While Tidal is in the process of phasing out MQA from its music catalogue, Canadian company Lenbrook has announced a partnership with HDtracks, a high-resolution music download company, in order to create a new subscription streaming service.
Lenbrook acquired MQA in 2023, and this new streaming service will provide users with the option of streaming in FLAC (a lossless codec favoured by audiophiles) and MQA (a controversial codec that requires dedicated hardware).
The service’s name has yet to be revealed, along with its launch date, the size of the music catalogue, and how much the subscription price will be.
The partnership will, however, be the first to use Lenbrook’s Airia codec, which is also known as SCL6. This was created by MQA before it was acquired by Lenbrook.
SCL6 was originally created as a way to deliver lossless audio in a scalable manner, over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and UWB (Ultra-Wideband).
It’s currently unclear how this codec will be incorporated into the upcoming streaming service.
Lenbrook’s Chief Strategy Officer, John Banks said, “As audiophiles ourselves, it’s an exciting prospect to bring a service to life for the millions of global audiophiles that care so passionately about the quality of the music they listen to.”
“In addition to its own applications for mobile, the service will find its way into many of the world’s leading high-end audio ecosystems, apps, and brands that count on service providers for their content.”
