Music streaming goes hi- res
As mentioned in an earlier column, a report from non- profit global body International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry ( IFPI), an organisation floated in 1933 that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide with some 1,400 members in 66 countries, announced that, in 2015, there was an upswing in music consumption revenues for the first in almost 20 years!
Credit for this change- for-the-better consumption pattern is because digital formats finally overtook the on- the- way- to- obsolescence physical formats for the first time with streaming services taking a 45% share of total digital revenues — much thanks to the growing market for smartphones — vis- a- vis a 39 per cent share for physical formats, mainly CDs.
Streaming revenues grew approximately four- fold since 2010 and now account for some US$ 2.9 billion, or nearly half of all digital music revenue. The overall 3.2 per cent revenue growth in 2015 marks a reversal of sorts for an industry that has spent the past two decades struggling to adapt to a digital landscape that has been unkind to physical record sales as well as to music licensing and copyrights.
Nevertheless, in all this, a lament that I always had – which prevented me from having my recordings obtained from the online digital space – was quite simply that the audio quality was not upto the mark of CDs. The compressed files – usually, MP3s – were fine while you heard songs on your earphones/ headphones but, if you had invested in a superior system — home theatre, for instance — then you could audibly gauge the limitations of the song that you were listening too in comparison to CDs which, for the technical minded, was offered in 44.1 kHz/ 16- bit.
But now, high resolution music “Hi- Res MUSIC”, which is officially defined as “lossless audio, capable of reproducing the full spectrum of sound from recordings which have been mastered from better than CD quality music sources which represent what the artists, producers, and engineers originally intended”, effectively provides you an opportunity of streaming content that is superior to CDs as per a significant announcement made in mid- May by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA) and its member companies, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, in cooperation with the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing, the American Association of Independent Music ( A2IM), and DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group. In support, this Group also announced that they would provide an official logo to mark this landmark step forward towards digital listening experiences with a ‘ Hi- Res MUSIC’ logo, which will be available to streaming services effective June 1st.
This decision ensures that consumers finally receive music that is delivered in a digital format that retains the highest quality captured during the creative process. In fact, consumers now receive an opportunity of obtaining significant information while streaming, such as the nature of the recordings by name and by resolution of the digital file format. This creates an optimal listening experience for consumers as, otherwise, with multiple options available for listening to your favourite songs, there is now a definitive “mark” for digital enthusiasts wherein they can identify the highest quality version available. Further, while streaming, if the resolution of a recording falls below the required minimum standards of the ‘ HiRes MUSIC’ definition at any time, the user will be made aware of this change.
A number of online music retailers – including Acoustic Sounds Super HiRez, Blue Coast Music, HDtracks, IsoMike Recordings, ClassicsOnline HD* LL ( operated by the Naxos Group of Companies), ProStudioMasters, PonoMusic ( which was founded in 2012 by musician Neil Young) – have agreed to adopt the ‘ Hi- Res MUSIC’ standard.
No doubt, there is no more transcendent experience in music than hearing the full depth and richness of a recording as the musician( s) heard it while recording in the studio and, all music buffs who wanted to achieve the ideal sound wherein they could listen to music that reproduces the full range of sound from recordings, like me, hoped for a sonic experience in the digital world. I am happy to state that, with this technological breakthrough known as ‘ High Resolution Music’, the moment is finally here and now as studio quality listening is available to the common man without incurring massive expenditure on recordings.
However, in all this, there remains a rider: ‘ Hi- Res MUSIC’ is presently only available in US, Canada, and Europe for streaming! However, as I end this note, here is hoping that the service is expanded into other territories too, including India, as it will become the ultimate boon for the true audiophile.