Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Ever since Tidal announced that it wouldbegin adding hi - rhenium lossless FLAC tracks to its depository library , we’ve sleep together that , sooner or later , the service would drink down offMQAsupport entirely . That day , according to an electronic mail sent by Tidal to endorser ( andfirst noted by TechRadar ) , is July 24 .

What was less await is the news that Tidal will also be ending support for Sony ’s 360 Reality Audio ( 360RA ) format on the same mean solar day . 360RA is aspatial audioformat that has been not - s0 - successfully competing withDolby Atmos Music .

The email hold the two announcements was unmistakably abbreviated :

“ On July 24 , 2024 , we ’re replace the music in TIDAL ’s MQA catalog with FLAC variant . In addition to this variety , we ’re removing all podcasts and music available in 360 Reality audio frequency . Learn how these variety will impact your Collection . ”

The transposition from MQA to FLAC was understandably a price - saving move . MQA ( owned by Lenbrook since 2023 ) charge a fee for its employment , while FLAC , as an open - root format , is completely royalty - destitute . The decisiveness to ditch MQA may have been a key factor in Tidal’ssubsequent subscription Mary Leontyne Price drop , which escort its premium tender decline inline with Apple Music and Amazon Music ’s subscription after many year of being near double as expensive .

Killing reinforcement for 360RA , however , may plainly be due to a lack of demand . Tidal say , “ for immersive phone , Dolby Atmos was opt as the format we will indorse going frontward due to the issue of compatible devices , catalog availableness , and artist adoption of the formatting . ”

For folks with MQA track in their Tidal collection and playlists , these tracks will be mechanically replace with the high - quality FLAC version ( if it exists ) on July 24 .

Sadly , MQA raceway that have been downloaded for offline admission wo n’t be spared from the cull : You will need to update to the latest version of the app on July 24 , after which you will be propel to redownload these tracks . The Modern downloads will be FLAC format .

For 360RA tracks , the process is much less friendly . These track ( whether online or offline ) will simply become grayed out on July 24 and will no longer be streamable . Tidal has n’t sound out if or when it will offer Dolby Atmos Music versions .

While MQA lover have known they should be prepping for this moment for some clip , there was n’t an obvious way to supervene upon Tidal ’s exclusive streaming MQA catalog . However , this may only be a irregular site . Earlier in June , Lenbrook announce it had partner with HDtracks to create anew streaming service that will plump for FLAC , MQA , and Airia , a new format based on Lenbrook ’s SCL6 codec , which it acquired as part of the MQA purchase .

The partnership has n’t denote when the service will found , how much it will charge for subscription , or which region will be supported .