Amazon launches HD music streaming
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Amazon Music has become the first of the big three streaming services – the others being Spotify and Apple Music – to offer CD-quality audio
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Spotify leads pack in terms of number of paid subscribers

But when it comes to year-on-year percentage increase, Amazon is ahead
  
Subscription rises attributed in part to popularity of smart speakers, like Amazon Echo


Amazon 32m
Apple 60m
Spotify 108m

Amazon 70%
Apple 50%
Spotify 32%
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AUDIO FILE FORMATS

Amazon Ultra HD: FLAC, 24 bit, 192kHz

Amazon HD: FLAC, 16 bit, 44.1kHz 

Apple Music: AAC, 256kbps 

Spotify: MP3, 320kbps
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Once preserve of audio- philes, high-definition music may be gaining
mass market appeal.
But can listeners really hear any difference between MP3s and lossless audio?*
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Yes 19.4%
No 80.6%
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Big three music labels support Amazon Music HD
Sony Music Entertainment
Universal Music Group
Warner Music Group
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*Listeners chose perceived best audio from three formats: 128kbps MP3, 320kbps MP3 and lossless WAV 
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Sources: Financial Times, BBC, Forbes, NPR Picture: Bruce Mars (Unsplash) © GRAPHIC NEWS