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How Sony nearly ruled spatial audio - until Apple changed music forever

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Why This Matters

Sony's ambitious push into spatial audio with 360 Reality Audio showcased its innovative potential but ultimately faltered due to Apple's dominance in the market. The shift highlights how ecosystem control and strategic partnerships are crucial for success in the evolving digital audio landscape. Consumers benefit from this evolution as immersive audio becomes more integrated into mainstream streaming platforms and devices.

Key Takeaways

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ZDNET's key takeaways

360 Reality Audio debuted at CES 2019, with Sony's sights set on streaming services.

Apple and Dolby's partnership made spatial audio mainstream.

Without a streaming service or significant market share in hardware, Sony's format floundered.

Every year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), tech companies from around the world -- household-name conglomerates to half-baked startups -- gather in Las Vegas to showcase their upcoming innovations. During the 2019 show, Japanese tech giant Sony announced its 360 Reality Audio spatial audio format.

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The concept had big names behind it -- musical royalty such as Pharrell Williams and Mark Ronson, powerful labels such as Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, and growing music streaming services such as Tidal and Amazon Music.

What Sony did and did not see

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