Skip to main content

Dolby Atmos Music will make its streaming debut on Amazon Music HD

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dolby Labs has been teasing us with Dolby Atmos Music for years. We’ve known for some time now that the surround-sound format used to create immersive movie soundtracks can also be used for music recordings, but being able to actually hear music recorded in Atmos has been very hard. Soon, however, that’s about to change in a big way. Dolby confirmed it partnered with Amazon to bring Atmos Music tracks to the company’s recently launched Amazon Music HD streaming service, which will mark the first time we’ll be able to stream Atmos Music online.

Recommended Videos

The partnership between Amazon and Dolby is about giving Amazon’s latest smart speaker, the Echo Studio, a big bang of a launch. The $199 Studio is not only designed to deliver 360-degree sound thanks to its cylindrical shape and speaker placement, but it’s also the first wireless smart speaker that works with so-called 3D digital music like Atmos Music and Sony 360.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

There wouldn’t be much point in being compatible with Atmos Music if there were no way to access tracks that use the format, thus Atmos Music is making its streaming debut on Amazon Music HD. Just how big of a debut remains to be seen. Dolby continues to be somewhat vague about exactly how many Atmos Music tracks will be available at launch.

Instead, it’s pointing to previous promises by labels such as Universal Music Group to release “thousands” of Atmos Music tracks, both new and old, from such big names as Bastille, The Beatles, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Luciano Pavarotti, Marvin Gaye, and The Weeknd (a little something for all musical tastes it seems).

As exciting as it is to know that Atmos Music is finally about to get a wider release, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Other than Amazon Music HD, where will we be able to stream Atmos Music? Does Atmos Music come in different streaming qualities, like conventional stereo mixes, or does it automatically scale up and down depending on the speed of your connection and the device on which you’re listening? And, perhaps most importantly, which devices (other than the Echo Studio) will support Atmos Music when streamed?

We’ve reached out to Dolby Labs to get answers to all of these questions, and we’ll update this post as soon as we hear back.

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
What is Dolby Atmos Music, and how can you listen to it at home and on the go?
An iPhone 14 displaying the Amazon Music app with a Dolby Atmos Music playlist, next to a set of Apple AirPods Max headphones.

Stereo sound has ruled music production for decades, but much like mono sound before it, stereo's time may be slowly coming to an end. Over the past few years, there's been a growing movement in the recording industry toward so-called spatial audio formats. The most popular of these formats is Dolby Atmos Music, and it can make good ol' stereo sound like mono AM radio.

But what exactly is Dolby Atmos Music? How is it different than stereo? And what kind of gear do you need to listen to it at home and on the go? We've got everything you need to know to get on the Dolby Atmos Music train.
What is Dolby Atmos Music?

Read more
Samsung launches its flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar with discounted prices
Samsung HW-Q990D Dolby Atmos Soundbar.

The Samsung HW-Q990D, previously announced at CES 2024, is the company's latest premium Dolby Atmos soundbar, with 11.1.4 channels and 656 watts of power. As of March 7, it has been officially priced at $2,000 -- a $100 increase over the starting price of its predecessor, the 990C. However, Samsung is offering a discount for early orders on the Q990D, bringing its price down to $1,800.

Samsung will take an additional $100 off the price if you sign up to learn more about the company's full 2024 TV and audio portfolio, including its new Music Frame, at www.samsung.com/us/tvs/firstlook. Speaking of which, if you're eagerly awaiting pricing and availability of Samsung's 2024 TVs (and the Music Frame), we'll know more on March 21, so set yourself a reminder.

Read more
Tidal has rolled all of its premium features into its $11 per month plan
Tidal app for iOS on an iPhone 14 showing now playing screen with Max quality track.

Tidal has announced that it's simplifying its subscription tiers by putting its lossless, hi-res, and spatial audio content into a single, ad-free $11 per month individual plan, starting on April 10.

After that date, Tidal's existing HiFi and HiFi Plus subscription tiers will cease to exist. Previously, if you wanted to access hi-res lossless and spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio, you needed to pay $20 per month for Tidal HiFi Plus.

Read more