“We are thrilled to introduce more services and devices that provide listeners with an opportunity to experience 360 Reality Audio," says Tyler Ishida, Deputy President for Consumer Business Group, Sony Electronics Inc. "360 Reality Audio is a powerfully immersive audio experience that represents our commitment to offering listeners high-quality sound that preserves the creator's true intent."
Introduced in 2019, Sony's 360 Reality Audio makes it possible for artists and creators to produce music by mapping sound sources such as vocals, chorus and instruments with positional information and placing them within a spherical space. This revolutionary musical experience, powered by Sony's 360 spatial sound technologies, evokes feelings of being in a music studio or live concert venue – all without leaving the comfort of home.
“By expanding 360 Reality Audio content to even more customers using Amazon Music, we're making it easier than ever for fans to experience immersive content," says Andre Stapleton, Global Head of Artist and Label Relations at Amazon Music. "Listening to music in 360 Reality Audio is a revelatory experience that puts fans inside the music, and I can't wait for even more listeners to hear their favorite songs in 360 Reality Audio."
Amazon Music Unlimited will now support 360 Reality Audio content playback on any headphones. This will provide users with even more ways to listen and enjoy 360 Reality Audio content. The HRTF optimization feature, using the Sony Headphones Connect app is not available with Amazon Music Unlimited for now.
With the purchase of eligible Sony headphones, as well as a range of other Sony Electronics products, users will receive a 4-month free trial of a monthly Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan.
And since Android 12 now supports MPEG-H 3D Audio, updated devices with Android OS gain the capability to playback 360 Reality Audio by incorporating the decoder, which makes it easier than ever for manufacturers to develop 360 Reality Audio-compatible devices. With this integration, Sony hopes to accelerate the expansion of 360 Reality Audio-compatible devices.
360 Reality Audio-compatible devices have been extended in various categories. To date, Sony has launched 360 Reality Audio-compatible soundbars (HT-A7000, HT-A5000), wireless neckband speakers (SRS-NS7), wireless speakers, headphones, Xperia devices and a home theater system (HT-A9). Other companies have also announced 360 Reality Audio certified devices, including Audio-Technica's headphones, Sennheiser's soundbars, McIntosh's AV processors, and the Amazon Echo Studio, showcasing the industry's commitment to the format.
More 360 Reality Audio Content
The number of compatible songs has increased to approximately 7,000 and includes artists like Duran Duran, Lil Nas X, P!NK, Pink Floyd and Alicia Keys. "Over the last year, my engineer Ann and I worked passionately to reimagine my catalog in 360 Reality Audio, a process that found us pouring through music we love endlessly!" said Alicia Keys. "Making these spatial audio mixes revealed unforgettable moments — little details that define a song but tend to hide in the mix. I'm so proud of the results, and I can't wait for you to fall in love all over again with my music in 360 Reality Audio on Amazon Music."
“When there is a significant technological development in audio, as an artist I am always curious to explore the possibilities. I was thrilled when 360 Reality Audio contacted Duran Duran first to see if we might be interested in working together on creating content for their new music experience," said Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. "Once I understood how this enhanced technology worked, particularly for headphones, we immediately started to experiment with bespoke mixes of tracks from our new album Future Past. The results were inspiring because the sound is immersive and unlike any previous experience for headphones. As a result, we now intend to slowly work our way back through the entire Duran Duran catalogue so that listeners can share this fresh, unique perspective for all of our songs."
By the end of 2021, Sony plans to provide a streamlined 360 Reality Audio content distribution solution for independent and non-professional artists. Vertical Craft, which operates music distribution service Tully App, and EVEARA, which develops its platform, will launch new services on their respective platforms to help artists easily distribute and stream 360 Reality Audio content.
360 Reality Audio official website.
More information about 360 Reality Audio licensing.
More information about the 360 Reality Audio creative process.
www.sony.com
