In what could be a significant move for the popularity of hi-res audio, MQA and the Universal Music Group (UMG) have announced that they have entered into an agreement to encode UMG's catalogue of master recordings in MQA's technology.
As a result of the collaboration, some of the most popular recordings will be available for the first time in time in hi-res audio streaming.
The announcement follows the "Stream the Studio" campaign launched at the CES 2017, spearheaded by the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) to raise awareness of the advantages of hi-res audio streaming.
"We're very pleased to be working with Universal Music to achieve our goal of moving studio-quality sound into the mainstream. Universal's timeless catalogue and impressive artist roster will fuel music streaming services worldwide and enable the premium listening experience for all music fans,” commented Mike Jbara, CEO of MQA.
Michael Nash, executive vice president of digital strategy at UMG, added: "The promise of hi-res audio streaming is becoming a reality, with one service already in the market and several more committed to launching this year. With MQA, we are working with a partner whose technology is among the best solutions for streaming hi-res audio, and one that doesn't ask music fans to compromise on sound quality for convenience. We're looking forward to working with Mike and his team at MQA to make our industry-leading roster of artists and recordings available to music fans in the highest quality possible."
MQA debuted on TIDAL at the beginning of 2017, and is available internationally on several music download services.