all three generations seems to have similar results. No one is listening.

In the 70s, you were lucky to have one friend in the entire neighborhood with a “hi-fi” stereo, let alone a quadraphonic system. 

In the 90s, there were boomboxes everywhere and even some modular hi-fi systems connected to TVs to compensate for tiny built-in speakers — but rarely a surround sound system. Even if someone had a surround-capable receiver, were all of the speakers connected? Are the rear speakers actually in the rear? Again, you were lucky to have one friend who bothered. 

Today, it’s the same problem. Outside of professional friends who have spent many thousands (even hundreds of thousands) of dollars on Atmos mixing setups in their studio, I currently do not have a single friend with an actual 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup in their home. A small handful have soundbars that bounce the sound all over the room to emulate spatial sound. 

This prompts the real question in all of this: 

Does it even matter? My answer is no… and yes.

No

As I mentioned before, mixers are testing their mixes in all scenarios. No matter how you’re listening, if the song doesn’t make you feel something emotionally, who cares if it’s in mono, stereo, or surround? Plus, aren’t there nearly 200 million premium subscribers on Spotify? They’re not listening to spatial audio.

Yes

Virtual and Augmented reality is actually coming to, well, reality. With VR and AR comes sound to make you believe the visuals. The best way to ruin a VR or AR experience is to have shitty sound, completely removing you from a fully immersive, interactive experience. Give it a try. Shitty sound is especially shitty in VR. 

Why

Why would anyone believe that AR+VR is really going to happen this time? Remember the 3D TV craze that came and went? Remember those futuristic “cyber” movies in the 90s? The Nintendo Power Glove? Massive technology companies have been investing many millions into “immersive” technology. These immersive attempts and all of the Spacial/Spatial/Immersive/Surround/3D music attempts died because the only people able to create and experience immersive anything were pretty damn rich. 

In music, it was the top 0.1% of engineers mixing the top 0.1% of albums to be listened to by the top 0.1% wealthiest people in the world.

The bottom line is this: if the tech is too expensive or complicated, it will die. That’s what happened in the past. However, if it’s accessible and fun, the tech will thrive.

So what does this mean for spacial music? 

Purpose

The yellow brick road to the seamless fruition of total immersion is happening. Making music in space not only opens up opportunities in VR, but more immediate and practical opportunities for licensing music for TV and Film. What do you think happens when an engineer delivers stems to TV and Film distributors? Generally, they mix the song in quad (or more speakers) and throw the dialog in the center channel. Over 200 million Netflix subscribers are listening, and Netflix requires immersive audio.

This new attempt at immersive music with Atmos, Apple, Tidal, and everything else is different than anytime before. In the era of a computer on every desk, a smartphone in every pocket, and inexpensive speakers in any Amazon box, the barrier to entry is pretty low. Real, working-class artists have been exploring and experimenting with these technologies for years now. It just finally got to the mainstream when Apple+Atmos announced their collaboration.

Plus, this go at immersion is fun and accessible: Oculus Quest 2 for $300. The new Apple AirPods for $180… and it will only get less expensive.

The Apple Problem

Now back to the Apple Problem. Apple’s use of DD+JOC and its own Spatial Renderer is strange, ultimately confusing listeners and discouraging musicians from bothering with immersive music in the first place. 

Both the good and the bad of this situation is that the Immersive Audio we’re listening to on Apple Music will likely sound different in the future.  In the future, it’s quite possible that the master files currently on Apple’s servers will get delivered and processed to the listener through different Apple Spatial Renderer and/or Dolby delivery formats. Maybe that could fix the problem or cause new ones. Even Giles Martin had to remix Sgt Pepper’s when Apple Music launched Atmos. Will he have to do it again? 

Apple+Dolby’s financial and marketing resources are keeping the powers that be happy for now. But when that money and marketing go away, will our immersive music future go away too? I certainly hope not. My vote is for less remixing of old music to focus on the exciting creative opportunity with new music in immersive audio. 

Are you with me? I’m sure that Apple and Dolby will figure this out.

The Beatles’ rooftop performance is heading to streaming services. Photo Credit: IJ Portwine

To commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Beatles’ rooftop concert, audio from the roughly 40-minute performance, “mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin and Sam Okell,” is officially set to launch on streaming services.

The rooftop concert’s streaming debut came to light in a formal release posted on the Beatles’ website today. Disney+’s nearly eight-hour-long The Beatles: Get Back documentary, which features the famed show in its entirety, became available to subscribers in late November of 2021.

And the aforementioned 53rd anniversary of the impromptu gig – the group’s final public performance – will arrive this Sunday, January 30th. As noted, Giles Martin, the son of longtime Beatles producer George Martin, and Abbey Road recording engineer Sam Okell have mixed the iconic rooftop set’s audio. Apple Corps and Universal Music Group have scheduled the streaming debut (on all major platforms) of the Beatles’ rooftop concert for 9 PM PST tonight.

Besides the much-anticipated streaming launch of the Beatles’ rooftop concert, singer-songwriter Norah Jones, who’s signed to UMG’s Blue Note Records, is preparing to post a pair of Let It Be tribute videos to YouTube tomorrow.

The nine-time Grammy winner and her band filmed covers of “I’ve Got a Feeling” and “Let It Be” from the roof of the Empire State Building. (Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles LOVE cast will release a rooftop rendition of “Get Back” to YouTube on Saturday the 29th.)

Next, regarding the far-reaching plans in place for the happening’s anniversary, the Beatles’ SiriusXM channel is expected to roll out “The Rooftop Concert Special” tomorrow morning, including the entire rooftop performance as well as “commentary by Beatles historian, author, and radio producer Kevin Howlett.”

Sunday the 30th will see Disney and Apple Corps present an hour-long film consisting of the Beatles’ rooftop concert footage and a brief introduction. The movie will show “exclusively at IMAX theaters in the US and UK,” with the decades-old footage having been “optimized for IMAX screens.”

Lastly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is poised to open “a groundbreaking featured exhibit,” The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be, on Friday, March 18th, 2022.

A “complement” to the aforementioned documentary, “the multimedia exhibit will welcome fans to step into The Beatles’ January 1969 rehearsals, sessions, and witness the band’s final rooftop performance, surrounded by large-scale projections and superior sound,” according to the release.

The Rock Hall will run the exhibit through March of 2023, offering fans a look at “original instruments, clothing, handwritten lyrics, and other unique items” from the band and the chance to attend to-be-announced interviews, panels, and more.

Photo Credit: Spotify

The long-anticipated rollout of Spotify HiFi is still on pause, the Stockholm-based streaming service has confirmed, and it’s unclear when exactly users will gain access to CD-quality audio.

Higher-ups first announced Spotify HiFi back in February of 2021, indicating at the time that additional details would emerge in the coming months – with a launch tentatively set for sometime during the remainder of the year. But execs didn’t publicly disclose these additional details about the proposed feature, which Spotify relayed would bring an extra monthly charge for premium subscribers.

On the latter front, it bears mentioning that May of 2021 saw both Apple Music and Amazon Music announce that they would offer hi-fidelity streaming at no extra charge. That same month, eagle-eyed fans spotted a Spotify HiFi icon on the music service’s iOS app, but an update then did away with the HD-audio button. Plus, August delivered a brief clip of what appeared to be the Spotify HiFi onboarding process.

Now, with 2021 having concluded sans the launch of Spotify HiFi, to the frustration of many users, the leading music streaming service has provided an update.

Posted to an eight-year-old “idea” thread on the Spotify Community board, said update appears to be decidedly light on concrete details, reiterating only that the company intends to support hi-fidelity audio “in the future.”

“We know that HiFi quality audio is important to you,” the status-update post reads. “We feel the same, and we’re excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don’t have timing details to share yet. We will of course update you here when we can. Take care.”

Needless to say, the brief message doesn’t identify the precise cause(s) of the Spotify HiFi delay – or highlight a possible release window – and it remains to be seen whether the upgrade will materialize in 2022.

Besides the aforementioned HD-audio support on Apple Music and Amazon Music, Access Industries’ Deezer offers HiFi music, as do the audiophile-focused Tidal and Qobuz, which raised about $11.33 million in September of 2020.

It’s possible – though seemingly unlikely – that a more insightful Spotify HiFi update could arrive as part of the company’s Q4 2021 earnings report, which is scheduled to release on Wednesday, February 2nd.

At the time of this piece’s writing, Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) was down about three percent from Friday’s close, for a per-share price of $217.04. The figure reflects a full 37 percent falloff from SPOT’s value in early January of 2021.

Photo Credit: Dan Counsell

Apple Music hailed lossless audio as a step forward in the music listening experience – but Apple exec Eddy Cue doesn’t agree.

Cue is Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services – and the head of Apple Music. In a recent interview with Billboard, Cue says he doesn’t believe people can tell the difference between lossless and compressed streaming audio.

“The reality of lossless is: if you take 100 people and you take a stereo song in lossless and you take a song that’s been in Apple Music that’s compressed, I don’t know if it’s 99 or 98 [people that] can’t tell the difference,” Cue says.

“For the difference of lossless, our ears aren’t that good. Yeah, there are a set of people who have these incredible ears, and that’s one piece of it. There’s the other piece of it, which is do you have the level of equipment that can really tell the difference? It requires very, very high-quality stereo equipment.”

“What you find is, for somebody who’s a true, for example classical connoisseur, they may be able to tell the difference in lossless. I can’t tell personally – I do the blind tests all the time with the team – I can’t tell.”

Apple’s own audio gear, AirPods and AirPods Max use the standard AAC codec over Bluetooth. It’s a lossy codec for wireless streaming, but even wired you’re not getting true ‘lossless audio.’

That’s because the AirPods Max use an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert the analog audio from the 3.5mm cable into a digital format before passing it on to the actual audio drivers. The signal is being reprocessed, and is no longer an identical match to the source.

The result is a sound that is very close to the lossless file, but Apple won’t call it that because there has been some reprocessing to the file. Listening to ‘hi-resolution lossless’ still requires an external DAC, no matter what gear you’re planning on using for streaming the music.

Berlin, Germany’s Brandenburg Gate. Photo Credit: Ansgar Scheffold

Digital hearing-test company Mimi Hearing Technologies has announced the completion of a $25 million Series B funding round.

Berlin-headquartered Mimi Hearing Technologies, which says that it “aims to give users the best possible listening experience by tailoring audio signals across any electronic audio devices” based upon “individual hearing ability,” publicly detailed the $25 million raise in a formal release today.

German VC MIG Capital led the round “in a consortium with a larger Munich-based family office and Salvia, the family office of Helmut Jeggle,” Mimi disclosed, along with support from different “German family offices and existing shareholders.”

Mimi’s release notes that the seven-year-old company is continuing to license its technology to B2B customers such as “electronic device manufacturers, streaming providers and hearing aid companies.” However, the entity intends to use today’s capital influx “to significantly expand its product offerings in existing device categories such as headphones and TV displays,” besides moving “into additional signal processing and audio platforms, including smartphones.”

Lastly, in terms of how Mimi Hearing plans to utilize the $25 million tranche, higher-ups said that they will broaden “sales and marketing operations in China and the United States, which together are home to many of the leading consumer electronics manufacturers and content providers.”

In a statement, Mimi CFO Moritz Bratzke said of his company’s Series B: “The leading investors of our Series B garnered international attention last year as the founding investors in BioNTech, the NASDAQ listed German biotech company that, together with Pfizer, developed the first Covid-19 vaccine and is now valued at approximately $70 billion.

“Their investment in Mimi is another testament not only to the depth and breadth of the German venture capital climate, but also to the importance and tremendous commercial potential of Mimi’s vision,” finished the former Atlantic Labs venture associate Bratzke.

It’ll be worth following the adoption rate and market performance of Mimi Hearing Technologies in the coming months and years, with an emphasis on the latter.

Of course, more individuals than ever are using headphones to enjoy music and other audio entertainment, and a 2019 United Nations study bluntly declared that over “one billion 12 to 35-year-olds risk irreversible hearing loss from exposure to loud sounds such as music played on their smartphone.”

North of 900 million individuals “will have significantly impaired hearing” by 2050, the report also claimed, but a different analysis determined that occasional concerts and music festivals pose relatively little risk to younger attendees’ hearing.

Worth mentioning in conclusion is that Sennheiser over the summer sold its headphones business to Swiss medical-audio manufacturer Sonova.

As we close another year out, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. We made it, folks, time off is just around the corner! But, it’s not just time off. It’s also the time of year that we help the economy by showcasing our sentiments and care for one another. I’m talking, of course, about gifts! 

I love stuff, and as someone who tries a lot of stuff out, I want to help you find something awesome to get for people in your life who love music, or make music. 

This year, a handful of companies sent me products to check out for consideration in this article. Something to note, we do not have affiliate links in this article. I don’t care if you buy any of these or not, and I am sick of not being able to trust a single review out of fear that it was written just to get some Amazon Affiliate revenue.

For the guitar player who already has it all

Jamstik Studio Midi Guitar: – $800 

I can’t play keyboards, and I am notably bad at using DAWs. However,  I’ve always really liked the sound of synths, keyboards, and organs, and wanted to dabble in the world of midi. I feel like this would open up my options quite a lot in my novice personal recordings. What do I do (without learning a new skill)?

Last year, the company who makes the Jammy guitar reached out to provide a free demo unit. I was so excited because I thought that there was finally a solution to what I wanted. However, you may have realized that we never released a review or mention in a previous gift guide of the Jammy. It’s because I just didn’t like it and could not recommend it. There was too much latency, and it felt sort of ‘half-baked’. There was no sound produced in many of the frets on several strings, which made it challenging to know what I actually could or could not do with the device. 

Then, I got the Jamstik Studio. It was like they had designed a product based on exactly what I actually wanted. You can use this to play using any sound pack in your DAW of choice (for me, garageband) and there seem to be no dead frets. Not only does everything make a sound, it makes the sound I wanted it to. When I play a G chord on the Jamstik Studio with an organ sound pack up, it sounds like a G chord that was played on that kind of organ. There is even bluetooth so I can connect to my ipad and just play. I don’t need to get on my desktop rig and open up the mac app, I can just do it more casually and (no pun intended), jam. 

The Jamstik Studio Midi is getting the top featured spot in this gift guide because it’s just so damn cool!  If you know someone who can play guitar, but may want to have a way to record more music on their own that includes instruments other than guitar, I cannot recommend this enough. Just buy it already!

Headphones for on the go 

UE Live: $2200 ful price (on sale for $1,550) + UE Switch 

I have always been a big fan of the UE brand and their products. I think that they make some amazing audiophile, stage, and consumer products, and I tend to like the choices they make from a design and quality standpoint. 

If you are going to drop some big bucks, and I mean BIG BUCKS, and someone you really really really care about is super into sound quality and portability, look no further. The UE Live are top notch, reliable, water/sweat resistant, and they sound incredible. I did a full review on them, here that is for more detailed information. In fact, I would have to say that the UE Live delivers the best sound quality I have heard in an earphone. 

This year, I got to try out the UE Switch, which is a changeable faceplate for your IEMs. It’s simple, but it’s cool, and I am a fan (for the most part). They let me send in my UE Live (which are still the best-sounding earphones I have ever had the pleasure of using), and instead of the color design that used to adorn them, I now have three sets of faceplates that I can use. 

This is nice for me because I have a hard time deciding what style to get in my UE earphones. I am a very indecisive person. But now, that problem is eliminated. 

On the other hand, I do believe that this is one more thing that can break, which is not ideal. FOr the most part, these are great-looking. The wood finish looks real and organic, the brushed metal looks industrial and very cool, or carbon fiber which has a convincing 3d effect, they look awesome. However, for some reason, the denim print looks unconvincing. You can’t win em all. But, UE has great customer service (as noted in prior reviews) and they did inform me that there is a satisfaction period, so bear that in mind.

Would I recommend these to new buyers of UE IEMs and/or gift buyers? Maybe. It depends on the individual. For example, highly fashionable people, (and this can apply to performers and just music listeners since these can also be used on-stage) may appreciate the ability to coordinate and switch out between looks. 

Grado Gr10e – $300

I have an older model of these, and they sound great! Grado being Grado, they are a bit unique in how they like to have their in ear headphones work. Instead of using multiple drivers, they use one driver that can move and shoot sound to different parts of your ear.

Regardless of how they work, they sound great, and they are much more affordable than my other suggestion.

Pair either pair with one of the DACs on this list for a great combo. 

Headphones for at home

Grado SRX 80 – $125 

Grado RS1 – $750 

There are other premium headphone brands, but I have always been a ‘Grado guy’, and you gotta write what you know. Why are these ‘for home’? They have an open construction which is more like having little speakers on your head compared to other headphones. People will be able to hear what you are listening to, clearly. And the listener will hear 100% of the outside world. 

I am giving you options at two budgets, but since I acknowledge that there are countless great headphones out there, feel free to google the above models followed by “vs reddit [insert giftee’s favorite genres]” and figure out if there is something that better matches the tastes of your recipient. To give some clarity on my use case – I have an eclectic music taste, but have a leaning towards rock music. These headphones are outstanding to my ears, and with the SRX 80, they are a great price for many people’s gift lists. The RS1x is the current version of the RS1, and it’s a great gift if you want to spend closer to that amount. 

Pair with a DAC from this list for best results. 

Adapters, Dongles, and why they matter 

This year, I finally migrated away from Android and onto iOS. This meant ditching my LG phone, which had a great DAC and decent headphone amp. I had to find a solution for listening to my high-resolution music in an enjoyable way. The world of audiophile stuff is confusing, filled with overly opinionated people, ultra subjective, and daunting. So, I figured, maybe I can bring some clarity to one niche of this vertical for people who like things that sound good, and don’t want to get too deep in the expensive and confusing world of audiophiles.

To preface: People who really like good sound quality are typically unsatisfied with the stock hardware on digital devices they use to listen to music. When I switched over from my LG phone (which were famous for being good with audiophile sound quality) to the iPhone, I bought the $8 Apple lighting to headphone adapter, and I was super unhappy with it. There are a lot of people who swear by it online, but after A/B’ing it against anything else, I thought it kinda sucked. 

Where is this going?

If you know someone who LOVES to listen to music, and tends to appreciate quality, a DAC may be a great ‘outside the box’ gift idea!

A better dongle $40 

The DDhifi TC35(multiple versions available) is a great upgrade from the apple lightning to headphone adapter. I highly recommend it to people with phones who want better sound quality from their headphones.  Because it’s only $40, you can buy it alongside one of the pairs of headphones I recommend. Or, pair it with a Qobuz subscription (aka, the ONLY streaming service I personally like).

Wireless DACs $110+ 

These are super interesting and versatile little products. If you get a good one, it can be your main DAC for desktop use and mobile use. But, because they are wireless, you can also ply them into your home stereo and BOOM, you have a wireless audio system that is going to sound great!

Quedelix 5k – $110

One I have not tested but gets rave reviews is the Quedelix 5k. It’s only $110, and I am constantly thinking about ordering one for myself, just to give it a go. I feel confident about it enough to recommend it as a gift. It’s bigger than the tiny DAC above, but much smaller than the other wireless ones listed below. It also has a built-in microphone and a clip, so you can easily take calls while using it, and you don’t have to worry about where to put it because it can clip onto your pocket. 

Fiio Q5s – $250 – $300

I have tested the Fiio Q5s, and it’s a great product. I like this one for portability, it’s a bit smaller than the other one I tested (below). I don’t know if they still make them, but you can easily find them used for around $250 – $300, and there ain’t nothing wrong with being a little less wasteful and buying used items. This one also has a built-in microphone. 

xDuoo XD05 BAL – $450

I also tested the xDuoo XD05 BAL. This is more expensive at around $450. The sound quality does exceed that of the Fiio, but, it has some design quirks. If your gift recipient is going to use this at home more than on the go, I think it’s great. If they want something to use 50/50, I would say to go with the Fiio. The design quirk is that it has a power off switch in both the front and back of the device, so there is a risk of it turning off in your pocket by accident. It’s also pretty bulky, so bear that in mind. 

Wireless Headphones 

Shure Aonic 50 – $300

The Shure Aonic 50 are the best sounding over-the-ear wireless headphones I have tested. They provide a great balance of highs, mids, and lows. However, they are super bulky and the style is not for everyone. 

Bose NC 700 – $450

The Bose NC 700 are super aesthetically pleasing. Honestly, Bose’s product design team is kicking ass in recent years, and this is no exception. They look great, sound great, and the ANC is very strong. Here is a more detailed review I wrote about them.

Wireless Speakers

Wireless speakers also make a great gift, and I want to provide you with some options at various price points, based on personal experience. 

UE Boom/MegaBoom: $150 – $200 

I like these. They are simple, durable, and they sound pretty good for what they are. These are not meant to replace an audiophile’s stereo, but, they are handy, and I personally like to keep one in the bathroom to listen to audiobooks while I shower. Get the bigger one (megaboom) if you’re giftee may need it to get louder, or if they are clumsy because the Megaboom is drop resistant. 

Bose Soundlink Revolve plus – $330

This is a step up in sound quality. It’s less bassy, so if you love bass, go with the UE. But, if you like a more balanced sound, this is a great speaker. It’s not water resistant, and I don’t think it will handle many drops, but if you’re buying this for someone who appreciates aesthetics and takes care of their stuff, I like it. Plus, most people associate Bose with high quality, further increasing the gift value. 

UE Hyperboom – $400 

This thing is freaking huge. I recommend it if you want a big speaker that can get loud while still sounding great. I can imagine thins being a popular choice for people throwing parties or holding events, and the fact that you can pair multiple of them together for multi-channel-mono means that you can create a makeshift PA system. 

It can be used in a venue or for portable DJs. It even has Aux inputs, which is rare on wireless speakers. It’s super bassy! Like, beyond extreme. If you want a speaker for house parties, or you want the biggest (and, I think, best) Bluetooth speaker you can find, I think you’ll be really happy with this statement speaker. 

Q Acoustics, Q Active 200 – $1,500 on sale, $2,000 full price

Do you want to get someone wireless speakers that are more serious, and can be used as a primary stereo set, along with as a home theater? This is a great option! You get the Q active hub, which lets you use wifi to stream, which allows you to transmit far more data (meaning a higher audio fidelity). You also get actual stereo sound with stereo separation. It’s a real 2.0 system.

Know someone who can’t sleep, or is a light sleeper? 

Bose Sleepbuds: $300 

These are super interesting. They are wireless earbuds that you use while sleeping. They are essentially little noise machines that you stick right in your ear. I used them for a handful of nights, they do certainly work. I also found them to stay in for most of the night, and to be fairly comparable (considering it’s still a hard object in your ear). If you know someone who wakes up easily from sounds, I think these are a great gift. On a side note, the case they made for these is really cool. I love the sliding mechanism. 

BUT, and this is a big but, there does not appear to be a way to opt out of being tracked. You have to agree to their privacy policy to get ANY functionality, which feels invasive to me, but others may care less.

Some people honestly don’t like getting gifts. So, give them the gift of great music! 

Also, consider recommending some great hifi music to go with those new headphones and dacs you’re buying. This is the other piece to the puzzle of good music, because compressed audio, like that of spotify, leaves a lot to be desired. When you give your giftee their new headphones and DAC, and then they listen to high-resolution audio, it’s going to combine to be such a great gift and overall experience. 

What to listen to in high-resolution

Do you remember how I mentioned that some people really don’t want you to spend money on them? That is my mom. But, my mom is super-cool, and she is to thank for a huge percentage of my love of music. So, the following history lesson is my holiday gift to my mom. 

To preface, I am keenly aware of the fact that DMN’s readership includes the movers and shakers of the music business, and one of the things they should know is that my Mom, Laura Itman, played a part in the ‘discovery’ of The Replacements.  

My mom first saw The Replacements at The 7th Street Entry on a chance encounter, she just happened to be there. The 7th Street Entry is a historically important Twin Cities venue that is still considered cool to this day, but the capacity is maybe around 150 people. At that time, she worked at a bar called Duffy’s, which had a capacity closer to 1000. Upon hearing The Replacements, my mom immediately went to the booking people at Duffy’s and demanded they book The Replacements.

They laughed at her. There were just so many other bands at that time between Husker Du, Loud Fast Rules (later became Soul Asylum), and countless others, The Replacements didn’t seem special to the booking agents. But, she persisted for months upon months. One day, she got them to say “okay”, they were willing to offer The Replacements their first ever show that was going to pay them $1,000, which was a huge deal as they previously would have been making about 1/10th of that plus some beer tickets. 

She instantly saw the raw talent they possessed, and I would be remiss to not mention her, as she is a huge catalyst for my own love of music. Happy Hanukkah, mom!

“Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out The Trash” by The Replacements, is a masterpiece of rock and roll. This phenomenal release is worth a listen to all who love the genre, especially those who like their rock hard and fast. This remaster is outstanding, and really transforms the listening experience. So, even those familiar with the album ought to give it a new listen. 

From the first track, new depths are apparent, and the separation between instruments is just incomparable to my old CD, and mixes that were on streaming. 

However they got it done, bravo! The sound is phenomenal, and with this being one of my top 25 all time albums, I know it will get heavy rotation.

Do you know someone who likes music that is ‘undiscovered’? Here is something amazing they have almost certainly never heard of:

MEMEME – self titled 

MEMEME put together an emotionally honest and raw album, that highlights the evolving psyche of late 20 somethings as they figure out what they actually want in life, and navigate their way out of relationships they don’t want to be in. I don’t want to spoil it too much, just go listen to it. It’s a really great album, parts of it will get stuck in your head, and it leaves an impression. 

Sherbetty – If You Lived Here, You;d Be Homeless By Now

“If You Lived Here, You’d Be Homeless By Now” by a band called Sherbetty. They have an eclectic mix of influences, ranging from The Beach Boys to country, to The Butthole Surfers, and even some opera in between. I believe you will need the link to find them, I do not think they are on streaming. There is no doubt that this album is outstanding! The genre blends are innovative, and highly enjoyable.

Along with MEMEME’s self titled album, this in my top 25 albums of all time. If you know someone who likes rock music, it’s going to be an enjoyable experience. 

That’s it, folks! I hope you found something useful in here. Either way, thank you for reading!

Photo Credit: Daimler/Dolby

Mercedes will equip all of its 2022 models with Dolby Atmos support – with some specific requirements.

All models that use its latest MBUX interface and an optional Burmester 3D or 4D sound system will support Dolby Atmos. Compatible music will be played in a ‘vertically enhanced sound field,’ which the auto maker says aims to replicate the sound of a live concert.

The 4D sound system includes 31 speakers, six of which help create the 3D effect of Dolby Atmos. The setup also includes four near-ear speakers in the front seats and an 18.5-liter subwoofer with two amplifiers and 1750 watts of power.

Mercedes says Dolby Atmos support is coming to all of its 2022 models – but not all at once.

The Mercedes-Maybach will get the Dolby Atmos update in Summer 2022, followed by the S-Class. Other models in the Mercedes line-up will follow. Dolby is certainly proud to have a luxury automaker on board with pumping out its immersive sound format during the commute.

“At Dolby, we are passionate about extending the Dolby Atmos Music experience, so that consumers can enjoy it anywhere and Mercedes-Benz shares our vision,” says John Couling, Senior Vice President Commercial Partnerships at Dolby Laboratories.

“We are excited to be collaborating with them to accelerate the adoption of this immersive auditory experience in cars. The integration of Dolby Atmos into the S-Class and the Mercedes-Maybach will offer an additional superior feature to customers whether they are in the driving seat or the passenger.”

“With Dolby Atmos and the Burmester sound system, we offer our customers an exciting music experience in the vehicle that is almost like a live concert,” says Britta Seeger, a Board Member for Mercedes-Benz AG. “I am sure the customers will be delighted.”

The Burmester sound system is probably more responsible for that ‘almost’ live sound more than any audio processing. Don’t get me wrong, Dolby Atmos sounds great, but the quality of sound system helps that audio processing stand on the shoulders of giants, so to speak.

Pink Floyd performing live in 1973. Photo Credit: Erik Calonius

High-resolution streaming service Qobuz has quietly upgraded Pink Floyd’s albums – including The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and The Wall (1979) – to 24-bit audio amid continued commercial success for catalog releases.

Paris-based Qobuz, which raised $11.7 million in September of 2020, recently rolled out 24-bit (and 96.0 kHz) editions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted group’s music, including high-res options for Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and the live album Live at Knebworth 1999, to name some.

The high-definition update likewise impacted multiple solo albums from Pink Floyd vocalist and guitarist David Gilmour, About Face (1984), On An Island (2006), Rattle That Lock (2015), and live recordings among them. While Qobuz hasn’t formally acknowledged the development in a release – neither has Sony Music (SME) or Pink Floyd, for that matter – a banner atop the albums’ landing page on the service emphasizes that the works are “available in hi-res for the first time.”

Additionally, Qobuz USA managing director Dan Mackta confirmed to DMN that SME had just forwarded the corresponding update, complete with new cover images, related assets, and, of course, the files themselves. Building upon the point, Pink Floyd albums are currently tagged with the “master” label on Tidal, whereas the mobile app of Amazon Music (which, along with Apple Music, began offering subscribers hi-fi streaming at no added cost over the summer) shows that the same releases are available to stream in Ultra HD.

As initially mentioned, this embrace of high-definition audio for decades-old albums arrives as catalog releases – projects that became available to fans more than 18 months ago – account for two-thirds of all music consumption in the United States, according to MRC Data.

Notwithstanding some previous disavowals of hi-fidelity audio – and lingering questions about the financial viability of platforms that are geared towards audiophiles – the upgraded Pink Floyd albums (and a number of other releases yet) appear to reflect the major labels’ continued confidence in the earning potential of classics. Higher-ups and the many companies that are pouring millions into music IP also seem optimistic that certain long-famous releases will reach new audiences moving forward.

On this front, Fleetwood Mac (whose albums are available in hi-fi on Qobuz) became decidedly popular among Gen Z listeners last year, following a viral TikTok trend involving “Dreams.” In the subsequent 12 months, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks alike cashed in on their catalogs.

More recently, Led Zeppelin arrived on TikTok, while David Bowie’s estate is reportedly negotiating a $200 million sale of the London-born creator’s songwriting catalog.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Amazon Music Unlimited now supports spatial audio streaming to any headphones.

Amazon says users can use their current headphones to experience spatial audio on the iOS and Android apps. Amazon Music Unlimited currently supports Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos. Spatial audio support was first introduced in 2019, but it was limited to specific headphones. This latest update ensures users can hear spatial audio on any pair of headphones they may have.

“We’ve always believed that the highest-quality audio possible should be the norm for streaming music, and that’s why today, we’re making spatial audio available to our customers without any special equipment needed, and no upgrade required,” says Steve Boom, Vice President of Amazon Music.

Users can also stream spatial audio music with Alexa Cast on devices like the Echo Studio. Other devices that support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format include:

• • Sony SRS-RA5000
  • Sony SRS-RA3000
  • Sony HT-A9
  • Sony HT-A7000
  • Sony HT-A5000
  • Sonos Arc
  • Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Amazon Music Unlimited costs $7.99/month for Prime members or $9.99/month for Amazon customers. A Family Plan is available for up to six devices for $14.99/month.

Amazon’s focus on spatial audio has been around since 2019, but Apple stole the show with its support for Dolby Atmos this year. Now albums are being mixed and mastered with spatial soundscapes in mind, rather than just stereo audio. Remi Wolf’s debut album Juno, FINNEAS’ album Optimist, and Rüfüs Du Sol’s fourth album Surrender are all available for listening in spatial audio.

In November, Amazon Music is exclusively releasing Mercury – Act 1, a new EP from Imagine Dragons – mixed in Dolby Atmos. The five-track EP features music from the band’s album release live stream, which was recorded from the rooftop of the Amazon Music office in Brooklyn.

“We recorded our new album Mercury – Act I with Rick Rubin at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, and it’s great to have a new avenue for people to experience the space and depth in those rooms through these new Dolby Atmos mixes,” says Imagine Dragons. “We’re excited to share our first acoustic live EP of some of these tracks that we recorded with Amazon Music.”

Apple revealed a newly redesigned AirPods 3 this week – with support for spatial audio.

The new AirPods 3 design is modeled after the AirPods Pro, with shorter stems. The design sits more in-ear and includes a newly designed battery case. The AirPods 3 have a universal fit rather than adjustable silicone tips. That means they do not feature active noise cancellation or transparency mode – only AirPods Pro and AirPods Max have those features.

“By combining the power of the H1 chip with an Apple-designed acoustic system, the new AirPods use computational audio to deliver breakthrough sound with Adaptive EQ,” Apple said during the event. “Users can enjoy spatial audio featuring Dolby Atmos in Apple Music, movies, and TV shows, along with dynamic head tracking across Apple devices.”

Apple says the extended battery life in the AirPods 3 offers up to 30 hours of listening time.

Pre-orders for the new AirPods started on October 18 for $179. The new earbuds will be released on October 26. Apple now has a series of hearables that all look similar. Offering spatial audio support on the basic AirPods 3 model will also help with adoption of the feature.

If everyone who buys a pair of AirPods can hear the difference between spatial audio and regular stereo, that’s a game changer. It means soundscapes rather than just music tracks will become more relevant than ever in future music production.

Spatial audio will do more to transform the music industry than lossless audio because you don’t need a pair of audiophiles ears to hear the difference. The average joe off the street can pick up a pair of AirPods 3 and instantly hear the difference.

Spatial audio is also important for creating virtual spaces that feel real. The idea of a metaverse where people hang out in a digital venue is being built right now, with early prototypes in games like Fortnite and Roblox.

Photo Credit: Park MGM

The former Park Theater is now equipped with Dolby Atmos for live music performances.

Dolby Laboratories teamed up with MGM Resorts International to retrofit the 5,200-seat theater for live music. The two companies integrated a Dolby Atmos playback sound system engineered specifically for the space by Dolby engineers. The space will be used primarily for live concerts, though it can support musicals, eSports events, and other Dolby Atmos live events.

“As we continue to grow our presence in music, Dolby Live will offer consumers more way to enjoy a Dolby Atmos experience while deepening and expanding our engagements with the artist community,” says Dolby President and CEO Kevin Yeaman.

Dolby is ramping up its advertising of Dolby Atmos with superstar campaigns featuring Olivia Rodrigo, Lizzo, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and J Balvin.

Dolby goes behind the scenes with each artist to emphasize how the enhanced listening experience increases music enjoyment. The Weeknd talks about his music’s unique ability to transport audiences to another song, especially with “Take My Breath.” The first Dolby Atmos campaign debuted in November 2019 at the American Music Awards with a two-minute video from Lizzo.

“Artists are rallying behind Dolby Atmos because it brings together the strongest bond possible between their stories and fans,” says Todd Pendleton, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Dolby. “Together, we are embarking on a journey to change the future of music.”

In theaters, Dolby Atmos can expand how the speakers are used and how surround sound is deployed. That opens up new possibilities for live music venues. That’s because Dolby Atmos is capable of processing up to 128 channels of sound, which can be routed to 64 individual speakers. It gives sound engineers more points for room-enveloping sound. Dolby Atmos at home is a slightly scaled-down version of this basic set-up.

FUGA has announced automated delivery of spatial audio tracks to Apple Music – one of the first B2B distributors to do so.

Downtown Music Holdings acquired FUGA in 2020, and it works with more than 800 music businesses across fifty countries. FUGA says it has rolled out extensive support for Dolby Atmos mixed tracks, with a fully automated distribution tool for delivering immersive audio.

FUGA’s platform with automated spatial audio delivery is available in English, Japanese, French, and Brazilian Portuguese. FUGA supports 17 audio encoding types, up to 192khz, nine audio file formats, and audio/video bundles for music video distribution. Adding Dolby Atmos to its supported tracks gives music professionals additional control over their existing catalog.

FUGA offers detailed analytics and royalty reporting capabilities. Clients can also access transparent insights into how their releases are performing, with analytics per track format including compressed, lossless, and immersive streams on Apple Music.

FUGA is a Preferred Plus distributor partner for Apple Music. Apple is putting the focus on making spatial audio the default tracks on the latest version of iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AirPods and Beats wireless headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.

“We’re very happy to be supporting this next generation format from the outset. We believe immersive audio can significantly enhance the listening experience, and offering an end-to-end solution from delivery to data is perfectly aligned with the needs of FUGA’s quality-focused labels,” says Rob Webb, Head of Product.

FUGA is also extending its partnership with independent label Left Lane Recordings for another two-year term.

Left Lane Recordings was launched in 2019 by Dutch artist and producer Mr Probz. The two companies first started their working relationship in 2019, which will expand. FUGA will continue to support Left Lane’s frontline activity with global marketing services while enhancing the label’s ability to financially invest in future talent.

“We’re happy to have found such a good match in FUGA,” says Mr Probz about the partnership. “The relationship has grown and strengthened organically in a way that strongly facilitates our needs and wishes as an independent label. Extending the partnership was the most natural move in providing the best service for the artists we work with.”

FUGA is the largest full-service B2B music distributor in the world. It holds preferred distributor status on Spotify, Apple, and all other major DSPs. The company’s global marketing team operates across 17 countries, and its product services suit includes analytics, royalty accounting, neighbouring rights, rights management, and white label services.

Photo Credit: Prithivi Rajan

Clubhouse has announced support for spatial audio to make its group conversations feel more life-like.

“When you’re in the audience, you’ll not hear the people around you in 3D,” the Clubhouse announcement says. “It’s also easier for your brain to track who is talking, thanks to subtle spatial cues.” Spatial audio works best with headphones, and Clubhouse has released a demo video to give people an idea of what it sounds like in a social audio setting.

Spatial audio support is by default supported on iOS. Android support for the feature will be ‘coming soon.’ Anyone who prefers the old listening experience can turn off spatial audio in the settings. Will spatial audio support matter for Clubhouse in the future? Who knows.

For now, Clubhouse’s popularity appears to be waning in the face of stiff competition. Twitter Spaces, Spotify Greenroom, and Facebook Live Audio Rooms all capture the feeling of a small, intimate gathering of friends. Clubhouse saw meteoric growth in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic set in and lockdowns came. Many people were looking for new ways to connect with old friends.

But as soon as the quarantines lifted and people could meet in person, interest in Clubhouse began to plummet. After record engagement in January 2021, by April, the app saw an 89% decline in download rates.

That same month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a renewed focus on audio products. In May, Twitter launched Spaces for both Android and iOS devices – overshadowing Clubhouse’s iOS-only launch. This month, Twitter launched ticketed spaces to give creatives a way to make money on their group gatherings.

Twitter already has 199 million monetizable users, according to its Q1 2021 earnings. That means the app isn’t building its userbase from scratch like Clubhouse. The format also makes sense for Twitter, which is designed to allow users to converse. Twitter users don’t need to download another app and build up a new following with Spaces built-in.

Analyzing search results gives us some idea of social interest in Clubhouse, too. After its peak in December 2020/January 2021, Clubhouse has been on a slow fade, according to Google Trends. That’s because of the envelope strategy that many social media companies are using to fold Clubhouse’s features into their existing products.

Photo Credit: Charles Deluvio

The spatial audio revolution is coming as Netflix embraces the technology on iOS.

All compatible content on Netflix will play with spatial audio support on iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 14 or iOS 15. You’ll need either the AirPods Pro or the AirPods Max to enjoy spatial audio content on the streaming service. Netflix says spatial audio support may not be immediately available to everyone.

The technology creates an immersive audio experience by using directional filters to make sounds feel as though they are coming from a variety of sources. Think of how a band is arranged on a stage; you expect drums to be heavy on the right if that’s where the set is located.

Apple is also rolling out spatial audio support to its HomePod and HomePod mini smart speakers.

The HomePod 15 beta 5 update now includes options to enable lossless and Dolby Atmos playback. The rollout appears to be selective for now but will eventually be rolled out to everyone. Apple promised to enable Apple Music lossless streaming to its HomePod speakers earlier this year – but it did not commit to a timeline.

The new update for Apple TV will also make it possible to pair a second HomePod mini for stereo audio. That’s important for helping spatial audio content on streaming services like Netflix feel 3D.

Spatial audio is sort of a mixed bag right now, until audio is designed with it in mind. Beatles producer Giles Martin says the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Beatles album doesn’t sound right on Apple Music. That’s because it was one of the first albums to be mixed with Dolby Atmos technology.

“We did that as a theatrical presentation. I liked the idea of the Beatles being the first to do something. So Sgt. Pepper’s is a theatrical mix that’s being converted into a smaller medium. Therefore, it’s not quite right.”

Dolby Atmos presents sound engineers with a 360-degree soundstage centered on the listener’s ears. Sounds can be rotated, moved, and dropped anywhere throughout the space to create a live environment that feels similar to the real thing. “You can hear the difference with spatial audio,” Martin says. “It may not always be better, but there’s a difference.”

Photo Credit: Fedor

Beatles producer Giles Martin says one of the band’s albums doesn’t sound quite right in spatial audio.

Speaking in an interview with Rolling Stone, Martin says Sgt. Pepper’s Loney Hearts Club Band was one of the first albums to get the Dolby Atmos treatment. It was tailored specifically to be a theatrical presentation – which sounds a bit different than most spatial audio.

“Sgt. Pepper’s, how it’s being presented right now, I’m actually going to change it,” the producer confirms. “It doesn’t sound quite right to me. It’s out in Apple Music right now. But I’m gonna replace it. It’s good. But it’s not right.”

“Sgt. Pepper’s was, I think, the first album ever mixed in Dolby Atmos. And we did that as a theatrical presentation. I liked the idea of the Beatles being the first to do something. So Sgt. Pepper’s is a theatrical mix that’s then being converted into a smaller medium. Therefore, it’s not quite right.”

When asked what he would change about the album’s current listening experience, Martin says the album lacks bass and a little weight. On the other hand, he commends the Dolby Atmos version of Abbey Road as a better mixed spatial audio version.

Spatial audio is expanding at a rapid pace as companies like Apple embrace the tech. Martin says that’s important because it’s a difference that even the average person can hear. “You can hear the difference with spatial audio,” he says. “It may not always be better, but there’s a difference.”

Dolby Atmos mixes in headphones are highly dependent on multiple variables. That includes head size and even bone structure. Apple introduced hardware adaptation with the AirPods Pro ear tip fit test. The AirPods Max includes Dynamic EQ for measuring sound signals within the headphone’s ear cushions. The headphones then adjust the sound output in real-time.

Martin says he starts mixing Dolby Atmos from the stereo audio. “I feel immersive audio should be an expansion of the stereo field in a way,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I like the idea of a vinyl recording melting and you’re falling into it.”

Martin continues, saying humans are forward-facing individuals who don’t like too many things creeping up behind us.” He says he gets criticized for not being expansive enough with his Dolby Atmos mixes. “I like the idea of falling in the record as opposed to just being circled around.”

Photo Credit: Shri

Apple is bringing spatial audio and lossless streaming to its Android app.

The two new features launched in June on iOS devices, but now Android users can listen. At launch, users can listen to thousands of tracks with Dolby Atmos support. Lossless audio streaming offers “bit-for-bit” accuracy – for an uncompromised sound.

The new update for Android also includes automatic crossfade, blending each song into the next. That’s a feature Android users have been asking for for a while now. If you use Apple Music on Android, here’s how to enable high-quality lossless streaming on your device.

Enable Lossless Streaming on Apple Music Android

1. Open the ‘Settings‘ menu in the Apple Music app
2. Find the ‘Audio Quality‘ option and tap it.
3. Enable ‘Lossless Audio‘ for high-quality streaming.

It’s worth noting that not all Android devices will support spatial audio and lossless quality streaming. If you don’t see the toggle for ‘Dolby Atmos‘ in your Apple Music settings, your phone may not support the feature.

Most flagship-tier Android phones (Samsung, Pixel) should support the feature, however. Apple also recommends using an external DAC for true lossless quality streaming.

What is Dolby Atmos?

Apple utilizes the Dolby Atmos tech for its spatial audio technology. Atmos offers surround sound in a 3D plane, including X, Y, and Z axes. Channel encoding doesn’t pre-mix audio for a specific setup; instead, it takes an object-based approach. It arranges audio data that is mixed right before it comes out of your speakers.

Dolby Atmos allows for up to 128 tracks and individually tracked audio objects – each with their own metadata. The format is designed to be speaker-setup agnostic, so no matter how you’re listening you can hear the difference.

Dolby Atmos on smartphones features a software-based solution for headphones. It aims to emulate a 3D audio effect that you might hear from a traditional surround-sound setup.

Essentially, the software changes the sound to trick your brain into believing its coming from different directions – even though the speakers are right next to your ear.

Dolby Atmos support in Android spans back to 2018. At launch, only four phones supported the technology. But it has slowly become an important part of mobile tech, especially since Apple has adopted support. You can expect most flagship Android smartphones will support Dolby Atmos in the future – if they don’t already.

Photo Credit: James Yarema

Apple Music subscribers in India report options for spatial audio and lossless quality appearing in the app.

Apple announced spatial audio in May before launching the feature in June. Spatial audio provides for an immersive music listening experience that feels like hearing live music. Spatial audio is provided to all Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost and is powered by Dolby Atmos.

Apple delayed the launch of spatial audio briefly in India, but the rollout appears to be happening.

That’s despite the Apple Music website for India still listing the feature as ‘coming soon.’ “High resolution and lossless audio on Apple Music has landed in India,” reports Sahil Mohan Gupta on Twitter. “I am enjoying some Tool in high-res audio on the 6 HomePods I’m running together.”

Many Apple Music users in India complained via social media when the feature was announced, but not immediately available in the country. Dolby Atmos with spatial audio has not yet officially launched in India. Apple would be wise to keep its Indian customers happy since it has a diverse marketplace of locally available content.

The music industry in India has exploded in the last ten years, from 2011 to 2021. Listenership to audio streaming services grew by 40% in 2020, according to the trade body, Indian Music Industry.

Ad-supported streams generated 54% of the revenue accumulated for audio streaming services in the country in 2019. That means subscription-only services like Apple Music are still a niche service provider in India. The ad-supported model for most Indian music services has taken a nose-dive during the pandemic, too.

Some executives in India are hoping to transition India from its ad-supported majority to a population that pays directly for music access. Sony Music’s Marketing Director Rajat Kakar says the challenge is getting new experiences and artist interactions behind a paywall.

“We’re really working with our partners to make sure people start paying in this eco-system, so we get to know what they actually want to consume, rather than them playing the first available playlist that comes on the deck,” Kakar says. That’s because the Indian music industry is still highly driven by music that appears in films – which drives familiarity.

Indian music streaming prices are already some of the cheapest in the world. Many start at Rs99, which is about $1.34/month for most streaming services. Many execs want to raise that price to around Rs399 ($5.35) for a monthly subscription, or about Rs1.20 ($0.016) per day.

Photo Credit: Kelly Sikkema

The word ‘lossless’ sounds like it describes audio with no compression used. But lossless audio compression is a thing. Here’s a quick primer.

Lossless audio formats use compression algorithms to preserve audio files in their original, recorded state. This differs from lossy audio formats like MP3, WMA, AAC, and others that compress audio using algorithms that discard bits of sound data to preserve space.

So how do lossless audio compression algorithms preserve the sound with compression? Lossless formats compress silences in sounds to near zero, reserving more space for actual audio. Some examples of popular lossless audio compression formats include FLAC, WAV, and ALAC.

But wait, isn’t WAV an uncompressed audio format? Yes and no. WAV files are just audio containers on Windows. They can contain both uncompressed raw audio files, and audio files that have been compressed using a codec. WAV is most often uncompressed, but it has poor metadata support and so it has fallen to the wayside in the digital realm.

Apple developed its own lossless audio compression technology called Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC). In addition to AAC, the entire Apple Music catalog is now encoded using ALAC in resolutions ranging from 16-bit/44.1 kHz (CD Quality) to 24-bit/192 kHz. Apple says the difference between AAC and ALAC is virtually indistinguishable.

Lossless Audio Compression – Apple Music

Ready to start listening to lossless music on Apple Music? There are a couple of things you should know. First, streaming lossless audio over a cellular connection is generally a bad idea. That’s because these lossless audio files are much larger than lossy audio formats, like MP3.

You should download any lossless audio you frequently listen to on your phone to avoid data overages. You should also be prepared to have a wire attached to your phone to listen. AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and Beats wireless headphones use Apple’s AAC Bluetooth codec.

Bluetooth connections cannot deliver lossless listening right now. Apple says support for lossless compression is coming to the HomePod and HomePod mini in a future software update.

How to Listen to Lossless Audio on iPhone & iPad

You can listen to lossless music on any iPhone or iPad with iOS or iPadOS 14.6 or higher. You will also need some gear to get the best audio quality from your music.

• A wired connection to headphones or speakers
• Built-in iPad speakers
• To listen to songs at sample rates higher than 48 kHz, you’ll need an external DAC (digital-to-analog converter)

You’ll also need to enable the lossless setting in Apple Music. Here’s how to do that.

1. Tap Settings, then scroll down to Music.
2. Select Audio Quality.
3. Tap lossless and select on or off.
4. You can customize the sample rate for both streaming and downloading audio.

Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit / 48 kHz. Hi-res lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit / 192 kHz.

Can the AirPods Max be used to listen to lossless audio?

The short answer is yes. The lighting to 3.5mm audio cable is needed; you cannot listen to lossless audio using Bluetooth. AirPods Max can be connected to devices with the cable. Apple notes, though, “given the analog-to-digital conversion in the cable, the playback will not be completely lossless.”

Content that is not available in lossless on Apple Music includes broadcast radio, live radio and on-demand content from Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country. Music videos are also not supported at this time.

Disclaimer: We do not use affiliate links. I don’t care if you buy these headphones or not. 

I’ve long been searching for what I call the ‘Goldilocks’ of wireless headphones.

It’s still a relatively new type of product and there are bound to be some hiccups along the way. But, have I finally found my Goldilocks pair? One that combines comfort, long battery life, good sound quality, style, and have good microphones because I also use headphones for calls? For the most part, the answer is ‘yes‘.

The Bose 700 UC headphones are beautifully designed! They are exceptionally lightweight and comfortable. I can wear them for 4+ hours and not feel any fatigue, which is important because these headphones are meant to be used for calls/capturing your voice just as much as they are meant to be used for listening to audio. People who spend a lot of time wearing headphones will love this pair. They are comfortable and light enough that you can forget you are wearing them, which seems ideal.

One design gripe is that they don’t fold in, so storage is still not as easy as it could be. But, it’s a pretty negligible omission because the design would have not looked as good if the headphones were foldable. The arms that the ear-cups are mounted onto are rounded. This allows for the ear cups to move freely and fit comfortably on your head. They can rotate a bit beyond 90 degrees and they also have the ability to pivot vertically. I can see why this would have made it challenging to make them foldable.

The user interface is through touch controls. While I am not a huge fan of button-free user interfaces on headphones, I can appreciate that they keep the design clean. That said, I did find the touch controls to be highly responsive, especially when compared with other headphones I have used with similar interfaces.

These are premium headphones and the sound quality is on par with other options around this price point.

The only wireless headphones that I thought had a superior sound quality for music were the Shure Aonic 50s. Aside from that pair, which I still use for listening to music, the Bose 700 UC headphones have become my go-to pair.

Surprisingly, these are a bit light on bass. I have preciously associated Bose with overpowering bass, so I actually appreciate that it’s toned down a bit. Perhaps it’s not that they have turned it down, but they have enhanced the highs and mids. But it is worth noting for people who like that really bass-heavy sound of previous Bose headphone models.

There is an app that you kind of need to download, so be aware of that. You will need the app for EQ control and to get the most out of the voice commands feature. This is a totally individualized thing, but I don’t like receiving notifications from apps that I haven’t approved notifications from (hence my future switch to iOS). I got a notification about how I could integrate the app with Spotify. It seemed like some sort of sponsorship/promotion, which annoyed me, but others will be less sensitive to this.

The Bose 700 UC headphones come with a USB dongle for quick and seamless connections, I appreciate that. It just makes things easier because I don’t have to disconnect/reconnect bluetooth on my computer. I can just unplug the dongle and not have to worry about it.

They do also offer a lower-cost version with fewer microphones, but I have not tested that pair. This pair is really intended for people who spend a lot of time on calls, hence the added microphones. While I do not have audio samples to compare, I can report that people did tell me that I sounded especially clear when on the phone with them while using these, and background noise was less prevalent than it is with other headphones I’ve used. So, it seems like a big win there.

The bottom line: should you buy the Bose 700 UC headphones?

I personally think you should. If you are already considering a pair of wireless headphones at the over $400 price point, I do not think you will be dissatisfied with these. They feel every bit as premium as you would expect from Bose and had I spent the money on them, I would be satisfied with my purchase.

Photo Credit: Deezer

Deezer has launched a new spatial audio playlist dubbed ‘360 Sessions’ with help from Dua Lipa.

The new playlist is only available to Deezer HiFi subscribers. It features a 28-track playlist of live performances captured in Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format. It’s spatial audio similar to Dolby Atmos that delivers an entire soundstage of music.

Deezer says its 360 Sessions playlists make the listener feel like they’re at a live concert. Alongside Dua Lipa, other artists with spatial audio playlists include Annie-Marie, Circa Waves, Fireboy Dml, Lolo Zouai, and Barrie.

Sony’s 360 Reality Audio spatial audio format is not as well-supported as Dolby Atmos. At last count, the new format only had around 4,000 tracks available. Those tracks include music from artists like Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, Miles Davis, Britney Spears, Harry Styles, Outkast, Elvis, and Doja Cat. The format is also supported on Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Deezer.

“We wanted to capture the magic and mood of a live performance with Deezer Sessions,” says Deezer’s Senior Special Operations & Partnerships Manager, Jerome Coïc.

“Each act brings our fans up close and personal to their favorite artists. To further preserve the integrity and specialness of each recording, we created ‘Deezer 360 Sessions’ in 360 Reality Audio. With 360 Reality Audio, fans will experience sounds that mimic an omni-directional soundscape that will transport each music fan to the heart of their favorite performance.”

What is 360 Reality Audio?

You’ve probably heard a lot about spatial audio now that Apple Music supports Dolby Atmos. 360 Reality Audio is spatial audio created by Sony. It operates similar to Dolby Atmos, bouncing sound off of walls and ceilings to create a surround sound effect.

But one key difference between 360 Reality Audio and spatial audio is that Sony’s system doesn’t use headtracking. Spatial audio can keep sounds consistent even when you look around. With 360 Reality Audio, sounds that come from your left will always be on your left, regardless of your head’s position.

Songs that are remastered in 360 Reality Audio are engineered differently, too. Each individual instrument, vocal track, and record sound is mapped to a spherical 3D space. The listener is positioned within the center of this spherical space – so sounds envelop the listener. This kind of mastering needs to be applied individually to each song, which is why every artist or streaming service does not support it.

Photo Credit: Apple Music

Apple Music is bringing support for lossless audio and spatial audio through Dolby Atmos support to India.

During the WWDC 2021 keynote, Apple confirmed these new technologies would launch that day. However, Apple Music subscribers in India have been waiting for the feature since it was announced. According to the Apple Support Twitter account, subscribers in India will be able to use the new technology soon.

Some subscribers to the service report seeing options for Apple Music lossless audio and Dolby Atmos in the Settings app. However, those options have since disappeared and have not returned. Apple first announced lossless quality audio back in May – but confusion quickly cropped up.

After the announcement, there was some confusion about whether HomePod speakers and AirPods Max will support the high-fidelity formats. Apple has since clarified that confusion by saying HomePod speakers will receive an update to support lossless audio sometime in the future. Meanwhile, AirPods Max won’t be able to stream in lossless audio quality – even if they’re wired.

While lossless audio has made the biggest splash in the music industry, spatial audio is the true audio frontier.

Ask any gamer how important spatial audio is to re-creating an experience, and you’ll hear countless reasons. Apple executives know spatial audio is important for an immersive experience. Eddy Cue says he believes all but a small set of people can tell the difference between lossless tracks.

“The reality of lossless is, if you take 100 people and you take a stereo song in lossless, and you take a song that’s been in Apple Music that’s compressed, I don’t know if 99 or 98 can’t tell the difference,” Cue said in an interview.

Apple Music’s Zane Lowe says the focus on spatial audio will change how people listen to music. He likens it to a progression from mono, to stereo, to spatial.

“Spatial is an immersive experience with sound moving around you in different directions. We have only had that kind of experience before in cinema. Have you ever wondered how that would work with music? I have,” Zane said in a recent interview.

One key feature of 3D spatial sound is that it’s focused exclusively on sound positioning simulation. That’s closer to building a soundstage for a gaming environment than any type of music creation before it. It gives artists control over sound design like attenuation or even creating realistic doppler effects.

Photo Credit: Anna Earl

Apple Music’s support of spatial audio is set to be a game-changer for the music industry. Here’s why.

Spatial audio is an immersive experience that has made gaming and movie-going into an experience. But it is set to revolutionize the music industry with Apple Music embracing Dolby Atmos. Think of spatial audio as a 3D sound-stage that can be encoded to sound like a live performance each time the file is played.

That level of immersive quality is impossible with just mono or stereo channels. You can hear the sound moving around you, just as your ear can tell the difference in sound as a violinist walks around a busy restaurant. Artists can create these moving sounds on a 3D soundscape – that’s spatial audio.

Apple Music’s Zane Lowe details how the new technology can help artists make their songs come to life. “I believe what is going to happen is that artists will start to hear things they haven’t heard before,” Lowe says.

“Imagine Billy Corgan saying to the engineer, ‘When I created the guitar at the beginning of ‘Quiet’ in 1993, I wanted it to be heard from three-and-a-half miles behind you, and then I want it to land in front of your face in 3.2 seconds just as Jimmy Chamberlin’s drums begin.”

Obviously, Lowe gives a fictional example, but it creates the image of what’s possible with spatial audio. It gives musicians, engineers, and producers a new tool to bring a fully immersive 3D audio experience to music streaming. Apple’s goal in embracing the technology is to make it more mainstream.

It is showcasing how music can sound flowing through an environment – changing from a static, 2D recording to a 3D immersive experience. Think about the difference between the first Mario game compared to now. That’s the difference between stereo and spatial audio.

Lowe accurately points out that artists today are born into stereo audio. But in the future, there will be artists who are born into spatial audio. Their future may never think about making a stereo record, in the same way, a videographer may not think of a career in photography.

Apple is planning to support the next generation of artists by updating its creation tools. It says it will build “immersive music-authoring tools” directly into Logic Pro later this year. Any musician will be able to create and mix their songs in spatial audio for Apple Music – whether in the studio, at home, or on the go.

Photo Credit: Aaron Burden

Apple Music now has Dolby Atmos spatial audio support for streaming. Here’s how it works.

Apple enabled both spatial audio and lossless audio playback for Apple Music subscribers at no additional charge. The service automatically plays music in Dolby Atmos on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.

The company also says it will make spatial audio content easier to find with curated playlists and special badges. Apple doesn’t have an exact count of the number of Dolby Atmos tracks, but says ‘thousands’ are available at launch.

Apple is also partnering with Dolby to make it easier for artists, producers, and engineers to create music in Dolby Atmos. It has outlined the specifics necessary for submitting spatial audio files to be featured in Apple Music. If you’re an artist curious about how to get your spatial audio tracks on Apple Music, here’s what you need to know.

AirPods is also gaining support for spatial audio support in tvOS. That means any streamed video content that supports Dolby Atmos will automatically use the format. While the spatial audio music streaming catalog is relatively light for now, movies and games are taking advantage of the format.

Apple AirPods Spatial Audio Support

Apple has announced all AirPods with the W1 and H1 chips will support Dolby Atmos playback. That includes all generations of AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. The Beats Powerbeats line also uses the W1 and H1 chips.

W1 Chip

• Apple AirPods (Gen 1)
• Beats X
• Beats Studio 3
• Powerbeats 3 Wireless
• Beats Solo 3 Wireless

H1 Chip

• AirPods (Gen 2)
• AirPods Pro
• Beats Solo Pro
• Powerbeats Pro
• Powerbeats (2020)
• AirPods Max

While these AirPods devices will support spatial audio out of the box, lossless audio is not. “Lossless audio is not supported on AirPods, on any model,” an Apple spokesperson recently confirmed to Digital Music News. “AirPods Max wired listening mode accepts analog output sources only. AirPods Max currently does not support digital audio formats in wired mode.”

Lossless audio wirelessly is harder for Apple to implement. That’s because Apple uses the AAC codec, which can’t offer CD-quality bit-rates. Apple will need to embrace something like AptX HD to deliver high bitrate audio wirelessly.

Photo Credit: Dolby Atmos

Apple is working to make spatial audio more mainstream. Here’s how indie artists can take advantage of the format. 

Apple is partnering with famous artists like Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, and Kacey Musgraves to focus on 3D and HiFi audio for Apple Music. But as spatial audio becomes more mainstream, more consumers will expect the experience. How can indie artists take advantage of spatial audio on Apple Music?

Spatial Audio for Indie Artists – What to Know

So far, the ‘official’ details on this are limited for now. Dolby Atmos isn’t new technology for most music producers, but Apple’s support of Dolby Atmos for streaming is relatively novel. At launch, it appears as though spatial audio will be reserved for professional artists on major labels. 

However, several indie distributors are working full-time to make sure they support spatial audio. Both TuneCore and Distrokid are working on the requirements for spatial audio on Apple Music. 

“DistroKid plans to be the first distributor to enable Apple’s new Lossless and Spatial Audio formats for independent artists,” DistroKid confirmed to Digital Music News. That should come as no small surprise since DistroKid also supports the ‘Tidal Master’ mark for Tidal distribution. 

Apple says it has initiatives to double the number of Atmos-enabled studios “in major markets, offering educational programs, and providing resources to independent artists.”

Spatial Audio Delivery Requirements

Indie artists will need to deliver specific files for spatial audio when it becomes available to independent distributors. Those using the Dolby Atmos mixing and mastering platform will need to deliver BWF+ADM files. That’s a standard broadcast wave file rendering format available inside of the Dolby Atmos suite. 

Are you an indie artist who plans to submit spatial audio to your distributor? Here’s a quick checklist of tasks to ready your workflow for supporting this new format. 

1. Check with your distributor to see when support for spatial audio will be enabled. 
2. Familiarize yourself with Dolby Atmos. Atmos works as a plugin for Logic Pro and natively in Pro Tools and Nuendo. 
3. Follow Apple-specific delivery requirements (BWF+ADM files). Dolby itself has plenty of documentation on creating those files. 

Spatial Audio for Independent Artists – Which DAWs?

Dolby Atmos workflows are supported natively in Avid Pro Tools and Steinberg Nuendo digital audio workstations right now. Dolby Atmos support is enabled in Logic Pro with a plugin – but direct integration may be coming soon. 

The Dolby Atmos Music Panner and the Dolby Atmos Renderer will allow indie artists and bedroom producers to create the required deliverables. Installing both of these apps/plugins will allow anyone to create the necessary BWF+ADM files. 

Believe’s TuneCore has officially embraced hi-res lossless streaming by partnering with HD-audio platform Qobuz.

TuneCore, which distributes music to over 150 stores worldwide, announced the hi-res lossless streaming move today, via a formal release that was emailed to Digital Music News. As part of the deal with Qobuz – which raised about $12.21 million in a September of 2020 funding round – New York City-headquartered TuneCore is set to make music from its “vast roster of artists” available on the service.

Qobuz already boasts a library of more than 70 million lossless tracks, according to the announcement message, and users can both stream and download these songs. Moreover, “Studio Premier” Qobuz subscriptions deliver audio quality of “FLAC 24-Bit up to 192 kHz” and cost $14.99 per month – or $12.49 per month when one pays for a year upfront.

The “Studio Sublime” tier, for its part, offers the same streaming quality (as well as an “exclusive discount” on hi-res song purchases) for a $249.99 annual charge. Plus, the release acknowledges that Qobuz – which, like TuneCore’s stock market-bound parent company Believe, is headquartered in Paris – “is also known for its best-in-class editorial content and exclusives.”

Addressing the agreement in a statement, Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore’s co-head and chief revenue officer, stated: “The partnership with Qobuz enables us to satisfy the growing appetite for lossless audioacross all genres, while also unlocking a global audience of Hi-Res audio fans for our artists. Audiophiles who appreciate Hi-Res sound will love Qobuz and its commitment to a high-quality music experience.”

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see whether hi-fidelity streaming can make a largescale commercial splash. On this front, it bears reiterating that Jay-Z sold his Tidal streaming platform to Jack Dorsey’s Square for $297 million in early March. Expanding upon the point, Tidal lost over $50 million in 2019, and the major labels have long criticized Dorsey’s Twitter for allegedly committing “piracy at an industrial, massive scale.”

More recently, both Amazon Music and Apple Music announced last month that they will provide hi-fidelity streaming to subscribers at no added cost. Amazon Music simply enabled Unlimited users to upgrade to Amazon Music HD (which previously cost another $5 per month) for free, and Apple Music – which said earlier in 2021 that it has some 660 million subscribers across all services – will begin supporting lossless this month.

Back in August of 2020, New York City-based music publisher Round Hill Music named Believe and TuneCore in a massive copyright infringement complaint, and TuneCore in May of this year brought on former Conde Nast exec Becky Sebber as CFO.

Lastly, evidence suggests that Spotify will enter the HD-audio space sooner rather than later, as eagle-eyed users spotted a hi-fi button on the Stockholm-based company’s iOS app about two weeks ago.

Photo Credit: Markus Winkler

Uppsala, Sweden-based sound-technology company Dirac has raised $17.73 million via “a direct share equity issue,” higher-ups have confirmed.

Dirac – which has offices in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai, as well as an R&D facility in Copenhagen – detailed the funding benchmark today, in a formal release that was emailed to Digital Music News.

According to this announcement message, Nordic-focused investment company TIN Fonder (a new Dirac backer) and the 10-year-old DIG Investment (an existing investor) fronted the multimillion-dollar tranche, with each party having contributed $8.9 million.

Moreover, the transaction values Dirac at north of $140 million and positions the business “to fully leverage and lead what it believes will be the next great era in audio driven by software rather than hardware alone.”

Throughout the last year, Dirac “has experienced marked success across all of its core channels,” per the document, including home audio, headphone, streaming, and mobile. Said success encompasses “key OEM deals” with the likes of Amsterdam-based Philips, Seoul-headquartered Hyundai, Gothenburg, Sweden’s Volvo, and more.

Additionally, the release relays that 20-year-old Dirac has “developed new sales channels,” including “working directly with semiconductor and middleware companies…to integrate Dirac audio directly into chipsets and platforms.”

Lastly, Dirac – which in April enlisted Duran Duran guitarist Dom Brown to tout its products – used the latter portion of the release to highlight the leadership pivots it’s implemented to this point in 2021, “to fully capitalize on this software-driven industry trend.”

Peter Friedrichsen joined as CEO in January, for instance, while Dirac co-founder and former head Mathias Johansson then became chief product officer. Wade Giles signed on as VP of North America, “to drive new partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers,” and Klas Åström was named CFO.

Addressing his company’s newly completed funding round in a statement, Friedrichsen struck an optimistic tone with regard to Dirac’s potential for growth in the coming years.

“We have traveled a long way since company inception. We evolved from a niche designer of digital audio solutions for specific applications to a tier one company in audio technology, collaborating with many the world’s largest and most esteemed tech brands,” said the former Bergenstråhle & Partners partner and CEO.

“Now, with our new funding and realigned executive leadership team, we’re poised to fully capitalize on our growth potential and intend to make Dirac synonymous with superior sound experiences around the world,” he finished.

Last month, Round Hill Music acquired the master recordings of Swedish label Telegram Studios, whereas Sony Music Publishing officially partnered with the publishing division of Stockholm-headquartered The Very Good in late April.

In other funding news, May saw rap-discovery platform Rapchat raise $2.3 million, and career- and business-advice video platform Bonsai closed its seed-funding round after receiving $5.3 million in support. Plus, OneOf, a music NFT platform backed by Quincy Jones, revealed about five days ago that it had generated $63 million in seed capital.

Photo Credit: Thibault Penin

Netflix has put to bed rumors that it is testing AirPods spatial audio support for its platform.

Earlier this month, Digital Music News reported that spatial audio support might come to the streaming video service later this spring. Netflix says it is not currently testing spatial audio support for AirPods or any other device. A spokesperson says they have no plans to make public “at this point in time.”

Instead, the audio test referenced in the rumor was for multi-channel support for built-in speakers. Netflix says improving multi-channel support would help improve its service and create “new experiences” for users. It’s a shame that Netflix isn’t focusing on spatial audio – since all of its main competitors in the space already do.

Spatial audio headphones and earbuds have taken off since the technology debuted at CES 2020. Netflix supports Dolby Atmos on some of its shows, but not all. It currently has no spatial audio support for Apple’s new AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.

Meanwhile, Disney+ viewers can enjoy full spatial audio support for shows like ‘The Mandalorian’ for a fully immersive experience. Hulu, Vudu, HBO Max, and Rakuten all support spatial audio experiences via Dolby Atmos.

Forget Netflix; which music streaming services support spatial audio?

There are several music streaming services that have fully embraced the spatial audio experience. Tidal offers support using on the Tidal HiFi tier, which costs $19.99/monthly. Tidal also supports Sony’s 360 Reality format, which aims to re-create live music experiences.

Amazon Music HD also features support for spatial audio, including Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. Amazon has also curated 3D audio playlists to make these experiences easier to find. Amazon Music HD costs $12.99/month for Prime members and $14.99/month for non-members.

Deezer has also launched a special mobile application called 360 by Deezer for its spatial audio support. It highlights all the music that supports Sony’s new audio format and works with any pair of compatible headphones.

Spotify has been downright hostile to offering a lossless audio format until recently.

The Spotify HiFi tier is coming, which will likely include support for spatial audio formats. Spotify’s premium tier doesn’t even have a publicly announced price yet, so it’s still wait-and-see here.

Oddly enough, despite the AirPods support for spatial audio for video, it’s not available for Apple Music – yet. But now that Apple has its own competing standard to Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, you can bet that the company will bring spatial audio to its music experience.

High-definition music streaming service Qobuz has raised over $11.7 million (€10 million) in a new funding round.

Qobuz confirmed the multimillion-dollar backing this morning via a formal release. Per this announcement message, existing Qobuz investors the Quebecor Group and Nabuboto fronted the capital, which arrives following a more than $14 million (€12 million) cash influx last August. The Paris-headquartered platform intends to use these latest funds to overhaul its management team and roll out a comprehensive recruitment plan, as part of a larger effort to “accelerate international development.”

On this front, the 13-year-old streaming service also disclosed in its release that former PlayStation Europe exec Georges Fornay has been tapped to serve as deputy CEO in Paris. Additionally, Qobuz has brought on Céline Gallon to fill the position of “Chief People Officer,” while Head of QA Raphaël Awóṣéyìn is now the company’s “Chief Customer Officer.”

And stateside, Winter Jazz Fest marketing director Rachel Silton started as Quobuz’s marketing manager back in July. “Other major recruitments” are set to arrive before 2020’s end, according to the release.

Thus far, Qobuz has largely operated on the fringe of the ultra-competitive music streaming landscape, offering hi-res audio to listeners at comparatively expensive ($14.99 per month and up) costs and without an ad-supported option. (Since becoming available domestically, however, the service has streamlined its monthly plans, including by doing away with the MP3 variation.)

Currently operating in 12 countries, the platform experienced something of a rocky stateside debut, adding just 25,000 U.S. subscribers to its ranks (of 200,000 total subscribers) between February and August of 2019.

Nevertheless, some signs indicate that high-definition audio could factor prominently into the streaming space of tomorrow. Aside from Qobuz’s fresh funding and ambitious goals (its last fiscal year also ushered in “over 45% growth”), Amazon Music just launched a new ad campaign in support of its HD subscription options.

These HiFi variations cost the same as the Qobuz introductory plan (for non-Prime members) and became available in France, Italy, Spain, and Canada earlier this year. And 11 days back, Amazon Music scored an exclusive 3D audio edition of Taylor Swift’s Folklore, available to stream solely through Amazon’s first “high-end” smart speaker, the Echo Studio.

And as an interesting aside, it bears mentioning that Qobuz – unlike Spotify (which largely dismissed the reach of HD audio in 2019) and Deezer, but like TIDAL, Amazon Music, and others – allows users to purchase and download songs from its 60 million-track catalog. Moving forward, it’ll be worth seeing how (or whether) the ability to instantly own some hi-res tracks and many CD-quality works impacts Qobuz’s above-outlined expansion intentions.

Photo Credit: Sven

Apple announced two new features in an AirPods update at WWDC this year.

Automatic switching between devices and a new “spatial audio” feature for 3D sound will come to AirPods Pro.
The new automatic switching feature will come to a variety of Apple accessories in a firmware update. Those devices include the AirPods Pro, 2nd-gen AirPods, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro.

The feature will allow these devices to automatically switch inputs based on which device is being used through an iCloud account. For example, listening to a podcast on your phone and opening a video on your laptop will automatically switch the audio stream to the laptop. It also works in reverse, to change the audio stream to an iPhone to answer calls if you are listening to the audio on your laptop.

Apple did not give a firm timeline for when the new AirPods update will roll out.

Apple also announced a brand-new feature at WWDC called “spatial audio.” This new feature will only arrive on its AirPods Pro earbuds. The feature will offer 3D, surround-sound audio on the AirPods Pro. Apple says the feature replicates a “movie-theater experience on the devices. Apple says the AirPods Pro will constantly recalibrate based on your head’s position to whatever device you’re using. While that sounds unique and immersive, it also sounds battery-draining.

Apple’s new “Spatial Audio” feature is similar to Sony releasing its 360 Reality Audio format for its collection of headphones and headsets. Third-party music services like Deezer have embraced that audio format – but Apple Music hasn’t.

Apple is also bringing support for its AirPods audio sharing feature to Apple TV devices. That means two users can use a single pair of AirPods to watch Apple TV content together. iOS 14 is also bringing some minor usage improvements like battery notifications for when you need to charge your headphones.

Tidal is bringing Dolby Atmos support to its app on smart TVs – including Android TV, Apple TV, and Fire TV.

Tidal says several soundbars, TVs, and AVR home theater systems equipped with Dolby Atmos tech can experience it. Users need a Tidal HiFi subscription and a compatible streaming device.

Dolby Atmos Music tracks are mixed to take advantage of 3D surround sound. That means vocals and instruments come from different parts of a room. The feature works even with just a single soundbar.

Tidal says its DAM library includes music from Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello.

The HiFi tier defaults to Dolby Atmos Music experience if it is available on a compatible device. Music that supports the format will include an “Available in Dolby Atmos” sticker on the home screen. Users can also search for Dolby Atmos on the Tidal app to find all tracks supporting the technology.

Tidal continues to appeal to audiophiles who want the most from their music experience. It supports Dolby Atmos Music, Sony’s new 360 Reality audio format, and hi-res masters-quality audio for thousands of songs. Tidal is also offering a 60-day free trial of the Dolby Atmos service.

Dolby Atmos Supported Devices

• Apple TV 4K
• Fire TV Stick 4K
• Fire TV Cube
• Nvidia Shield TV
• Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen)
• Fire TV (3rd-Gen)
• Nvidia Shield TV Pro
• Sony Smart TVs
• Philips Smart TVs

Out of all these hi-res music technologies, Dolby Atmos Music is the most interesting. The surround sound audio experience is impressive for gaming and movies – music is just a bonus.

The technology offers native surround sound support for up to 128 channels and up to 34 separate speakers. That includes speakers that can direct sound toward a listener from the ceiling. It helps recreate a commercial movie theater feel right in your home. Right now, only Tidal and Amazon Music HD offer support for Dolby Atmos Music.

Dirac CEO Mathias Johansson.

Swedish sound-technology company Dirac has raised $6 million in funding, which will be used to build upon its “intelligent audio” system for video conferencing and its proprietary headphone-audio optimization system, among other things.

Company executives announced the fundraising milestone in a press release, which was shared with Digital Music News. Additionally, the release revealed that Dirac had appointed former Spotify executive Jonathan Forster to its board of directors. Forster held a “number of leadership roles” at Spotify, where he worked for a decade after joining as one of the company’s initial five employees.

The brand signaled that its new funding and high-profile board appointment were preceded by the release of “breakthrough Dirac headphone technology” and a corresponding mobile app, which are said to accentuate the “subtle beats, tones and sounds” that other headphones fail to register.

Predictably, Dirac said that it will use a portion of the $6 million funding to support the further development of this technology and application, besides bolstering its overall “ability to create intelligent audio solutions.”

Speaking of his company’s funding and noteworthy personnel addition, Dirac CEO Mathias Johansson said: “With this new round of financing, and the addition of Jonathan to our board, we’re equipped with the capital and expertise to realize our long-term product and market development objectives.”

Board member Jonathan Forster, for his part, said: “Dirac’s technology gives each of these people [new music streamers] the chance to enjoy the experience through better sound, regardless of how they’re listening. I’m excited to help the team continue to bring this technology to market.”

Lastly, the press release noted that the Dirac’s audio-refinement technology is utilized by smartphones, PCs, digital conference-calling platforms, music studios, and more. Given that millions are working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, and many American schools and colleges have transitioned to the web, the resource’s benefits to conference-calling audio are likely in high demand.

Inbox Kapital, Swedia Capital, and DIG Investment are among the brands that provided Dirac with its newest funding. Although the company is based out of Sweden, once again, it also has offices in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai, as well as an R&D facility in Copenhagen.

Lizzo adorns a Dolby Laboratories and Amazon billboard in Los Angeles, Jan. 5, 2020 (photo: Digital Music News, CC0)

Want Lizzo playing the flute in Dolby Atmos audio? Now there’s a hi-res connected music speaker for that.

If you like Lizzo, then you’re gonna love Lizzo playing the flute in Dolby Atmos.  Or at least that’s the thinking behind a major marketing campaign designed to push both the Dolby Atmos format and Amazon’s high-fidelity Echo Studio speaker.

Incidentally, Lizzo is a classically-trained flautist, so who knows what’s in store with this tie-up.

Just ahead of Christmas, Dolby Laboratories produced a short film and broader marketing push featuring Coldplay, with Dolby Atmos Music and Amazon’s Echo Studio featured.  Post Malone has also been profiled by the two companies.

“Listening to Dolby Atmos is the closest thing I’ve ever heard to what artists are imagining when they’re creating music,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin relayed. “Everyone who listens to music should be able to hear things sound this good.”

Now, Dolby is seriously expanding things. Already, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have announced plans to release music in Dolby Atmos. The format is currently available for streaming on Amazon Music HD and via Amazon’s hi-fidelity smart speaker, the Echo Studio. Incidentally, the format is also available on Tidal, as well as various music venues, movie theaters, and home theater systems.

Of course, both Coldplay and Lizzo were paid handsomely for their endorsement of the hi-fidelity format.  But will mainstream music fans pay handsomely for the privilege of better-sounding music?

That’s an interesting question moving forward.  But at least one major player remains unconvinced.  Back in 2017, Spotify experimented with a higher-res tier, but ultimately abandoned the idea.

Last year, Spotify VP Paul Vogel explained the rationale.  “We haven’t talked much about [introducing an HD quality tier],” Vogel recently shared at Goldman Sachs’ Communicopia conference.  “But if you go back and look at it, it’s not really something that’s been a big differentiator among the different services.  It’s really about user interface, algorithms, playlists, discoverability and those type of things.”

Amazon, Tidal, and Dolby obviously beg to differ, though Spotify is now moving forward with a ‘High Quality Sound’ option that actually means 320 kbps. That’s sure to piss off the audiophiles, but Spotify doesn’t think most listeners will care (if they can even tell the difference).

The other question is whether any of Lizzo’s more mainstream fans truly care about higher-res audio, much less Dolby Atmos. But regardless of the outcome, Lizzo has probably set the record for the highest-paid ad featuring a professional flautist.

Photo Credit: Dolby

Tidal HiFi subscribers can now listen to music using Dolby Atmos technology on Android. The available catalog includes hits from Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

Dolby Laboratories has announced a partnership with Tidal for HiFi subscribers to use Dolby Atmos. Tidal members with a valid HiFi subscription can use Atmos Music on Android devices.

According to Dolby, Atmos Music changes the listening experience to reveal what’s lost in traditional recordings. “Listeners can discover hidden details and subtleties with unparalleled clarity,” reads the press release.

The Tidal app will default to the experience if an Atmos Music mix is available. The Dolby logo will appear on tracks with Atmos. The ‘Explore’ tab on Tidal now features an Atmos option to explore the full catalog.

Tidal owner Jay-Z says he’s working with Dolby to release his catalog in the format. Other artists with ownership stakes are working with Dolby to do the same.

Dolby is pushing hard in the mobile space with the Atmos format. Some Android devices have launched with the Atmos Music app installed by default. But Dolby is increasingly working with music streaming services to expand the format’s reach.

Dolby announced a partnership with Amazon Prime Music HD back in October. Atmos Music playback is now an option on Echo Studio devices for Amazon Prime subscribers. And both Tidal and Dolby are working to bring Tidal Hi-Fi with Atmos Music to additional devices.

Meanwhile, Sony is working aggressively to push its separate format ⁠— 360 Reality Audio. Sony says its new format can simulate a live musical performance by scanning the inside of your ears. That format works best with headphones Sony sells (of course), but it can be used with any headphone hardware. Deezer, Tidal, and Amazon Music all support that new format, though the catalog is limited. 

The format that started it all is now getting ditched by hi-res platform Qobuz. The move is part of a broader streamlining of the service.

In audiophile-speak, two terms often pop up: ‘lossless’ and ‘lossy,’ with the latter being the inferior, compromised version of the former.

The MP3 format, which emerged as a revolutionary codec for compressing audio files while retaining relatively high levels of fidelity, thrived in a digital world constrained by bandwidth, storage, and buffering problems. But among audiophile geeks, the lossy MP3 is now the 2-Buck-Chuck of formats.

But among audiophile geeks, the lossy MP3 is the 2-Buck-Chuck of formats.

No longer. Now, hi-res audio platform Qobuz is doing away with the lowly format entirely.

“MP3 is really bad for music, artists, and listeners – so Qobuz is saying ‘no’ to MP3 and now offers only real studio quality in one accessible plan. Studio Premier is a special offer we’ve been dying to make,” declared Dan Mackta, Managing Director of Qobuz USA.

Accordingly, Qobuz is streamlining its offering to feature a $14.99 ‘Studio Premier’ plan that offers unlimited access to its Hi-Res and CD lossless catalog. That price drops to $12.50 on annual plans, which edges into Spotify and Apple Music territory.

Those price points sound competitive, though Qobuz is only offering them to the first 100,000 takers, plus existing subscribers. Whether 100,000 will actually show up for the offering is another question, though Qobuz is touting some decent numbers. The company says it has 25,000 subscribers in the U.S., and 200,000 across its global footprint of twelve countries.

The service has drawn the spirited approval of quality-obsessed Neil Young.

“Qobuz was one of the earliest Hi-Res streamers,” Young enthused. Their new offer is another big step towards making Hi-Res streaming available at the same cost as MP3 streaming today.”

But Young, whose hi-end Pono platform failed, is also giving kudos to competitor Amazon Music HD. “I’ve just been rooting for this to happen for about thirty years,” Young said last week. “What Amazon has done is gonna make it, so there’s a resurgence of quality.”

Amazon’s entry into this space sounds like bad news for Qobuz, though it could serve to broaden the marketplace for finer audio quality. That’s if enough people ultimately care about audio quality.

A wallet-friendly pair of bookshelf speakers with great sound.

I was recently sent a pair of speakers from Q Acoustic. Previously, I’d tested and reviewed Q Acoustics’ 3050 and 2020 speakers and thought they were great for their respective price points. Initially, I was intrigued by these speakers because of their design. They have the option to include stands for these bookshelf speakers, so I thought it gave them a really nice look, especially in the white version.

Design

Getting them unboxed, the quality of these speakers for the cost was immediately noticeable. These can be purchased for $400, and for that price, I cannot think of a speaker I would more strongly recommend. I’m using them with the Q Acoustic stands, which brings the price up to $650, but I still think they are an incredible value at that price.

I personally find the stands to be stylish (my wife doesn’t agree, so they won’t please everyone).

Once I got them set up and running, I was really impressed by their sound! Compared to the 2020s, these had a much fuller sound. It was sort of like a mix between the smoothness of the 3050s, with a more dramatic punchiness than the 2020s. They have lots of clarity thanks to the evenness of the highs, mids and low-end tones.

Comparison to tower speakers (3050)

The 3050s are great, but I think at this point, I would recommend them for much larger rooms than I can currently afford to live in. This could also be a byproduct of the listening conditions I personally prefer over what is more universally considered ‘good’, but I prefer the sound of the punchy bookshelf speakers over that of the sometimes overly warm and smooth tower speakers.

I’d have to bring the towers up to a louder volume than is really acceptable in an apartment building in order to get the same fullness and punchiness of sound I get from the bookshelves at moderate volumes.

Performance

Music sounds great through these speakers. The one thing that was lost between these and the larger tower speakers is some of the finer details in the treble. The power of the mids and lows somewhat overwhelmed them, but this is a pretty standard tradeoff. Because there is less room to create the bass, you get a more forceful sound out of them, which is that ‘punchiness’ I referred to earlier.

Film and TV were also handled really well by these speakers. One of the problems I have with the tower speakers is that the smoothness of the midrange also makes voices a little less distinctive and pronounced. I think that people with large spaces and no shared walls may enjoy the larger tower speakers, but I found that the volume control between dialogue sections and more special effects-driven sections to be all over the place.

The consistent sound levels may have something to do with the more compact soundstage that the bookshelf speakers provide. But part of the solution may also come from the ‘Gelcore’ technology that allows for more evenness of volume without causing vibration noises. This allows for a pretty even volume, and I didn’t find myself constantly holding the remote to increase or decrease the volume of whatever I was watching.

Construction

Gelcore

Gelcore is a new technology that Q Acoustic invented and deploy in the Concept 20s. It separates the inner and outer walls of the speaker with a glue-like compound which remains viscous. The gel helps isolate the vibration into the inner cabinet of the speaker. This allows for fewer vibrations to be transferred into the room, enhancing the clarity of the sound.

An additional layer on the Concept 20 speaker stands is also used to enhance the experience for those who choose to purchase them. This new technology is absolutely effective and there is a clear and audible difference (your neighbors will also appreciate it if you have shared walls). Luckily, this will be utilized in future Q acoustic models as well; it’s the most important new addition to these speakers as compared to the previous models tested.

Overall

I think these speakers are a great purchase! These can be had for under $550 from various online stores. Anyone in the market for a pair of great-sounding bookshelf speakers will be extremely pleased with the Q Acoustic Concept 20s.

Photo Credit: Qobuz

Qobuz, the French music streaming service, launched in the United States on Valentine’s Day. Despite its rocky rollout, the company claims to have gained at least 25,000 subscribers in the country, which is just a fraction of its worldwide customer tally. Nevertheless, Qobuz recently released some financial details about the company, stating that it has at least 200,000 subscribers across 12 global territories and continues to grow.

However, the song catalog on Qobuz is not as deep as other streaming services. Instead, the service was built with audiophiles in mind. Dan Mackta, the U.S. managing director, recently stated that “We’re not competing with the big guys. Our aspiration is to reach 1% of the market.” Qobuz launched in 2009 as a hi-res download service and only in 2014 did the company roll out a complementary streaming service. All audio tracks on the service are CD-quality audio as a baseline. The service also offers millions of Hi-Res tracks, up to 24-bit/192kHz across many genres.

Despite the potential market for hi-fidelity music streaming, Qobuz’s U.S. rollout was not smooth. For several weeks, Android users were left needing a desktop computer to sign up for an account, and the app simply didn’t work on Android devices. The issue has now been fixed, but it’s unclear how many subscribers Qobuz lost during that window.

However, even beyond these launch snags, there’s a bigger question: how willing are people to fork over extra money for high fidelity audio? Tidal has claimed that 45% of its three million subscribers were from its HiFi tier, but the company’s claims are difficult to verify, and it has been routinely accused of cooking its books. Additionally, Tidal has announced that it will support the MQA codec for its hi-res audio tier on iOS and Android earlier this year.

Qobuz’s launch in the United States has inevitably drawn comparisons to Tidal and other high-fidelity music streaming services. Tidal Masters has a lower introductory price than Qobuz, and Deezer’s recently announced hi-fidelity streaming service starts at a less expensive price point than both. Even Apple has worked to revamp its iTunes Masters for Apple Music. Therefore, the question arises: is there even 1% of a market for Qobuz to exploit at this point?

Nevertheless, Qobuz remains optimistic. The company’s CEO, Denis Thébaud, has stated that he believes the U.S. market has the potential to become its largest market. “We are in a market that is developing, and there is a real need for differentiation,” he said. “We have to be a little cautious, but we see that there is a real opportunity to develop this market.”

In conclusion, despite the rocky start, Qobuz remains confident in its ability to grow in the United States and beyond. Only time will tell if the market for high-fidelity music streaming will continue to grow, but for now, Qobuz is betting on it. With its focus on audiophiles and high-quality audio, Qobuz is certainly differentiating itself from other streaming services. Whether or not it can gain a significant market share remains to be seen, but Qobuz is definitely a player to watch in the music streaming industry.

Photo Credit: Daniel Cañibano / CC by 2.0

Apple Music has launched ‘Apple Digital Masters,’ a revamp of ‘Mastered for iTunes’ content.

Apple recently killed off its iTunes umbrella in favor of separating its digital offerings. But that doesn’t spell death to Apple’s hi-res audio download ambitions.

Mastered for iTunes was launched in 2012 as a set of guidelines and software tools to optimize iTunes music by encoding from high-resolution masters. According to Apple, the result is studio-quality sound files that sound nearly identical to the original recordings.

Now, the Mastered for iTunes collection is being translated into a streaming-based Apple Digital Masters catalog.  Apple says it’s been quietly working on this translation for quite some time, and now, it’s ready to announce the project’s completion.

Apple says that most of the top releases on Apple Music are actually Digital Masters.  Around 75% of the Top 100 in the U.S. and 71% of the Top 100 globally are Digital Masters.

Strangely, Apple seems to be doing this without much fanfare. But maybe that’s based on a read of music streaming audiences, most of whom seem to care little about hi-res quality (if they can even discern the difference).

Of course, Apple isn’t the first music streaming service to offer a premium audio experience.

And competitors have made a lot more noise about higher-res options, with a competitive advantage in mind.

TIDAL made a big deal of its 2015 launch of its HiFi subscription tier. For $19.99/month, audiophiles can get access to lossless audio. In 2017, TIDAL upgraded its lossless audio to use Master Quality Authenicated (MQA) technology.

Both Deezer and Qobuz also offer high-quality music streaming plans for an extra $5/month. Qobuz even features a $24.99/month Studio tier that offers 24-bit/up to 192kHz FLAC-encoded tracks.

Spotify tinkered with offering a hi-res subscription service back in 2017. The service was called Spotify Hi-Fi and offered lossless audio quality to subscribers. The feature was never rolled out to the general public and was only tested with certain subscribers.

Elsewhere, Amazon has been expected to debut high-quality music streams for its Amazon Music service. Apparently, Amazon is in active talks with record labels for license agreements for high-quality audio. For various reasons that may be tied to licensing costs, however, sources have relayed that various labels have resisted offering high-resolution masters access.

Amazon has yet to make any announcements, but rumors suggest the high-resolution audio subscription may cost $15/month.

That’s less than most other services charge for their extra services. Amazon Music is currently available for $9.99/month with a $2 discount for Prime members. An Echo-only subscription model is available for $3.99 for those with smart speakers.

Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with Dolby Atmos, a leader in audio technology, to create 3D immersive music content across multiple genres. The partnership will see UMG studios outfitted with support for Dolby Atmos Music, enabling artists and producers to create 3D soundscapes using an object-based mixing environment.

With this cutting-edge technology, UMG is working to remix thousands of songs in its vast catalog, transforming them using Dolby Atmos technology. Artists from hip-hop, pop, rock, jazz, and classical music are all getting the immersive treatment.

Dolby Atmos Music is a completely new way to create and experience music, freeing artists to be more expressive and experimental with their recordings. The technology envelops the listener, bringing them inside the music and creating a visceral ‘wow.’ Dolby Laboratories Chief Marketing Officer Todd Pendleton said the new technology offers a new way to create music, “This is a completely new way to create and experience music, freeing artists to be more expressive and experimental with their recordings.”

UMG believes that the partnership will give artists the ability to present their music the way it is intended to be heard in the studio. Dolby Atmos is integrated at UMG’s iconic studios, including Capitol Records Studios in Hollywood, Abbey Road Studios in London, and Berry Hill Studios in Nashville.

UMG labels around the world are working to create immersive music content using the new tools. While the partnership sounds promising, the new technology could present some challenges for listeners.

For example, the most recent May 2019 update for Windows 10 featured a bug that disables Dolby Atmos devices. Devices that rely on the Dolby Atmos extension for home theater and headphones cannot listen to music on Windows 10. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and has even gone so far as to block the Windows 10 v1903 update for some devices.

According to Microsoft, the issue is caused by a “licensing configuration error,” preventing the Dolby app from reading the license information. Currently, there is no workaround for the issue, but Microsoft estimates it will be available by mid-June.

Despite the potential issue with the Windows 10 update, the partnership between UMG and Dolby Atmos is undoubtedly exciting for music lovers. The immersive sound technology is sure to offer a new level of engagement with music that was previously impossible. With Dolby Atmos, listeners can expect to be enveloped in the sound, creating a truly unique and memorable experience.

The partnership between UMG and Dolby Atmos is not only exciting for listeners but also for artists who want to create something new and innovative. The technology will allow them to experiment with sound in ways never before possible, creating a new era of music that’s sure to captivate audiences around the world.

Overall, the partnership between UMG and Dolby Atmos is a significant development for the music industry. It’s a new era of music that’s sure to be immersive, engaging, and unforgettable. The potential for new and innovative music is vast, and we can’t wait to see what artists come up with next. The partnership is expected to bring a new wave of creativity and possibilities, changing the way we listen to music forever.

Audio mastering is now a luxury everyone can access.

Simply defined, mastering is the last creative step after mixing, and a critical step that optimizes a song for different platforms like streaming and CDs.  It’s the polished mix that sounds pro, and separates professional recordings from amateur bedroom productions.

Now, CD Baby has tapped CloudBounce to offer a quick solution for instant mastering. The integration is available to CD Baby users immediately, and can be accessed within the platform account dashboard.

Each track will cost a modest $4.90, with an instantly spruced-up audio track the result.

“With our new partnership with CD Baby, we can harness our audio know-how and offer our best-in-class mastering service as a directly integrated option for all CDBaby customers,” Anssi Uimonen, cofounder and CEO of CloudBounce told Digital Music News.

“This aligns perfectly with both companies’ mission to support the core creative interests of indie artists.”

CloudBounce’s mastering solution sounds simple enough, though up until recently, few could easily access and arrange a professional mastering engineer.  So it wasn’t even an option for most emerging artists, or even smaller indies.

In fact, it typically wasn’t until an artist was inked by a serious label or met a knowledgeable manager that the mastering stage would be taken seriously.

That reality has changed dramatically over the past few years. The concept of automated, instant, algorithm-driven mastering is no longer the stuff of audio research, it’s a fast-growing and accessible solution. Now, companies like CloudBounce are delivering serious, algorithmically-driven solutions for automated mastering, and upping the game for millions of artists.

These automatic conversions sound convincing, and can make the difference between an iffy demo and a serious track that gets added to Spotify playlists and gets noticed by labels, agents, festivals, and fans.

The process for mastering a recording is now easier than ever.  Typically, a higher-res file (like a 24-bit WAV or AIFF file) is simply uploaded onto a separate server, and within minutes, the whole mastering process is ready.  Artists can then accept the final cut, or tinker with a number of settings to tweak the results.

Here’s a quick ‘before and after’ automatically created by CloudBounce, which is working with DMN to expand the industry’s understanding of the fast-changing mastering stage.

TJH87 – Wait For Us [Pre-master]

TJH87 – Wait For Us [Mastered]

TMSV x Digid – Gates [Pre-master]

TMSV x Digid – Gates [Mastered]

The instant mastering solution platform was created by industry professionals and audio engineers from Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.  The company’s automated mastering is used by rap producers like Arkatech Beatz, whose credits include Nas, Raekwon, and Big Pun, among others.

The results are pretty obvious, and delivered instantly. But Uimonen says this isn’t a replacement for seasoned mastering engineers. When it comes to focus singles and higher-budget releases, mastering engineers are critical to the process.

Instead, Uimonen told us that “automated mastering is a perfect solution for everything else: demos, live recordings, and recordings from artists that are just getting started.”

On top of that, a professional mastering engineer can always be brought in later on recordings that were previously mastered automatically.  In just one year, a band can find themselves signed, on a major festival bill, or enjoying a significant increase in fans.  Luck certainly plays a factor in that, but an initial mastering certainly doesn’t hurt towards reaching those breakpoints.

Indeed, mastering can literally be make-or-break for certain artists, especially when it comes to Spotify and Apple Music playlists.  A mastered recording simply sounds more professional, and is more likely to make it onto a high-trafficked playlist.

And that goes for radio-heavy platforms like Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Sirius XM, all of whom have curators combing through tracks.

CloudBounce’s mastering engine includes the most sophisticated audio processors for intelligent audio analysis and mastering.

The robust, modular mastering engine allows the creator to tackle even the toughest challenges in audio production.  That includes enhancing the overall balance, eq, resonance control, and stereo imaging, while polishing the audio to a professional loudness standard, among other things.

Of course, as algorithms and mastering technology continues to mature, the ‘machine vs. human’ debates will continue to broil. But for now, there’s still a very important role for mastering pros.

For everything else, there’s an affordable and automated mastering solution with greater accessibility than ever.

Premium Electronic Earplugs, The Etymotic Music Pro

Ever wonder if it’s worth it to spend $300 smackeroonies on hearing protection for the loud things you may attend? Well, I had the opportunity to try out a pair of super-premium earplugs, so “look no further”!

My History With Etymotic and Hearing Protection

I have always really liked the brand Etymotic. Their ER6i headphones were the first purchase I made towards higher fidelity audio. Those headphones were stolen, but once I started attending local concerts frequently back in Minneapolis, I would never be seen without my ‘Ety plugs’ earplugs. I would order several pairs at a time so I could give them away to people I knew would use them at various local concerts.

The ER-20 XS

So I was really excited when Etymotic reached out and asked me if I would be interested in trying their super-premium Music Pro Electronic Earplugs!

I Would Have Tried Them Earlier, But…

The Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert was my first time getting to really test these in a way that I felt I could write about it. Having known about their existence and being genuinely curious, I was really excited to get to try them! However, the only chance I had to try them before was in some dome in Downtown LA.

There, a really questionable Pink Floyd cover band was performing (or maybe they were fighting with the sound guy for 90 minutes) to repetitive graphics that were being projected onto the walls and ceiling of the dome. The sound there was so awful that I didn’t consider it to be a fair opportunity to review these earplugs.

Anyway…

Full disclosure, I didn’t  have to pay for the earplugs (usually $300). Etymotic sent them to me in exchange for the review. I greatly appreciate getting to try them, especially because I don’t know if I ever would have tried them on my own dollar.

But, Man, These Things Are Awesome!

First, I think that any hearing protection during loud events is smart. It doesn’t have to be a super premium product like this one. But if you love live music and you will get a lot of use out of these, I think you will be really happy with them!

Controls, Case and Presentation

The Music Pros have a little switch that is difficult to access when they are in your ears.  The switch controls how much volume reduction you will get from your surroundings. I didn’t find that tremendously useful, so I kept them on the weaker setting. I think that this could be more useful if you are closer to a speaker or maybe using them for your own live music performance.

This shows how the switch is hard to access when in ear. Also, I feel like this pic is slightly uncanny… Maybe it’s the dude’s sideburns being so straight or that his ear looks to pale. I don’t know.

They also come with a really nice hard case, which you can purchase separately for under $7.

One thing that I dislike about the Music Pro Earplugs is the lack of an ‘off-switch’.

You have to take out the little hearing-aid batteries or they’ll drain themselves.  On top of that annoyance, the batteries themselves are tiny.  You’ll have to bring a pack of batteries with you for ongoing use.

Comparing The Different Types Of Earplugs

I also brought my ER 20 pair to the Elton John concert so I could A/B test them. Using the powered ones at home or in a quiet environment, it’s somewhat akin to using noise cancelling headphones that actively use a microphone. It’s difficult to describe, but if you have used noise cancelling headphones, it is similar but much more subtle.  In the concert setting, I started with the Music Pro earplugs and when I switched to the ER 20s, it sounded muffled by comparison.

I feel like there are three tiers of earplugs. You’ve got your foam ones that we all know (which heavily muffle treble and mids), the rubber ones like the ER 20s (which provide a more even volume reduction across frequencies), and super premium ones like the Music Pro Earplugs which seem to preserve the most detail.

Now that I have tried all three, I would say that the gradation of quality between them is consistent at each step. Meaning that if you have tried foam ones then upgraded to the rubber ones and noticed the difference, it’s an equal improvement when you go from rubber to powered.

Should You Buy Them?

That depends. How much are you comfortable spending on earplugs? How much do you think you will use them?

If you’re the type of person who lives for live music and the price tag doesn’t make you flinch, then these things are great!

The one thing is that you need to have a lot of extra batteries. Are you happy with foam earplugs? If so, you probably don’t know what you are missing and should at least buy a pair of the rubber ones. Are you happy with the rubber ones? Cool, stick with them. Do you feel like you want a little more clarity in the live music you are hearing than the rubber ones can provide AND have a lot of money to spend on earplugs? Then, you should totally get these and I think you will be happy with them!

Specs

Hi-Res streaming newcomer Qobuz just launched in the US on Valentine’s Day, but the service appears to be having a rough start on Android devices.

The US-based desktop and iOS versions of the HiFi music app operate just fine, but at least two of the Android devices we tested had trouble signing up.

Upon attempting to sign up for Qobuz using the sign-up button, US-based Android users get a screen saying “Qobuz is not available in your country right now.”

Roughly 10 days ago, Qobuz told DMN that the issue is being worked on.  But little has changed.  And this isn’t the only Android-related issue.  Attempting to login with a Facebook account, for example, generates an endless loading screen.

The only way Android users can use the app is to create a Qobuz account on the desktop and then log in through the app. Qobuz describes the US launch as a public beta, but the sign-up process is needlessly complicated for Android users.

With Tidal and Deezer both offering HiFi streaming, is there any room for Qobuz in the US streaming market?

Tidal Masters offer 24-bit quality for $19.99 a month, giving it a cheaper introductory price than Qobuz. Deezer also offers a new hi-fidelity streaming tier for $14.99 a month.  Both of these options are cheaper than Qobuz, so what sets the service apart in the realm of hi-fidelity audio?

The Android app experience certainly isn’t lending any favors to the music streaming service, as both Tidal and Deezer apps work well.  You’d expect a basic feature like signing up for the music service to work on any platform that is considered launched.

Despite the functionality of web-based desktop, it’s doubtful that most people are going to sign up for the HiFi service using their desktop first.  According to recent stats, nearly 55% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices.  Most people will see the unavailable screen, rate the app 1 star for not being available and move on.

That’s if you can convince someone to try a music streaming service that isn’t Spotify or Apple Music.

Qobuz executives fail to explain why you should pay up to $300 a year just to switch from Spotify or Apple Music to stream your favorite music.

A brand new streaming music service has launched in the United States.

Qobuz, a self-proclaimed platform for ‘true music connoisseurs,’ chose to roll out its service stateside on Valentine’s Day.  The Paris-based high-fidelity streaming music platform has previously remained a European-only service.

According to the company, ‘US audiophiles’ have eagerly awaited the service to launch.

Available on all platforms, Qobuz allows for streaming in up to 24-bit/192 kHz true Hi-Res FLAC – about 29x the audio quality of MP3.  Like every other streaming service out there, you can also download your favorite tracks offline on all devices, including mobile and desktops.  Qobuz offers ‘unlimited downloads’ for offline listening.

In addition, the French music platform proclaims it provides ‘exclusive, curated, and in-depth editorial content.’  This includes deep metadata, complete digital booklets, interactive articles, reviews, and playlists.  Its library spans all genres, including jazz and classical.

Qobuz touts that its music experts highlight music of interest based on user choices.

However, unlike most major streaming music services in the US, Qobuz’s plans remain unnecessarily pricey.

For a Sublime+ subscription, which includes full Hi-Res streaming and discounts for Hi-Res purchases from its download store, users will have to fork over $299.99 a year.

A Studio subscription, which only includes unlimited Hi-Res streaming, costs $24.99 a month, or $249.99 a year.

Its Hi-Fi service – a la TIDAL – featuring 16-bit CD quality streaming costs $19.99 a month, or $199.99 a year.

Qobuz Premium, which only allows 320 kbps MP3 streaming, costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

Like almost every other service out there, the Paris-based music platform has a catalog of over 40 million tracks.  The company has remained silent on how many Hi-Res tracks it offers.

Speaking about Qobuz’s launch, Denis Thébaud, the company’s Owner and Chairman, said,

“I’m very proud of our United States launch.  Our teams have been working brilliantly for over a year with our recording and publishing partners to get to this point.  I’m convinced that what we have to offer, on both the streaming and download markets, will be a success amongst American music lovers.”

Touting the service’s ‘quality’ over other music streamers, Dan Mackta, Managing Director at Qobuz USA, added,

“I’m thrilled to be introducing Qobuz to the US, and I look forward to working with the music community to spread the word about streaming without sacrifice.  It’s all about the quality!”

Featured image by Pictures of Money (CC by 2.0).

Dolby has quietly been testing a new mobile recording app.  But how good is it?

Artists have been recording on their iPhones for years.  But is it really possible to match studio-level recording quality from a smartphone?

Enter Dolby, which is now part of a slow technological tide that could push studios (and producers) to the fringe.  Dolby’s app lets users record audio and cancels out background noise. The app also features several presets like “Amped,” “Bright,” and “Thump” to tune the audio.

The app, dubbed Dolby 234, promises to clean up the sound and alter the tone and space for recordings.  It may even start to encroach on studio-level results (though let’s see how it ultimately stacks up).

“How can music recorded on a phone sound so good?” Dolby wrote on a (now-deleted) website.  “Dolby 234 automatically cleans up the sound, gives it tone and space, and finds the ideal loudness.

“It’s like having your own producer in your phone.”

Sounds like another lofty ‘studio-quality’ claim, though this isn’t yet a finished product.

Still, some early functionality is known.  Tapping the record button in the app starts a tone measurement for a few seconds before beginning. Presets can be applied to the whole track after you are finished recording.

App tools also allow users to remove unwanted most annoying background noise, adjust bass and treble, and boost sound.

An in-app purchase called the Essentials pack comes with six more presets. Users can get a seven-day free trial for all six presets before purchasing the app.

Dolby 234 also features an option to share finished files to Dolby or directly to SoundCloud.

The app has since been taken offline, but several tech websites have offered their opinion on the quality of audio it produces.

The Verge noted that the mic level metering in the app didn’t work properly. The app is a work-in-progress and shouldn’t be taken as a finished product.

Right now there’s no possible way to multi-track or adjust any of the parameters within the presets. While this app is aiming to be a pocket producer, it falls short of that goal without more robust controls.

If Dolby adds more ways to control preset parameters, similar to Prisma for photos, perhaps this on-the-go audio producing app might be workable for aspiring artists. Until then, it’s a creative attempt at packaging professional tools for backyard artists.

Hi-res streaming and download service Qobuz has been teasing entry into the U.S. market since 2017.

The service appeared at CES 2018 in Las Vegas to promote the service, with a launch slated for later this year.  Now, it appears as though Qobuz won’t be ready until early 2019.

The company has already opened its US-based headquarters in New York.

Back in July, Qobuz hired three new music executives to help spearhead the U.S. launch. Dan Mackta, Ted Cohen, and David Soloman make up the core U.S. launch team.

Qobuz is expected to be available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows when it debuts stateside.  The service was founded in Paris in 2007 as a streaming service.  Now, the higher-fidelity play is available in 11 European markets including France, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Spain, and Italy.

Qobuz has a catalog of 40 million CD-quality tracks and over 2 million hi-res tracks with 24-bit resolution.

Right now the service is in limited beta, but when it launches there will be four subscriber tiers.

• Sublime+ ($299.99 a year), which offers full hi-res streaming with 40-60% discounts on purchases from the Qobuz hi-res download store.
• Studio ($24.99 a month) for unlimited hi-res 24-bit streaming.
• Hi-Fi ($19.99 a month) for 16-bit CD quality audio.
• Premium ($9.99 a month) for 320kbps mp3 quality streaming.

The Sublime+ tier is the only one that must be paid yearly, though all three other plans can be paid annually, too. The pricing structure for Qobuz aligns with Tidal’s own structure, though Tidal may have a pricing advantage for those interested in high fidelity streaming.

‘Tidal Masters’ are 24-bit quality, making its higher-fidelity plan cheaper than Qobuz at $19.99 a month for 24-bit audio quality.  Tidal’s hi-res music library crossed the 1 million mark back in October, so Qobuz’s touted 2 million track library gives it the advantage in sheer size of available music.

Also down the street is Deezer, which is also offering a hi-fidelity tier.  So far, Deezer isn’t disclosing its hi-end subscriber numbers (overall, the service reports six million paying subscribers).

A review of the HEM8s and their plastic waste.

Pros: Good quality for the price!

Cons: Somewhat bottom heavy and lacking some of the detail I prefer on highs, somewhat narrow soundstage, SO MUCH PACKAGING!

Rating and overall thoughts: 6/10

If you are looking for in-ear headphones and want to spend around $400, buy these and you’ll be really happy with them. 

I have reviewed a few of Optoma NuForce’s products before, and these guys keep delivering really good headphones for their respective price points.

The cons that I do have are minor and non-detrimental to the product.

First, I found the EQ of the headphones to be a little flat and bland for my tastes with an emphasis on low end.  They have a strong level of bass, but it doesn’t wash out the rest of the sounds.  It was just that it was warmer than I had expected.

I definitely prefer when the bass is not so powerful that it drowns out the mids and highs but at the same time, I like a little coloration to the sound.  So it’s hard to say if I felt these really achieved that. 

My other beef with these is how much packaging is used.

Again, some people will be into this and I think that one (of the several layers of Russian doll-esque packaging for these headphones) could be repurposed for other stuff.  I just am somewhat of a fan of the planet, so I feel that excessive packaging is plastic waste and this is kind of a-bit-much.

Even if I wasn’t a fan of not destroying our planet through plastic waste that will undoubtably become part of Garbage Island, I still feel like I’m being asked to throw away a lot of stuff.  It’s the same reason I don’t like fliers left on my car.  Depending on who you are, it might be a dealbreaker, so I gotta point that out. 

On the flip side of that, they do include a lot of useful accessories as well.

They send more ear-tips than anyone will ever need, so you’re sure to find a fit in both the rubber and foam options (both included).  Also, they come with two cables.  One of them is more the ‘audiophile’ braided version with presumably some better metals.  The other one includes a microphone and is a combined/singular cable. 

So much stuff!

Other than those gripes, I think the Optoma Nuforce HEM8 headphones are a good purchase!

I tested them with a variety of music genres and thought that they had a full sounding bass, decent mids and somewhat ‘meh’ highs.  They were there, but they sounded a bit on the tinny side compared to my Grado GR8s (which are $100 less) although these had more clarity overall.  This is possibly due to the 10 – 40,000 Hz frequency range.

photo: InspiredImages (CC 0)

In today’s digital age, where streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music reign supreme, it’s hard to imagine anyone buying physical music formats like vinyl records or cassette tapes anymore. However, the past few years have seen a surprising resurgence of these classic media formats. While vinyl records’ comeback has been talked about for years, the cassette tape’s growth has gone relatively unnoticed.

According to media metrics firm BuzzAngle, cassette tape sales have increased by 136.1% from 2016 to 2017. This growth is part of a multi-year trend that has seen cassette tapes make an unexpectedly resilient comeback. BuzzAngle also reported that cassette sales approached 100,000 units in 2017, accounting for just 0.1% of total physical album sales. This may seem like a small number, but it’s a significant increase from the near-zero sales numbers of just a few years ago.

While vinyl records’ resurgence is driven largely by nostalgia, the cassette tape’s growth is driven by cultural events and milestones. For example, the release of the soundtrack of the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things” on cassette tape spurred a renewed interest in the format. Similarly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe film “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its sequel also helped to nourish the once-dead cassette tape.

Despite their modest sales numbers, cassette tapes have become an unexpected source of revenue for artists and record labels. In 2017, during the holiday season, 69% of albums purchased were physical albums (CDs, vinyl albums, or cassettes), with 26,699 cassette tapes sold. This represents an increase of 130% since the 2016 holiday season.

+ Why I Still Buy Music in the Age of Spotify

But are cassette tapes just a fleeting fad? That’s a difficult question to answer. While the vinyl LP’s resurgence seems to be a lasting trend, driven by a deep-seated nostalgia for physical music formats, the cassette tape’s growth may be more short-lived. However, the format’s recent sales growth suggests that there may be a market for it, especially among collectors and music enthusiasts.

In addition to “Stranger Things,” other popular albums that have seen an influx in cassette tape sales include Hamilton, Prince’s Purple Rain, and Nirvana’s Nevermind. These releases indicate that the cassette tape’s growth is not just a quirky one-off, but the beginning of a trend that could continue to gain momentum in the coming years.

While it’s unlikely that cassette tapes will ever surpass the popularity of digital music formats like streaming services or MP3s, their resurgence is a reminder that physical media formats still hold a special place in the hearts of many music fans. The tactile experience of holding a cassette tape or vinyl record and enjoying the artwork and liner notes can’t be replicated by digital formats. For some, the resurgence of cassette tapes and vinyl records is a way of reconnecting with a bygone era of music.

In conclusion, while the cassette tape’s comeback may not be as strong as the vinyl LP’s, it’s still a remarkable trend that’s worth paying attention to. Only time will tell if it’s just a fleeting fad or the beginning of a lasting trend. Regardless of its fate, the cassette tape’s growth is a testament to the enduring appeal of physical media formats and their ability to evoke powerful memories and emotions.

Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, site of the upcoming conference.

Now there’s a conference for that.  Get ready for ‘Making Vinyl,’ an event dedicated to the burgeoning vinyl records industry.

Updated, August 21st: We’ve got a few updates now (from the organizers).  Specifically, Jack White has not yet confirmed a keynote (though it’s likely).  Also, Ben Blackwell from Third Man Pressing will be speaking.  Additionally, the registrations page is now ready.  Stay tuned as this event continues to take shape.

Somehow, I don’t think Wall Street Journal writer Neil Shah will be showing up for this one.  But even the staunchest vinyl skeptics might have something to learn here.

The conference is called ‘Making Vinyl,’ and its aim is to congregate the smartest industry minds around one topic: vinyl records.  The action is happening this November in Detroit, and the luminaries are already been penciled in.

Pulling the strings behind this one is none other than Jack White, a huge player behind vinyl’s second life.

In fact, Third Man Pressing is understood to be a major sponsor behind this conference, which is slated for November 6-7.  Third Man Pressing is a manufacturing offshoot of White’s Third Man Records, all housed in hometown Detroit.

+ How to Double Vinyl Record Sales In 2 Years or Less (Guaranteed!)

And there’s another vinyl bulwark backing this confab: Record Store Day.  Indeed, Making Vinyl will feature heavy RSD tie-ins.  That includes the very distinct possibility of a buying exchange, much like now-fossilized buying marketplaces that defined events like France’s MIDEM.

Look no further than Colonial Co-Op, which is producing the entire event. Basically, Colonial aggregates a bunch of little buyers and makes them into a much bigger buyer, a function that introduces bulk deals and scale.  Which is exactly what the scrapping vinyl business needs at this moment in history.

Of course, that business model makes a conference like this a very savvy step.

Registration for Making Vinyl starts next week, specifically August 21st.  For now, the conference has a placeholder site, with some contact information to get involved.

Update: The conference site is now live and accepting registrations.  Also, be sure to check out the ‘Alex Awards’ if you’re involved in vinyl packaging and artwork.

At this stage, Making Vinyl hasn’t revealed their line-up or further conference details.  But several attendees are already spilling the beans on the program to DMN.   As you’d expect, Jack White is slated for an opening keynote (update: Jack White’s keynote is likely but not yet confirmed, according to event organizers).

Data-focused figures like Russ Crupnick (founder of MusicWatch) and Jim Lidestri (CEO of BuzzAngle) will also be speaking and sharing their findings at the event.

RSD cofounder Michael Kurtz wil also deliver a keynote.

And a quick glance at the tentative program shows some really deep expertise.

There are entrepreneurs behind some of the biggest pressing plants worldwide, not to mention players from emerging component and press manufacturing companies.  There’s even an entire section carved out for next-generation vinyl-cutting and production technologies.

+ After 30 Years, Sony Starts Manufacturing Vinyl Records Again

Additionally, it looks like turntable manufacturers and graphic arts companies will also be on hand.  There’s also at least one major label exec (from Sony Music Entertainment), not to mention a representative from Sony Japan.

Also on the sketch program: a full-blown tour of Third Man Pressing, with shuttles departing from the hotel for a multi-hour adventure.

Update: we’ve also learned that Ben Blackwell, who runs the plant, will speak on a panel and share insights about setting up the plant.

Expect ticket prices in the $300-something range.  Of course, none of this is official (yet), so a few of these details will change.  But we’re expecting a game-ready program and sign-up page within a week.

Stay tuned for more!

photo: Florian Schwalsberger (CC 2.0)

You’re destroying your hearing. Here’s one way to stop it (and still hear the music).

It’s not just one study.  It’s now dozens of studies conducted over multiple decades.  And they’re all saying the same thing: younger people are totally destroying their hearing.

Non-stop earbud listening is a major part of the problem.  But so are festivals and other live shows, most of which blast music at insanely high decibels.

+ A Dutch Town Gives Every 16 Year-Old a Pair of Earplugs

All of which means this is a ticking time bomb for teens and twenty-somethings.  The medical community says it’s a ‘when, not if’ situation.

Last night, I went to a DJ set by Alison Wonderland with some Etymotic earplugs.  You should use these.

Etymotic sent us some ‘ER20XS’ earplugs in the mail.  They come with two different ‘flanges’ for different ear sizes, plus a foam piece if you need all-out noise blockage (for shooting guns or standing on an airport tarmac, for example).  There’s also a handy carrying case and a nylon string to keep them attached, but frankly, those need some work.

We tested them in the front row at a loud, outdoor concert at the Santa Monica Pier (the ‘Twilight Concert’ series), plus an indoor DJ set.  In both scenarios, they offered really solid results.

These aren’t the only good earplugs out there.  But Etymotics are a really solid choice.

+ ASCAP and BMI Just Made the Biggest Commitment Yet to a Shared Licensing Database

I’m into music.  So I’ve been to a lot of shows and used a lot of sophisticated hearing protection.  But Etymotics are one of the best pair of earplugs I’ve used, and definitely the best priced.

These aren’t custom-fit, though that’s definitely an option if you want to get really serious with noise protection.  Instead, Etymotic’s ER20XS buds are about $20.  There are a few other models as well, all within an affordable price range.

So how exactly did I test these?

The testing method was pretty simple.  I parked myself next to the biggest speaker at a small gig by Alison Wonderland.  She was playing at the Microsoft Lounge in Venice Beach on Tuesday.  Basically, Microsoft was showcasing the many musical benefits of its Surface, and tossed a great show into the presentation (plus some pretty damn good hors d’oeuvres and mojitos).

I typically stand right next to the speaker at brutal death metal shows.  In comparison, Alison Wonderland was far tamer, but… this was still a loud DJ set in an enclosed space.  And it was definitely loud enough to do some hearing damage.

The results?

Simple: Etymotic gets an ‘A’.

I could hear everything perfectly: low, mid, and high.  But better yet, the listening experience improved the actual, blasting version getting pumped out.  At one stage, my brain was tricked into thinking I was listening to something at a moderate volume.  I had to take the Etymotics out to remind myself that this was actually a loud show.

Other benefits?  The hard plastic base makes it really easy to put these in and out.  Also, I could actually hear my girlfriend talking to me during the set.

Downsides?  I guess Etymotic could work on a better carrying case.  Ear Peace, for example, offers a pretty cool metal cylinder that works perfectly on a keychain.  So I never forget to bring them along.

But that’s really my only complaint.

Nice work, guys.

P.S.: I’m not saying you shouldn’t spring for something high-end.  If you’re constantly at shows, or a sound tech or something, you might want to spend a few hundred (or a few thousand) on an amazing pair of earplugs (or ear monitors).  And don’t get me started on noise-cancellation.  But for just heading out to shows, the Etymotics are pretty impressive.  

Written while listening to Araabmuzik, Nas, and Alison Wonderland.

Suse H. (CC by 2.0)

They’re decaying on dusty shelves, neglected for decades.  Now, the British Library is now trying to save a massive collection of more than 500,000 old sound recordings.

To save nearly half a million ‘at-risk’ recordings in the UK, the British Library launched a major preservation and access project on Wednesday.  Dubbed Unlocking Our Sound Heritage, the project received a major £9.5m ($11.9m) National Lottery grant. This grant builds on the support of other donors and funders, with the total project funding now at £18.8m ($23.55m).

According to their press release, the project will enable the first ever national network of ten sound preservation centers.  These networks will allow the British library to save and store half a million rare and unique recordings.  The recordings are threatened by physical deterioration or stored on (now) non-playable formats.

Speaking on the project, Roly Keating, British Library Chief Executive, said,

“We are extremely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and all our supporters for recognising the urgent need to save these rare, unique recordings from around the UK.  The British Library is the home of the nation’s sound archive.  So we are delighted that this funding will help us preserve our audio heritage for people to explore and enjoy.”

The project will focus on protecting a range of musical and recorded output by UK artists.  The recordings tell a rich story of the UK’s diverse history through traditional, pop, and world music.  They also include drama and literature readings, oral history, regional radio, local dialect and wildlife sounds from the country.

Unlocking Our Sound Heritage forms part of a core British Library program, Save Our Sounds.  The program pledges to preserve the UK’s sound heritage.

The funding will also allow the British Library to lead the project and share skills and support with ten centers across the UK. The ten centers that will begin work on preserving regional sounds include:

• National Museums Northern Ireland
• Archives + with Manchester City Council
• Norfolk Record Office
• National Library of Scotland
• University of Leicester
• The Keep in Brighton with the University of Sussex
• Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums
• National Library of Wales
• London Metropolitan Archives
• Bristol Culture

Raumfeld’s Stereo M Wi-Fi Connected Speakers

Sonos now has more competition than ever — starting with Amazon itself.  But rivals like Raumfeld are about to make Sonos’ life even more difficult.

Earlier this year, we questioned whether Sonos could survive the next evolution of connected stereo systems.  Even five years ago, the idea of a Wifi-connected stereo system seemed novel and futuristic.  Now, it’s about to become a fierce battleground, with dozens of companies potentially competing.

And the best part for you? Wifi (and bluetooth) connectivity is quickly becoming a standard component of current-generation systems.

Enter aggressive upstarts like Raumfeld into this picture.  The Berlin-based speaker company is baking Wifi connectivity right into the speakers themselves, right out of the box.  And they’ve been working on this integration since 2010.

The result is that these connected speakers are ready to go in less than 10 minutes.  Without a central controller or any specialized setup.

Sonos eventually ditched their handheld controller for a mobile app.  But Raumfeld has built an app-based controller system from the ground up.  Frankly, the Sonos app is pretty good.  But Raumfeld’s is also pretty tight, not to mention smart.  It quickly figures out the Wifi terrain and ties everything together in about 5 minutes.

Once the mobile (iOS or Android) app is set up, it easily connects with anything else on your phone.  That includes Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, etc.  And Google Chromecast users are in for a nice surprise.

Apps can be tricky.  But two weeks later, Raumfeld’s app hasn’t presented one glitch.  Pretty impressive.

Now, onto the speakers themselves.

Take it from me, I suck at setting up speakers.  An audiophile would laugh at what I need to search on Google to get it right.  Part of this is paranoia.  But maybe Raumfeld should have a few extra pages for the inevitably non-expert user, just to prevent cross-wiring disasters.

But once the ship was sailing, it was sailing oh-so-smoothly.  Basically Raumfeld’s Stereo M series speakers are overgrown bookshelves, but they easily overpowered my existing towers.  That’s not surprising, given that Raumfeld integrates a 320 watt amplifier and coaxial drivers right into the main speaker itself.

Crank these puppies up, and the output is pretty astounding.

Not to mention crisp.  I largely test the Raumfeld Ms with my Spotify account, though the Stereo Ms also support lossless delivery.  Purists may decry the impact of wireless on truly lossless sound, but hey, audiophiles can become a finicky bunch on the higher end.

Which brings me to…

The price.

How much?  Looking on Amazon, a pair of Stereo Ms will run you about $900.  That’s still a little pricey, depending on your level of price sensitivity.  Smartly, Raumfeld is trying to steer clear of the audiophile stratosphere, which caters towards millionaires searching for that ultra-pristine sound.

The only problem with the audiophile market is that it’s typically too niche to scale.  And 99.9% of the market is probably under $1,000.  Frankly, this comes pretty damn close unless you need to hear pin drops in the back of Carnegie Hall.

That said, Raumfeld may be forced to drop their prices as ‘baked-in’ connectivity becomes de rigueur.  But for right now, this is a competitive pricing range.  For example, Sonos’ relatively tiny ‘Play 5’ is $500, though this is nothing near the size, output, and room-filling capacity.  And scaling up into a serious Sonos setup easily throws you past the $1,000-mark.

Other tidbits.

There are a few other features that may come in handy.  Line-ins are good for vinyl turntables and CD players.  And you can even drop a USB stick into the back to play a downloaded collection.

A bit more on Raumfeld.

Raumfeld itself was started with multi-room connectivity in mind.  Stephan Schulz and Michael Hirsch started in 2008, and were purchased by Berlin Acoustics Group.  That tied the company with Berlin-owned Teufel, a German loudspeaker brand that formed the basis of the high-quality, connected systems of today.

A few pro tips.

If you do take the plunge and buy these on Amazon, skip the $150 setup package.  It’s that easy to get things up and running.  As I mentioned, you might need a Google search or two, depending on your experience.

You’ll also be tying these two speakers together with standard speaker cable.  But that’s included in the box.  Upgrade if you want.

Also, Raumfeld ships these really nicely.  But fair warning: expect a giant box (and lots of padding inside the box).

Specs.

The full-blown details are on Raumfeld’s site, here.  But here’s a quick rundown of the speaker specifications.

Does Apple have a length limit on iTunes songs?  Yes, according to Pono inventor Neil Young, who recently spoke about the technical complications surrounding his latest album.

“In critical other ways, this is like nothing that I’ve done,” Young told Rolling Stone on Wednesday. “It’s more like a giant radio show. It has no stops.”

“The songs are too long for iTunes, thank God, so they won’t be on iTunes.  I’m making it available in the formats that can handle it.”

Fans should prepare for a lengthy musical experience…

“It’s like a live show, but it’s not like a live show. Imagine it’s a live show where the audience is full of every living thing on earth — all of the animals and insects and amphibians and birds and everybody — we’re all represented. And also they overtake the music once in a while and play the instruments. It’s not conventional … but it is based on live performance.”

Young’s techno-babble closely follows a questionable rant against Donald Trump for the use of his song, ‘Rockin’ in the Free World,’ during a recent rally.  The use of songs are plainly covered by US Copyright laws related to public performances.  “Donald Trump was not authorized to use ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ in his presidential candidacy announcement,” a statement from a Young spokesperson wrongly stated.  “Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for President of the United States of America.”

The Trump camp quickly pointed to ASCAP and BMI licenses, which make their use of the track totally legal.

Other statements from the Pono progenitor have been equally puzzling and flimsy.  In a Facebook post from July of last year, Young blasted streaming for being of lower-quality than AM radio in the 60s, while calling streaming ‘the worst audio in history'”:

“I was there.
AM radio kicked streaming’s ass.
Analog Cassettes and 8 tracks also kicked streaming’s ass,
and absolutely rocked compared to streaming.
Streaming sucks. Streaming is the worst audio in history.
If you want it, you got it. It’s here to stay.
Your choice.”

Young’s upcoming album, his 37th, is expected in June.

Image by four4dots, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC by 2.0).

Worth A Thousand Words….

If you want to buy headphones based on who is promoting them, or because you’ve seen product placement for them in almost every recent music video… then it’s too late for you.

You’re going to over-spend on plastic-y garbage that defines ‘fashion over function’.  You’ll blow your hard earned cash on Beats by Dre… and that’s okay.

Don’t Think, Just Buy!

But the headphones I’m about to review are too good for you.

I know that there are droves of people who buy brands like Beats and Bose, because their high price and marketing cause them to be perceived as a ‘nice’ brand. They do the most effective advertising, and consumers typically confuse high price with high quality.

The question is whether you’re willing to fall into the same trap.

Instead of buying for fashion, try something better, like a pair of Grado headphones.  The ones I’ll be reviewing today are the Grado GR8e in-ear headphones, which retail for $300.

Grado GR8e

Let’s quickly compare. The Beats By Dre Pro cost a whopping $400!  As you can see from their webpage, Beats claims that these are ‘the headphones used to mix in every major studio’. This is an absolute lie.  I know people at several major studios and they would not use fashion headphones for mixing.  One person who works in a major studio even told me that he bought a pair of these headphones and promptly returned them because the bass was so overpowered.  It was causing pressure on his eardrums, even at low volumes.

In contrast to that, you can get an ‘on-ear’ pair of Grado headphones for as little as $80 (SR-60 pictured below) and I’m willing to bet that these will surpass the quality of even the $400-600 offering from Beats by Dre (and the $300-400 ‘top of the line’ offerings from Bose).

Grado SR-60

I’ll buy you a beer if I’m wrong.

For a second opinion, I spoke with a real music professional, i.e., some who makes music for a living and has a certified ear for quality.  The earphones he owns and uses daily for listening are the Bose Q20i in-ear headphones with noise cancellation (retail price: $299.99).  We both did a quick A/B comparison using the same content on the same audio player for a fair comparison.

Bose Q20i

Even inside the industry, there’s only partial knowledge about headphone quality.  Once my outside authority was wearing the Grados and the music was playing, he was very clearly impressed.  He told me that the quality he got from the Grados was substantial enough for him to be able to work on the music he is making outside of his studio.  He had never experienced the same feeling with any other in-ear headphones.

This simple case study is the reason that Grado should be advertising. At least getting their product distributed through electronics retailers (right now, Grado distributes through direct sales and hi-fi specialty stores).

Grados are at exactly the same price point as the Bose headphones, while offering so much more fidelity and warmth than Bose can provide.

As part of this review, I’ve been spending the past couple of months bathing my ears with the smooth, rich and creamy sounds of the GR8e headphones. I am loving every minute of it!  The content I have been listening to vinyl archives stored in 24bit-192Khz lossless files, high resolution music from HDTracks, some 320kbps MP3s and some .flac rips of CDs I own. Mostly I was playing them through an AudioQuest Dragonfly (v1.2) DAC/headphone amp.  My software setup is Audirvana+ on OS X and USB Audio Player Pro on Android.

The earphones come with three sizes of silicone tips, intended to fit most ears.  I had a significant amount of noise caused by the cable brushing against me while walking and found the solution was to loop the cable around my ear and basically insert the earphones upside down.  Acknowledging that this was not ideal and caused me to look a damn fool, I found a new solution.  I ordered a pair of foam tips that not only stay in place more securely, but also isolate the music better and block out more external noise.

Foam Eartips

I do have one complaint or shortcoming that I felt could be improved on the Grados.  The rubber cable felt cheap and I think would be improved by having a fabric covered cable.  Aside from this (extremely minor) issue, I genuinely enjoy every minute with these headphones.

Grado GR8e

Grado president John Chen recommended that I give them ample time to break in, although 100 hours may have been a bit more than required.  But the sound definitely opened up as time went on.  Maybe that’s part of the beauty of having a moving armature design instead of having three or more armatures jammed into a tiny package.

Comparing these to other IEMs I have tested, Grado easily outshines anything I have heard.  Even while attending the Newport Beach Home Audio Show and testing out IEMs with price tags well over $1,000. Still I found nothing that could compare with the realistic sounds that were pumping through my Grado pair.  They have great separation between instruments with powerful, booming and realistic bass tones.  I could deeply appreciate the higher quality of HD Tracks’ re-release of the self titled Red Hot Chili Peppers, and appreciate the smoother strings with more powerful choruses in orchestral music like Philip Glass’s Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack.

I challenge any other headphone makers to create the same level of quality; I’ll happily review the attempts.

Here are some tech specs, for the serious listener:

• Driver: Moving Armature
• Connector: 3.5mm stereo mini-plug
• Frequency Response: 20 -20,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 118dB/1mW
• Impedance: 120 ohms
• Max Input Power: 20mW
• Cable: 51″/130cm
• Weight: 9 grams

…from renowned journalist David Pogue, who was wondering why Pono doesn’t sound any different…

“I found 15 volunteers, ages 17 through 55. Each subject put on nice headphones — Sony MDR 7506 — and listened to three songs of different styles (“Saturday in the Park” by Chicago, “Raised on Robbery” by Joni Mitchell, and “There’s a World” by Mr. Pono himself, Neil Young). I bought these songs twice: once from the Pono store, in high resolution, and once from the iTunes store.

Each subject then listened to the same songs again, using standard Apple earbuds.

I connected both the Pono Player and an iPhone to an A/B switch; I instructed my test subjects to flip back and forth between the two at will.”

…and the results?

“Whether wearing earbuds or expensive headphones, my test subjects usually thought that the iPhone playback sounded better than the Pono Player.”

Check out the exhaustive review here.

That’s according to the New York Post, which is reporting that multiple Pono ‘product engineers’ are now questioning their own fidelity.

“Product engineers for the shaggy rock icon’s newly released Pono digital music player have privately admitted they aren’t convinced that the high-resolution audio files it plays have any significant technical advantage over CD-quality files, sources told The Post.”

Pono, and its passionate leader Neil Young, have yet to comment on the report.

From the Million Songs Dataset, a database of western popular music from 1955 (authors: Joan Serrà, Álvaro Corral, Marián Boguñá, Martín Haro & Josep Ll. Arcos).  

You’ve probably heard the phrase, ‘music is a drug.’  But what kind of drugs are music fans using, exactly?

From the ‘High Quality Audio: Does It Matter?’ panel at Music Biz 2014 in Los Angeles last week…

Steve Silberman (AudioQuest):  “Streaming at higher-rates, at CD-quality or above, is going to be a very big part of this eco-system.  I think people really want better-quality music.”

“Where I live, in my town, I’m the only guy with a stereo system.  And the hardest part about getting people out of my house is, the stereo becomes such a magnet.  But it’s not the stereo itself, it’s the quality of the sound.  My friends who all had great stereos in college twenty, twenty-five years ago, all forgot what good music sounds like, because they take the short cut.”

“They use Pandora for free through their crappy speakers on their television set and think that’s music.”

“And there’s that ‘a-ha’ moment I see on people’s faces when they come into my home.  You hear, just, CD-quality music on a decent stereo system, it’s fascinating.  And the fact that people are buying so many records, record players, from a place like Urban Outfitters, I find that to be fascinating.  People –”

“Music is a recreational drug, and MP3s are methamphetamines.  It’s bad, crack drugs.”

[audience laughter]

Vickie Naumann (moderator): “It’ll be good to see that in Digital Music News.”

[more laughter]

John Hamm (Pono): That’s a tweetable quote right there.  ‘MP3s are the meth of music..’

[noise and chatter in the audience]

Silberman: “It’s the meth of music.  What people want is the high-quality Colorado weed.  And high resolution files and vinyl, all of that it’s transportive — it’s transportive–”

Hamm: “I think given the choice for quality, humans will always tend to want something better if they can have it.  We’re like this about everything else in our lives.

“The artist is saying to you, ‘I want you to hear my best work, I want you to hear it the way I made it.’  And if a chef went to that level of detail to get it right and dropped half of it on the floor on the the way to the table you’d be pissed.  But the truth is, that’s what happens in music, is that some fraction of the artist product that they make in the studio gets to you in a highly-compressed media file.  But what the artist really wants is for you to get their best work, so in that regard they’re all in already.

“And fans will listen to artists way more then they’ll listen to us.”

Neil Young’s Pono Music Kickstarter campaign went live on March 11th.  By March 18th the campaign had already raised over $4 million.

As of 4:33 PM PST April 3rd, 2014 Pono had raised roughly $5.4 million.

The campaign is going to wrap up on April 15th.

The huge amount indicates that high-quality audio on-the-go isn’t just for a niche audience.  It’s doubtful that Kickstarter is only being funded by “a lot of people who have extra cash they can piss away,” as one commenter suggested.  However, it’s hard to imagine anyone under the age of 26 purchasing a Pono Player.

It would be interesting to see stats on the campaign’s Kickstarter backers.

When Nina Ulloa isn’t writing for DMN she’s usually reviewing music or at a show. Follow her on Twitter.

If the MP3 destroyed music quality, can it all be reversed?  “We were selling shit!” Neil Young told a SXSW audience on Tuesday, referring to the compressed format.

And the solution?  Neil Young proudly offered Pono, a music player with a polarizing design.  In reality, the player itself has been around for a while: in 2012, Young introduced a prototype of the player on Late Show With David Letterman.  Now, there’s a Kickstarter set up to fund the player, and Young is trying to drum up support for it.

Digital music is in the crapper, according to Young. and this is his solution.

PonoPlayer is an awkward looking triangle shaped music player.

The player can play music the user already owns, or music purchased through the PonoMusic app.  The app is available on Windows and Mac and packages high-quality FLAC master recordings.

PonoPlayer has two audio output jacks. One jack is designed for headphone listening and the other is designed for plugging into your home stereo.

The player is currently available for $300 via Kickstarter.  Retail value is $399, a price point that probably won’t catch on any time soon… but then again, people pay $300 for Beats headphones.

There have also been questions regarding the PonoMusic business model.  At the SXSW talk an audience member asked what percentage of music sales Pono would keep.  Pono’s CEO, John Hamm, got flustered and changed the subject, saying “It surprises most people that everyone who buys music from the record labels pays exactly the same amount”.

When questioned further Hamm refused to answer the question and moved to end the talk.

The following guest post comes from Brian M. Nohe, President of SMS Audio. 

Consumers want their music whenever, wherever and the digital age has given us the power to make that happen.  Consequently, digital audio keeps the music industry in a constant state of flux in which consumers have accepted trading sound to fulfill the now factor.

Every audio format, from analog to digital, has challenges with playing back music to be enjoyed again and again exactly as it was originally laid down inside the recording studio.  From scratches and hissing to skips and compression, people associate each format with some level of distortion of the music’s true original sound.

When audio began going the way of digital in the early 1980’s, it brought a wave of convenience to the consumer. However, that convenience came at a compromise.

Music lovers have unwittingly suffered a loss in the quality of the experience in exchange for this convenience.

Audio mastering is the art of creating a master recording from which copies can be made to bring music to market.  Knowing that likely everything you hear is a copy and often times a copy of a copy must make you curious about that original recording, right? If not, why go see your favorite band perform live?  That’s the promise of audio mastering – the intended experience.

Digitization of Sound

The analog-to-digital conversion did wonders for removing the grit – the noise or distortion associated with analog circuitry and devices – and has made it possible for audio to be easily stored, transmitted and, most recently, streamed.  While digital is the obvious choice for storage, it is a poor option for signal processing – converting the physical properties of sound into a programmed sequence of numbers.  With the advent of HD and rich delivery systems, the digital age also presents more choices.  Still, consumer demand currently reinforces convenience as a prime focus in the course of audio development.  It’s not necessarily a battle of quantity versus quality, but one of accessibility.

In this digital world, we have a plethora of devices and delivery methods that introduce a new slew of fragmenting sound culprits. Ever notice how music is delivered differently whether you’re listening from your smartphone, home audio system or streaming over the Internet or via Bluetooth? Or how about hearing the difference in a song you’ve downloaded after hearing it on the radio?  Adjusting your receiver or audio settings doesn’t always do the trick.  The varieties of devices now in market also present a variety of limitations and audio processing.

Music Matters : Quality + Convenience

This is not a new problem. As far back as the 1950’s, mastering engineers began to degrade music quality to prioritize marketability by mastering for maximum volume.  Music labels and producers assumed that the louder the music, the better, or the more likely it will be played and enjoyed by the listener.  Unfortunately, little has changed this perspective and this practice continues today.

People care about the music they love and they can have both: quality and convenience.  Even Apple seems to agree, rolling out its “Mastered for iTunes” program this year to help insure that artists and sound engineers release the music they intended.

Though as formats progress, mastering still depends on the accuracy of delivery – speakers or headphones and the listening environment.  Speakers can aim to deliver accurate sound and be developed for specific types of environments, such as outdoor listening or on-the-go.  Quality is then heavily dependent on many factors to include developing drivers and product forms that enhance the replication of the original recording. Our music industry’s record producers are the master ears that certify what is quality sound.

What bothers me about the challenges brought on by the digital age is that so many artists are fighting the access battle, when their attention should really be on the fight for quality.  Understandably, access impacts royalty fees, but how does a compromise in sound quality impact the artist?  This is still a mostly untapped dimension in digital audio and the artist and listener have much to gain by turning focus to the experience.

When technology and the industry align on this endeavor, they will redefine musical integrity with true-to-life sound.

We want your guest post! Submit to news@digitalmusicnews.com.

Image snapped by The Impulsive Buy (theimpulsivebuy.com), licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).  Formatted while listening to the Bloody Beetroots. 

The ‘Loudness Wars’ in music are sort of like global warming.  The problem keeps getting worse every year, but very few people have any real power to change it.  But what if GM stopped selling gasoline-powered cars tomorrow, or the entire city of Los Angeles banned the sale of plastics next week?

That’s sort of what’s happening over at iTunes Radio, thanks to an incredible loudness-regulating decision by Apple.   “The debilitating loudness war has finally been won,” mastering engineer Bob Katz boldly declared at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in New York last week after extensive testing.

“The last battle will be over by mid-2014.”

As a quick primer, the ‘Loudness Wars’ refers to the gradual erosion of dynamic soft and loud contrasts in recorded music over the years, thanks to a concerted effort to collapse dynamic ranges and maximize volume impact.  The approach affects (and is motivated by) all forms of radio, downloads, on-demand streams, and often tinny outputs like televisions.  The result is less range, but far greater ‘loudness’ across every minute of the music, a trend that supposedly keeps listeners more engaged but also leads to much crappiness.

According to Katz, the game-changer from Apple is something called the ‘Sound Check’ algorithm, which purposely limits the all-max, all-the-time approach.  Instead, iTunes Radio wants to create more normalized and predictable volume output levels.  Most importantly, Sound Check cannot be turned off.

Katz specifically measured the output levels of several stations, and concluded that each station’s loudness averaged -16.5 LUFS, usually within plus or minus 1.5 dB.  “I have just completed loudness measurements of iTunes Radio using iTunes version 11.1.1,” Katz relayed.  “iTunes Radio’s audio levels are fully-regulated, using Apple’s Sound Check algorithm.”

But isn’t the music played by Apple already recorded and mastered?  Not exactly: in order to tame the beast of loudness-maxing, Apple is actually taking steps at the point of playback from iTunes Radio.  “The way to turn the loudness race around right now, is for every producer and mastering engineer to ask their clients if they have heard iTunes Radio,” Katz continued.  “When they respond in the affirmative, the engineer/producer tells them they need to turn down the level of their songs to the standard level or iTunes Radio will do it for them—and not always in a pleasing way.”

“iTunes radio will not just ‘turn down the volume,’ but may peak-limit the important transient peaks of the material and make the song sound ‘smaller’ and less clear than its competition.”

Pandora isn’t doing this, but then again, iTunes Radio is already one-third the size of Pandora.  According to announcements last week from Apple, iTunes Radio now boasts 20 million users, with more than one billion songs streamed after just one month. By next year, iTunes Radio could easily be the bigger fish.

Which means, it gets a dramatic seat at the table and the ability to control loudness across the land.

“There will be still some skirmishes, but the main battle has just been won. Producers, engineers and musicians will ultimately discover this news themselves, but journalists and producers can hasten the close of the war, starting right now.”

More as it develops.

Judging by the lower quality of audio on services like Pandora and iTunes, it doesn’t seem like it.

Enter WiMP, which is certainly banking on the idea that consumers will get behind high quality audio streaming. The company is a top regional competitor to Spotify in Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia — ie, locations where music streaming services are incredibly popular.

Today, WiMP launched WiMP HiFi, which is the first Scandinavian music streaming service to offer lossless CD quality. WiMP’s CEO Andy Chen believes this quality will change the market. “Streaming music has always been limited to low audio quality and WiMP, which has always stood for high quality music experience with our products, is pleased to be able to deliver a superior service in an increasingly discerning market of music streaming.”

“We believe that hifi will become a standard in music streaming much similar to HD for TV.”

While this sounds like great news for audiophiles and tech lovers, WiMP will have to draw in the average consumer.  The company is launching an editorial feature series as part of their efforts, but will it be enough?

Dolby Laboratories is now purchasing Coding Technologies AB for $250 million.

The deal broadens the technology footprint for Dolby, already a leader in audio and surround sound cinema, broadcast, home audio systems.  Coding Technologies, a Stockholm-based company, specializes in audio compression, and is best known for its aacPlus codec.  Additionally, Coding Technologies has also helped to shape open standards like 3GPP, 3GPP2, MPEG, DVB, Digital Radio Mondiale, and DAB+.

The buyout gives Dolby better expertise in lower-bandwidth, emerging platforms.  “By adding Coding Technologies’ expertise and high-efficiency audio compression to our portfolio of technologies and services, we will be better positioned to support our customers as they continue to move into more bandwidth-constrained delivery methods such as mobile networks and the internet,” said Bill Jasper, president and chief executive at Dolby Laboratories.  The definitive agreement was first disclosed late last week.

Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio.