APPLE MUSIC BUMPS UP ROYALTY RATES FOR SPATIAL AUDIO

Beginning this month Apple Music will pay artists up to 10% higher royalties for music available in Spatial Audio.

Pro-rata shares for Spatial Available plays will be calculated using a factor of 1.1, while Non-Spatial Available plays will continue to use a factor of 1, according to the company's update. We're not quite sure what all that means, but our fingers sure hurt from working this abacus. In any event, the change is intended to reward higher quality content and ensure that artists are being compensated for the time and investment they put into mixing in Spatial.

More than 90% of Apple Music listeners have listened to music in Spatial Audio, and plays for music available in the format have more than tripled in the last two years. The number of songs available in Spatial Audio on the platform has increased nearly 5,000% since launch and more than doubled in the last year.

The company added it has “a zero-tolerance policy against deceptive or manipulative content and this also applies to Spatial Audio content." Subsequently, its teams have implemented “a quality control process that includes flagging content not delivered in accordance with Apple Music’s Spatial Audio specifications and standards of quality."

Apple Music rolled out Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos (free for all subscribers) in June 2021. Apple devices like iPhones, AirPods, Homepods and Macbooks come with support for both Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio. It's also included with Amazon Music Unlimited.

In a possibly related story, there's a two-for-one sale on 8-track tapes happening at the car wash.