Ahead of next week’s Apple Music launch, New York-based producer, mixer and engineer Chris Tabron has suggested Tim Cook should have set the standard by offering higher resolution audio for its music streaming service.
Speaking on a panel at the iconic Jungle City Studios in New York, Tabron, who has worked with artists like Beyonce, Mary J Blige and Common was disappointed that Apple opted to go for the 256kbps bitrate, which is below the 320kbps offered by the likes of Spotify and Deezer.
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He added: “If Apple launched this service and then said, ‘Okay, it’s going to be in AAC in a lossless codec,’ the average consumer who may or may not know the difference of high definition audio might not care but they’d value it. They’ll think, ‘I’m getting high definition for the same price as Spotify.’”
Tabron believes that by taking the higher resolution route, it would help users to accept listening at less compressed file format.
“Moving down the line, we could get people used hearing audio at a higher bandwidth,” he said. “It’s not going to be a real difference on the Apple servers. I don’t think they’re thinking about hard drive space!”
Apple Music, which has been built following its acqusition of Beats, will offer a Spotify-like monthly subscription for $9.99 or $14.99 for a family membership.
Giving you streaming acess to iTunes content, Apple is also offering curated playlists and a new Beats 1 radio live internet station led by former Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe.
Related: Apple Music vs Spotify
To kick things off, the iPhone 6 maker is offfering a free, three month trial, a period during which it initially said it would not pay any royalties to artists featured on the service. Since then, a group of artists including Taylor Swift complained forcing Apple to announce it would offer reduced royalty rates during that three-month period.
Do you agree with Chris Tabron? Should Apple have set the benchmark and offered higher resolution audio? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
