Priddy Ugly Voices Concerns About Apple Music’s Playback Volume Levels
South African rapper Priddy Ugly has brought attention to what he perceives as an issue with Apple Music’s playback volume after discovering that his album, along with others, plays significantly quieter on the streaming service compared to local audio files stored on his device.
The artist emphasizes that this volume difference is far from minor, framing it as a technical flaw that undermines the listening experience and compromises the integrity of the final mastered tracks.
“What’s going on with @AppleMusic compressing and lowering the master volume?!” he questioned on social media. He further explained that this issue is not isolated to his own music: “It’s not just my tracks. I noticed several albums sounded unusually quiet. Initially, I assumed the mixes or masters were subpar. But after playing my album directly from my files and then on Apple Music, the streaming version was noticeably quieter.”
This observation taps into the ongoing debate surrounding loudness normalization on streaming platforms-a process designed to balance volume levels across songs and albums to provide a uniform listening experience. However, artists and producers often dedicate extensive effort and resources to perfecting the dynamics, punch, and loudness of their masters. When streaming services alter these parameters, it can diminish the intended impact, particularly in genres like hip hop where bass depth and layered production are crucial.
For everyday listeners, this may simply feel like a drop in volume. But for audio engineers, it’s about the technicalities of playback targets, peak limits, and integrated loudness measurements that dictate whether a track is turned down during streaming. Priddy Ugly’s concern highlights that if the streaming version plays at a lower volume than the original master, key elements such as the power of the kick drum, vocal clarity, and stereo imaging may be lost, affecting how the music resonates with the audience.
This discussion emerges at a time when artists are increasingly outspoken about how their music is presented across different platforms. Whether this sparks a wider call for transparency in streaming playback settings or remains an isolated issue, Priddy Ugly’s comments have transformed a technical detail into a topic that fans can relate to: if your favorite album sounds different on your device, the problem might lie with the streaming service’s playback, not your equipment.
0 Comments