Apple Music with Spatial Audio can be enjoyed now [Updated]

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Apple Music Spatial Audio could debut on Monday
Songs that offer a surround sound experience could be right around the corner for Apple Music subscribers.
Photo: Apple

Apple launched the promised new Spatial Audio service for Apple Music on Monday. The feature was announced in May, and the wait is over. Spatial Audio allows songs seemingly come from all around the listener, even from above. If the track has been mixed to support it, of course.

Apple made the announcement Monday during the keynote address of WWDC 2021, its developer conference that started this week. The iPhone-maker promised in May there’d be a June launch of Spatial Audio for Apple Music, and it met its self-imposed deadline with weeks to spare.

However, Apple also recently committed itself to letting Apple Music subscribers listen to songs in lossless audio. That’s also supposed to debut some time in June but did not launch on Monday.

Benefits of Apple Music Spatial Audio

Songs mixed in Dolby Atmos can support Spatial Audio. “Listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like magic. The music comes from all around you and sounds incredible,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, in a statement.

Not every Apple Music track supports the feature, but the iPhone-maker says “thousands” of songs will deliver the new surround sound experience. Schusser says it’ll be available from artists like J Balvin, Gustavo Dudamel, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd and more.

Apple Music costs $9.99 a month or $14.99 a month for a family plan. Students can get the streaming service for $4.99 a month. There’s no extra charge for Spatial Audio.

Update: This article was first published June 6, 2021 before the official announcement was made. It has been updated to confirm a Monday launch.

Via: kenny on Twitter

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