Amazon, Apple To Make HD, Lossless Audio Streaming Available At No Extra Cost For Subscribers

Amazon, Inc. AMZN and Apple, Inc. AAPL both announced Monday that high-quality streaming music will be available to subscribers of at no extra cost.  

Amazon's HD Audio To Stream Free: Amazon Music said its high-quality streaming tier, dubbed Amazon Music HD, will be now available to all eligible Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers at no extra cost.

Customers can stream more than 70 million lossless HD songs and more than 7 million songs in Ultra HD, which is better quality than a CD.
The Amazon Music HD tier was previously priced at an additional $5 per month for subscribers.

New and existing subscribers to the Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan, at $7.99/month for Prime members and $9.99/month for Amazon customers, or the Family Plan, at $14.99/month, can now easily upgrade to Amazon Music HD at no extra cost, Amazon said.

For subscribers to Amazon Music HD, there will be no extra charge for HD starting with the next billing cycle, and the upgrade option is available in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Spain.

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The Apple Music Offering: Separately, Apple said Apple Music is bringing industry-leading sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos.

"Spatial Audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences for their fans with true multidimensional sound and clarity," Apple said.

By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad and Mac.

The company also said it will also make its catalog of more than 75 million songs available in lossless audio. This will preserve every single bit of the original audio file, allowing Apple Music subscribers to hear the exact same thing that the artists created in the studio.

These new features, according to the company, will be available for Apple Music subscribers starting next month at no additional cost.

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