In the latest high-res audio victory heard 'round the world, Alibaba Group's Xiami Music announced plans to become the first music streaming service in China to adopt MQA studio-quality audio. Implementation of this pioneering technology will make Xiami the audio quality leader in China.

SVIP-level subscribers of Xiami Music in China will now have access to songs at @MQAMusic quality when they access the music-streaming service via iOS or Android devices: https://t.co/79kPYTpfCU

— Alibaba Group (@AlibabaGroup) July 16, 2019

True to its name, MQA delivers "master quality authenticated" music in a file small enough to stream, and is already in use by Tidal. MQA decoders can be found in high-end equipment the world over; its technology enables the highest quality playback of the original recording on all devices, from smartphones to high-end home audio systems.

Long Yang, Director of Xiami Music said in a statement, "We are very proud to be the first music service in China to offer MQA, as we continue to push the technological boundaries in pursuit of improved sound quality to benefit our music fans and all musicians on our platform."

MQA will be introduced into the SVIP tier of Xiami Music iOS and Android apps, and all users will be offered a free trial for a limited period to kick the tires before subscribing. Even before this high-quality audio streaming becomes an option, China had already become the fourth largest market for sales of MQA devices. Plus, Xiami has attracted over 40,000 independent musicians, and its library contains over 500 million playlists and 20 million songs the platform's new offering will have immediate impact.

Mike Jbara, MQA’s CEO, added, "MQA is a consumer-centric technology company, driven by a commitment to deliver the master recording all the way through to the music fan, wherever and however they choose to listen – and it was clear from our first meeting that the Xiami team shared our vision."

China's revitalized recorded revenue market currently ranks seventh in revenue internationally, due in part to the efforts of streaming services like Xiami. The country also ranks fourth in terms of music streaming income, behind only the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. Now, with high-quality streaming options becoming available to Chinese consumers, the digital revolution will sound better than ever for millions of music fans.

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