Dolby Atmos Music is the music-streaming form of Dolby Atmos, “a surround sound and spatial sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories” (Wikipedia). Rather than mixing only to left and right channels, an Atmos mix places sounds as objects around and above the listener. #DolbyAtmosMusic tags new Atmos releases, mixing work and listening setups.
Origin
Dolby Atmos began in cinemas: “The first Dolby Atmos installation was in the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, for the premiere of Brave in June 2012.” The format can store and distribute 128 audio tracks with metadata describing each sound’s position and loudness over time. Tidal and Amazon Music adopted “Dolby Atmos for Music,” an audio-only version, in December 2019 (Wikipedia).
The format reached a mass audience on May 17, 2021, when Apple announced “Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos” for Apple Music, saying it was “coming to subscribers June 2021 at no additional cost” (Apple Newsroom). Apple said that “at launch, subscribers can enjoy thousands of songs in Spatial Audio,” and that Apple Music would “automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip,” as well as on the built-in speakers of recent iPhone, iPad and Mac models. Apple marketed the feature as Spatial Audio, which is why that term is used alongside #SpatialAudio.
Streaming Service Support
| Service | Dolby Atmos Music | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Music | Yes | December 2019 | Wikipedia |
| Tidal | Yes | December 2019 | Wikipedia |
| Apple Music | Yes, as Spatial Audio | June 2021 | Apple Newsroom |
| Spotify | Not listed; top setting is Lossless (24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC) | — | Spotify Support |
More on the streaming rivalry is at #AppleMusicVsSpotifyBattle and #TidalHiFiStreaming.
Apple’s Royalty Incentive (2024)
Apple’s extra payment for Atmos mixes dates from 2024, not from the 2021 launch. Music Business Worldwide reported on January 22, 2024 that, under an update sent to labels, “Spatial-available content will receive a royalty rate up to 10% higher than content not available in Spatial,” beginning with January 2024 month-end royalty payments (Music Business Worldwide).
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Atmos
- https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/05/apple-music-announces-spatial-audio-and-lossless-audio/
- https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/apple-music-to-pay-artists-up-to-10-higher-royalties-for-music-available-in-spatial-audio/
- https://support.spotify.com/us/article/audio-quality/