TIDAL Is Bringing Dolby Atmos Music Into Your Home

May 29, 2020 Topic: Technology Blog Brand: Techland Tags: Dolby AtmosMusicTechnologyTIDALJay-Z

TIDAL Is Bringing Dolby Atmos Music Into Your Home

TIDAL, the streaming service owned by rapper Jay-Z, announced this week that it is bringing Dolby Atmos Music to the home, for users with Atmos-enabled home devices and who subscribe to the TIDAL HiFi service.

TIDAL, the streaming service owned by rapper Jay-Z, announced this week that it is bringing Dolby Atmos Music to the home, for users with Atmos-enabled home devices and who subscribe to the TIDAL HiFi service.

The functionality will roll out over the coming days, Dolby said. Previously, it was only available on some Android smartphones.

The new app will be available on Dolby Atmos-enabled Android TVs from Sony and other manufacturers, as well as such devices as Apple TV 4K, and Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, the second-generation Fire TV Stick and third-generation Fire TV. It will also be available on  Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar or home theater systems.

Sony and LG both recently released Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbars.

"Dolby Atmos Music allows people to connect with their favorite music in a whole new way, pulling listeners into a song and revealing what was lost with stereo recordings," Dolby said in a statement. 

"Listeners can discover hidden details and subtleties with unparalleled clarity. Whether it’s a complex harmony of instruments placed around a listener, a legendary guitar solo that fills a room, a massive bass drop that washes over the audience, or the subtle breath a singer takes between lyrics, Dolby Atmos gives music more space and the freedom to unleash every detail and emotion as the artist intended."

Some songs and albums released since the original rollout in December that are available on TIDAL on Dolby Atmos include music from The Weeknd, Ariana Grande and Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello.

TIDAL also announced a special extended 60-day free trial for new subscribers interested in Dolby Atmos Music. 

TIDAL launched in 2014, by a Norwegian company called Aspiro. A company controlled by Jay-Z bought the service in 2015, with such A-list stars as Beyonce, Rihanna, Kanye West and Madonna taking on minority ownership stakes. West reportedly broke with the service in 2017, while a stake was sold to Sprint that same year. 

A service beloved by audiophiles from its early days, TIDAL offers Premium and HiFi tiers, costing $9.99 and $19.99, respectively. The lossless HiFi version is the one offering Dolby Atmos.

 Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.