A Flute-Playing Lizzo Leads Dolby’s Latest Hi-Res Streaming Music Campaign

Want Lizzo playing the flute in Dolby Atmos audio? Now there’s a hi-res connected music speaker for that. If you like Lizzo, then you’re gonna love Lizzo playing the flute in Dolby Atmos.  Or at least that’s the thinking behind a majo…

Spotify Is Now Advertising ‘High Quality Sound’ ⁠— Just Don’t Tell the Audiophiles

Spotify is now advertising its 320 kbps bitrate as ‘high-quality sound’ to its Premium subscribers. Meanwhile, Amazon Music HD tracks have an average bitrate of 850 kbps. Back in 2017, Spotify tested offering lossless audio for an additiona…

Hi-Res Audio Platform Qobuz Ditches MP3s for Good — “MP3 Is Really Bad for Music, Artists, and Listeners”

The format that started it all is now getting ditched by hi-res platform Qobuz. The move is part of a broader streamlining of the service. In audiophile-speak, two terms often pop up: ‘lossless’ and ‘lossy,’ with the latter bein…

The 2019 Gift Guide — Digital Music News

The Digital Music News 2019 gift guide.  Disclaimer: None of the links in this article are affiliate links. We do not earn anything if you choose to purchase any of these items. All of the companies with products listed in this list either generously p…

Review: Q Acoustic Concept 20 Bookshelf Speakers

A wallet-friendly pair of bookshelf speakers with great sound. I was recently sent a pair of speakers from Q Acoustic. Previously, I’d tested and reviewed Q Acoustics’ 3020 and 2020 speakers and thought they were great for their respective …

Amazon Music Introduces Lossless, High-Definition Streaming — Spotify Says It’s Not What People Want

Amazon Music HD launched today, undercutting several other high-definition streaming services. A new HD streaming plan has been rumored to be in the works for a few months now. The new plan will cost $14.99 a month for the HD tier, or $12.99/monthly fo…

Hi-Res Streaming Service Qobuz Says Its Has 200,000 Paying Customers — 25,000 In the U.S.

Hi-Res streaming music service Qobuz launched in the United States on Valentine’s Day.  Now, the service says it has attracted at least 25,000 subscribers in the country, just a fraction of its worldwide customer tally. Qobuz recently revealed some fin…

Apple Revamps Its Hi-Res ‘Mastered for iTunes’ for Streaming — Introducing ‘Apple Digital Masters’

Apple Music has launched ‘Apple Digital Masters,’ a revamp of ‘Mastered for iTunes’ content. Apple recently killed off its iTunes umbrella in favor of separating its digital offerings. But that doesn’t spell death to Apple’s hi-res audio download ambit…

Mastering Solution CloudBounce Expands Its Reach With a CD Baby Partnership

Audio mastering is now a luxury everyone can access. Simply defined, mastering is the last creative step after mixing, and a critical step that optimizes a song for different platforms like streaming and CDs.  It’s the polished mix that sounds pro, and…

Should You Spend $300 on Earplugs? A Review of the Etymotic Music Pro Electronic Earplugs

Premium Electronic Earplugs, The Etymotic Music Pro Ever wonder if it’s worth it to spend $300 smackeroonies on hearing protection for the loud things you may attend? Well, I had the opportunity to try out a pair of super-premium earplugs, so “look no …