Apple and Amazon both announced higher-quality music streaming, to CD-quality sound.
Courtesy of AppleThe battle for digital music listeners is going to 11.
On Monday, both Apple (ticker: AAPL) and Amazon.com (AMZN) announced quality upgrades for their streaming music services, as they ratchet up the competition with category leader Spotify Technology (SPOT).
Apple (ticker: AAPL) on Monday said it is adding support for Dolby Atmos, an audio standard for “spatial audio,” which creates the sense of being surrounded by sound. Apple Music subscribers will have access to more than 75 million songs in “lossless audio,” as close as possible to the way the songs were recorded. The upgrades will be provided at no additional cost.
Apple Music by default will play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with the company’s H1 or W1 chips, as well as through built-in speakers on the latest versions of the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Users of the latest version of Apple Music can choose different resolutions for different connections such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or for download. (Given larger file sizes and associated bandwidth requirements, users might not always want the highest possible quality.)
Meanwhile, Amazon (AMZN) on Monday announced that it will provide its highest-quality streaming-music tier, Amazon Music HD, to all eligible Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers at no extra cost. Llisteners can also stream more than 7 million songs in Ultra HD, with a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate up to 192 kHz. Apple is offering the same option, but notes that listeners need to opt-in, given the bandwidth requirements. Apple also said that Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment, such as a USB digital-to-analog converter.
Amazon Music is priced at $7.99 per month for Amazon Prime members, $9.99 for other customers, or $14.99 for a Family Plan. The HD tier was previously an additional $5 extra per month. Apple Music is $9.99 a month, or $14.99 for a Family Plan. Spotify’s rates are $9.99 for a single user, $12.99 for two users, or $15.99 for a Family Plan. Both Apple and Spotify offer student plans for $4.99 a month.
Spotify (SPOT) shares on Monday are down 1.7%, to $219.77. Apple is off $1.3%, to $125.78, while Amazon is up 1.7%, to $3,261.99.
Write to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com
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May 17, 2021 at 11:02PM
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Apple and Amazon Boost Sound Quality of Streaming Music, Targeting Spotify - Barron's
"sound" - Google News
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