High-resolution music streaming platform Tidal is preparing to make some changes to the support it has for certain streaming formats.
On July 24, the streaming service will cut support for MQA and 360 Reality Audio formats.
The company has revealed that “For stereo sound, FLAC was chosen as the format we’ll support going forward because it is open source — meaning any artist can deliver their music in high quality directly to Tidal without the involvement of a third party. This makes it easier for their fans to experience music in the highest possible sound quality on all their devices.”
Any MQA tracks inside personal collections and playlists will be automatically replaced by the highest-quality FLAC version available.
Tidal has revealed there “may not be a replacement for every single one.”
Subscribers will be required to update to the latest version of the Tidal app on July 24 to re-download MQA tracks that have been downloaded for offline access
“We are working hard to ensure all existing MQA tracks will be replaced with a FLAC version in a timely manner.”
The decision to kill support for Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format comes as the company plans to embrace Dolby Atmos as its go-to-format.
Tidal revealed it chose Atmos as “the format we will support going forward due to the number of compatible devices, catalogue availability, and artist adoption of the format.”
From July 24, any 360 Reality Audio tracks and albums in collections and playlists, including the ones downloaded for offline access, will become unavailable for streaming.
