I’m not interested in getting a streaming subscription just to listen to ATMOS versions of my favorite groups. I am interested in learning from those ATMOS mixes now recognized as state of the art (ie: Elton John’s “Rocket Man”). I have an ATMOS equipped studio (7.1.4) and a 7.1.4 home theater. I love the sound of any of the ATMOS titles that I have on Bluray discs. But, save one, they’re all movies. As such, I have been trying to buy ATMOS/Bluray discs of Beatles, Elton John, Sting, Peter Gabriel, R&b, Classical and Jazz recordings.
I assumed that the labels would be re-issuing all of their catalogs again in ATMOS, the way they did when CDs replaced vinyl. But I can’t find any retailors selling any. The few titles I have been able to find have been insanely priced. I saw one album/single bluray disc going for $169.00!!! I did find Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” going for $35.00. But that was the exception. Movie titles are usally in the $25.00 range and they come with extra features. So, why are music blurays so expensive. Moreover why are they so rare?
Streaming services are giving compressed versions of ATMOS. You need the disc to get the full bandwidth and the customers who actually care about ATMOS want the whole audiophile experience! The people listening to binuaral foldowns wouldn’t care if it was regular stereo coming through their earbuds.
So, can anyone here explain why the market has so little access to actual product? I don’t get it.
BTW, can anyone send me a link to buy that "Rocket Man’ in ATMOS version? I would really like to hear it!
Seems like it’s probably just normal Market dynamics in a market dominated by streaming.
I asked Copilot to compare market share (and it even used “doninate”).
Compare the music market share for streaming, CDs, LPs, & ATMOS discs
Streaming dominates the music market, holding the largest share of revenue. In 2024, streaming accounted for approximately 61.3% of total recorded music revenues. Physical formats like CDs and LPs have seen a resurgence in recent years, with vinyl records surpassing CDs in market share. For instance, in 2022, vinyl held 7.4% of the market, compared to CDs at 2.6%.
As for ATMOS discs, their market share remains niche, primarily appealing to audiophiles and enthusiasts of immersive audio experiences. They don’t yet have a significant impact on the overall market compared to the other formats.
Would you like to explore how these trends might evolve in the future?
I would. I’m very interested in this format and I am trying to learn as much about it as possible. But, honestly, it’s more hype and vapor ware than reality. Not being able to access physical media has proven a big red flag to me.
The Market claims unanimous support and not to worry about it becoming a passing fad like Quad or even basic 5.1/7.1 surround. But the Vendors seem intent on making it as difficult as possible for consummers to get it! Every step is upcharged. Nobody asked for this. Yet the market says it’s the future. Meanwhile, Studios are fighting to get bands to use it because of the additional expense. Streaming Services are placing yet another upcharge to gain access to it. As far as I’ve seen, only Luxury brand automobiles are carrying the infrastructure for it. NetFlix and Amazon are charging more for ATMOS broadcast. You only get standard HD and 5.1 surround as their basic platform. But the biggest red flag I’ve seen thus far is the Film Industry itself.
It’s made for movies and everybody gets that. All the pushback has been using the platform for music. So, if it’s the industry standard for film, why is DaVinci Resolve the only video platform that supports it (again upcharged, as it is not available in the free version)? Vegas is about to go to ver. 23 and they still only support stereo and 5.1, not even 7.1, let alone offering the height channels to simple surround! Not one of my advertising clients has asked for an ATMOS mix or even accepted it when offered without the upcharge.
Streams are compressed. So the real ATMOS enthusiast is going to be the Audiophile and there’s no phsical content available for purchase?!!? Yes, I’d be very interested in understanding the logic behind this and seeing how the market is not going to end up making this go “off the cliff” like surround or quad. From my perspective now, Stereo has a stronger grip on the market than it’s ever had!