TIDAL dumps MQA and 360 Reality Audio effective from the 24th July and will replace all its MQA content with FLAC format files for all its streaming apps. In a statement released yesterday the streamer said, “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.”
They continued, “For immersive sound, Dolby Atmos was chosen as the format we will support going forward due to the number of compatible devices, catalogue availability, and artist adoption of the format. Through our continued partnership with Dolby, we’ve given artists the opportunity to expand on their sonic vision, allowing their fans to experience their music like never before.”
For subscribers with an MQA track or album in their Collection – including in playlists – the track will automatically be replaced by the highest quality FLAC version that has been distributed to TIDAL. If you have an MQA track or album downloaded for offline access, you will need to update to the latest version of the app on the 24th July. You will then be prompted to redownload these tracks. This will download the replacement FLAC version of any MQA track you previously downloaded.
If you have a 360 Reality Audio track or album in your Collection – including in a playlist or downloaded for offline access – you will see the track or album greyed out and unavailable for streaming if you try to select it. Fans of the Sony developed immersive format can still find 360 Reality Audio content on Amazon Music and Deezer.
The streamer stated that it has no further plans to change its audio format offerings going forward, and remain committed to providing its subscribers with exceptional audio quality. It said that it has at least 16-bit, 44.1kbps FLAC versions for nearly all MQA tracks today and that it is working hard to ensure all existing MQA tracks will be replaced with a FLAC version in a timely manner.
