Millions of MQA Tracks Added to TIDAL

TIDAL has added millions of Master Quality tracks to its high-resolution audio streaming service.
With the news that the number of MQA users on TIDAL has doubled since 2019 and that users on the streaming site are listening to 40% more Master Quality tracks than last year, the platform has just added millions more MQA tracks from Warner Music Group.
TIDAL, in partnership with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated), provides the sound recording signed off by the people who worked on the original with TIDAL Masters.
Now, music fans can listen to an expanded Masters catalogue, featuring iconic albums from artists such as Dua Lipa (above), The Notorious B.I.G., Missy Elliott, LCD Soundsystem, Madonna, Muse, Mastodon (below) and more.
MQA
MQA, led by Bob Stuart, who this year became the first audio engineer to receive the Prince Philip Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering, has pioneered this game-changing way of coding digital audio based on key insights into how humans hear. Key to the technology is MQA's built-in authentication to confirm that you're getting the exact sound created in the studio. Additionally, we are told that MQA addresses the issue that when analogue sound is turned into digital, the process introduces time-smearing artefacts that blur sounds unnaturally.
Bob explains:
By paying great attention to the nature of sound and the way we hear, MQA opens a clear window and delivers all the detail and nuance of the original song. The music industry's catalogue contains millions of significant performances from the early days of CD where, sometimes, the recording was created in 44.1kHz 16bit and where no alternative existed. We are delighted that Warner Music Group is bringing this content to TIDAL.
Lior Tibon, TIDAL COO, adds:
TIDAL Masters offer the best sound available. As consumers' expectations of high-quality experiences increase, TIDAL's audio innovation sets the bar for music listening. Not only can members hear music exactly as their favourite artists recorded it, but with recent platform enhancements, the experience is as seamless as ever.
MAKING MASTERS EASIER TO FIND
As well as adding millions of Masters tracks to its catalogue, TIDAL has added 'Master Edition' Artist Radio and Track Radio. Now, TIDAL members can listen to radio stations in the best quality available containing uninterrupted Masters songs. Additionally, TIDAL is adding the Master Edition of My New Arrivals, a personalised playlist of new music in full master quality audio, based on your listening habits.
Finally, TIDAL's Connect feature enables you to stream music from its HiFi tier directly to connected devices from the likes of Bluesound, Cambridge Audio, DALI, KEF, iFi audio, Lyngdorf, Monitor, NAD, and Naim Audio.
See TIDAL for more information

Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. Jay heads up StereoNET as Editor for the United Kingdom and Europe regions. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
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