TIdal CEO reveals the streaming platform will be expanding FLAC audio to HiFi Plus as the future of MQA is murky.
In a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), Tidal CEO Jesse Dorogusker revealed the streaming platform will soon be introducing hi-res FLAC audio to HiFi Plus members.
FLAC, or Free Lossless Audio Codec, is a digital audio format that can offer studio-quality sound without requiring a whole lot of storage space. The small file size is important as these platforms need to have enough room for millions of tracks. This particular format already exists on Tidal in the standard HiFi tier (opens in new tab) where songs are said to have CD-like quality. Music on HiFi Plus, more commonly referred to as Tidal Masters, currently runs on MQA, a controversial format that appears to have been a hot topic in the AMA (opens in new tab).
MQA or Master Quality Authenticated is an audio format allowing studio-quality sound to exist on file sizes smaller than FLAC. The company behind the digital music tech, MQA Ltd, recently announced it was “entering into administration (opens in new tab)” which is the British version of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US.
