Tidal was one of the first streaming services to support high-fidelity audio streaming. It promoted hi-fi audio streaming by assuring its listeners of better audio quality. However the problem is that, despite Jay Z’s best efforts, Tidal still continues to be one of the most-ignored music streamers. Nevertheless, music labels haven’t given up on high-fidelity audio streaming yet. Merlin which is an independent label organization signed up a new deal with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated). An organization certified by the RIAA, MQA has existing long-standing deals with three big labels: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.
MQA was first made available on Tidal after it was commercially launched in 2016 and ever since, it has had a fast growing list of compatible hardware. Its current hardware partners include Onkuo, Technics, Bluesound, Meridian and Pioneer among others. A music origami process is used by the service to convert large 24 bit files into formats compatible with video streaming services and music devices without loss of quality. An MQA music file usually plays audio at a better quality than CD, states the UK- based audio tech company. Hi-fidelity hasn’t become a rage in the music industry because higher quality streaming costs a lot more. Tidal Hi-Fi is priced at $19.99 a month compared to the standard $9.99. Most people can’t differentiate between a high-quality audio file and a standard one. According to Merlin which is an independent label organization signed up a new deal with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated), an organization certified by the RIAA. MQA has existing long-standing deals with three big labels: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. Read More
