Apple Music will pay artists up to 10% more royalties for tracks with spatial audio

Apple Music is launching a new initiative to motivate artists to offer their music in Spatial Audio, an immersive spatial audio experience compatible with AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and Beats headphones, as well as HomePod 2 and HomePod mini speakers. Starting with January payments, Apple will increase royalties to 10% for tracks that have a spatial version, reports 9to5mac.

Interestingly, bonus payments to artists do not depend on whether listeners choose to listen in Spatial Audio. The additional royalties are calculated based on the availability of tracks in Spatial Audio compared to tracks without it. This means that if an artist’s entire catalog is available with Spatial Audio, they will receive a 10% bonus regardless of how many listeners choose to listen to Spatial Audio.

Apple reports that more than 90% of its subscribers have tried Spatial Audio, and the total number of plays has tripled in the last two years. Since its introduction in 2021, the number of songs available in Spatial Audio on Apple Music has increased by almost 5000%, with the number doubling in the last year alone. The new financial incentives are expected to further boost Spatial Audio’s popularity in the Apple Music catalog.

The company sees the 10% bonus as a reward for artists who provide high-quality content, as well as compensation for the extra time and effort required to mix tracks in Dolby Atmos. This move is likely to encourage more artists to use Spatial Audio, improving the listening experience for Apple Music users.