Apple Music subscribers will soon enjoy Lossless Audio across the entire catalog, as the company also rolls out Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.
Apple Music is one of the most popular streaming music services, and Apple is bringing some major upgrades to it. Lossless Audio ensures subscribers will hear music the way it was recorded in the studio, while Spatial Audio creates multidimensional audio experiences.
“Apple Music is making its biggest advancement ever in sound quality,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “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.”
Subscribers will need to turn on Lossless Audio in Settings > Music > Audio Quality.
“The soul and life of the mix is sitting in the extra bits of data that are stored in the lossless file,” said Mastering Engineer Piper Payne. “As a mastering engineer, having the ability to convey the music to the listener at its highest quality is the end goal of what I work for every day.”
Apple says Dolby Atmos tracks will automatically play on all AirPods and Beats headphones that contain an H1 or W1 chip. The latest version of the iPhone, iPad and Mac will also support the feature automatically.
“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 Dolby Atmos widely available to all musicians and anyone who loves music.”
The new features will be available June 2021 at no extra cost.