Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is coming to Apple Music, it was announced Wednesday. The service’s entire library of tracks is also going to become available in Lossless audio. The services features are set to be available from June 2021. There will be no additional cost beyond a regular Apple Music subscription.
Spacial Audio With Dolby Atmos Apple Music
Dolby Atmos allows artists to make audio appear from all around and above the listener. Dolby Atmos version of tracks will play automatically when available. This Spatial Audio feature will work on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, plus the latest iPhone, iPad, and Mac speakers. There are also going to be curated playlists showing off tracks that utilize the feature.
Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, commented:
Apple Music is making its biggest advancement ever in sound quality. Listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like magic. The music comes from all around you and sounds incredible. Now we are bringing this truly innovative and immersive experience to our listeners with music from their favorite artists like J Balvin, Gustavo Dudamel, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd, and so many more. Subscribers will also be able to listen to their music in the highest audio quality with Lossless Audio. Apple Music as we know it is about to change forever.
Apple had previously hinted at the forthcoming change:
“Today marks the introduction of Dolby Atmos on Apple Music — a new music experience that is transforming how music is created by artists and enjoyed by their fans,” said Kevin Yeaman, Dolby Laboratories’ president and CEO. “We are working with Apple Music to make Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos widely available to all musicians and anyone who loves music.”
Entire Library in Lossless Audio
The Lossless tier at Apple Music starts at CD quality – 16 bit at 44.1 kHz (kilohertz). It goes all the way up to 24 bit at 48 kHz and is playable natively on Apple devices. There is also the option to play Hi-Resolution Lossless up to 24 bit at 192 kHz.1. There will initially be 20 million songs available, with the rest set to join later.