Delivering HD Audio ensures your music reaches listeners in the highest possible quality on platforms that support it.
Many DSPs, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, Beatport, KKBOX, and Spotify, support high-resolution audio formats and display badges or labels to indicate high-quality streaming.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about HD Audio requirements, supported DSPs, and how your files are processed.
How It Works
Upload your audio files as usual and distribute them to supported DSPs.
If the DSP supports HD Audio, your file will be sent in the highest possible resolution, determined by:
- The maximum resolution supported by the DSP.
- The resolution of your uploaded file.
If your uploaded file has a higher resolution than the DSP allows, our system will automatically downsample it.
If your uploaded file has a lower resolution than the DSP’s max limit, it will be delivered as-is—no upsampling will occur.
Every track in the release must meet the DSP’s HD Audio requirements for it to be labelled as high-resolution on that platform.
Apple Music – Hi-Res Lossless & Apple Digital Masters
Apple Music automatically applies the Hi-Res Lossless badge if all tracks in the release meet their 24-bit specifications.
Apple Hi-Res Lossless Requirements:
Audio must be 24-bit with one of the following sample rates:
- 44.1 kHz
- 48 kHz
- 88.2 kHz
- 96 kHz
- 176.4 kHz
- 192 kHz
Apple Digital Masters (ADM) ensures your music is encoded from the highest quality masters.
To qualify for an Apple Digital Masters badge:
- Your mastering engineer must be Apple-certified.
- Tracks must be at least 24-bit, 44.1 kHz or higher.
- Your release must already be delivered to Apple Music.
How to Apply for Apple Digital Masters:
Submit a Support Ticket with:
- Mastering engineer’s name, email, and studio.
- Release ID & UPC of your release.
If approved, Apple will apply the ADM badge to your release.
Apple Digital Masters Guidelines
TIDAL – Max
TIDAL automatically applies the “Max” badge when all tracks in a release meet their 24-bit specifications.
TIDAL Max Requirements:
Audio must be delivered in 24-bit FLAC.
All tracks in the release must meet TIDAL’s specifications.
Once qualified, your release will be labelled Max and streamed in the highest quality available.
Amazon Music – Ultra HD
Amazon automatically applies the “Ultra HD” badge when all tracks meet their HD specifications.
Amazon Ultra HD Requirements:
- Audio must be 24-bit and delivered in a lossless format (FLAC recommended).
- All tracks in the release must meet Amazon’s Ultra HD specifications.
- Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can tap the Ultra HD badge in the app to view detailed track specs while playing the song.
Other DSPs
Qobuz – Hi-Res Audio
- Qobuz supports high-resolution audio streaming and applies a Hi-Res Audio badge to qualifying releases.
Beatport – High-Quality WAV & AIFF
- Beatport delivers high-quality audio files for DJs and music professionals, ensuring studio-quality playback.
KKBOX – HD Audio Streaming
- KKBOX offers lossless streaming and applies HD badges to qualifying releases.
Spotify – Lossless Streaming (HiFi – Coming Soon)
- Spotify is rolling out Spotify HiFi, which will support lossless, CD-quality streaming.
FAQ
Does my release qualify for an HD Audio badge if only some tracks meet the requirements?
- No. All tracks in the release must meet the DSP’s HD Audio specifications for the badge to be applied.
Can I submit HD Audio files in WAV format?
- Yes, but some DSPs (like Amazon and TIDAL) recommend FLAC for lossless compression.
Will my audio be upsampled if it doesn’t meet the HD requirements?
- No. DSPs do not upsample audio. If your file has a lower resolution than required, it will be delivered as-is without an HD Audio badge.
What happens if my file exceeds a DSP’s maximum resolution?
- We’ll automatically downsample your audio to meet the DSP’s highest supported resolution.