still-one
Active member
Sorry if I misunderstood. I was alluding to your Post #7 where you ask where would MQA go if Tidal fails or stops supporting it.
Is MQA Fading Away?
- Thread starter nicoff
- Start date
Sorry if I misunderstood. I was alluding to your Post #7 where you ask where would MQA go if Tidal fails or stops supporting it.
Which is still a valid question, but the more recent one was in response to Lee's comment that MQA is doing well because they continue to sell new licenses. Anyone with even a passing acquaintance with the business world knows that the 2 do not necessarily correlate. And merely because TIDAL is part of a large conglomerate there is no guarantee that it will continue; perhaps if anything the opposite because if it becomes a money sink it would probably be closed out. A large conglomerate with other businesses might have less incentive to continue it than an owner with more emotional (and perhaps financial) investment.
Randy Myers
Well-known member
What has been more referenced is the attempted to limit any kind of competition. To require that music companies work with them, etc., etc. Way more than a company trying to position themselves for success. They attempted to make themselves the one and only. A really bad decision in many peoples view.
Similar to what Sony did with Betamax and SACD, etc. But on a much larger scale, because if they had their way MQA would be the one and only digital format. An extremely poor calculation on their part.
still-one
Active member
Hip Hop related artists were one of the driving forces forces in the growth of Cash App. You can see why Dorsey and Jay Z looked at Tidal and now it fit into what is now part of the Square umbrella. "Meanwhile, [Tidal] remained a relatively small player in a cutthroat industry where topdog Spotify boasts 155 million premium subscribers. TIDAL is estimated to have closer to 1 million paid subscribers. If Square leverages the power of Cash App and it’s new found backdoor into the music industry, it could create one of the biggest record companies and music streaming platforms at the same time." Tidal should continue to grow under that position.
Forbes Money
BlueFox
New member
I don’t know if MQA is fading away, but I do know I have never come across a MQA file, or ever have a reason to use, or try, it.
Lee Scoggins
Member
Then you are missing out on some great sound via Tidal Masters. Many of the MQA files there sound spectacular.
Lee Scoggins
Member
I was financial analyst on Wall Street for many years so I know how to judge the health of a company. I cannot reveal all I know about the company as many conversations are confidential but these licensing deals are very lucrative and they continue to refine and develop multiple technologies. They also have a very solid group of investors. They will be around for a while.
"very lucrative"? In 2020 their total sales were about $600,000; for a company with (presumably) more than a handful of employees and at least some physical overhead costs I don't see how that translates to very lucrative. Unless of course they are hiding much of their income?
The fact that you are having confidential conversations about financial matters with a company that makes a product that your publication reviews does not instill confidence that the review(ers)' opinions are unbiased; it makes you appear to be a dealer rather than a review publication.
preston8452
New member
Mmmm it could be I guess, but not for a short period of time anyway, cuz there are still a lot of people who want MQA feature on their streamers or players, I wouldn't say it's gonna fade away, just maybe becoming less major of a digital music feature, but still requested haha...
Interesting. Peter Moncrieff was known by some to be head and shoulders over other reviewers when it came to listening skills. Many a manufacturer was angry with him after he reviewed their products. I never knew Peter personally but rumor has it that reviewers and manufacturers would sit around the campfire telling scary Peter Moncrieff stories.
Anyway, based on my understanding of MQA since day 1, I suspect Peter is right on the money regarding MQA's sonics and those who find MQA appealing.
The title of the article is Digital Done Wrong. Click link below.
Page Title
W9TR
Active member
Umm, where does that idea come from??
AJ Soundfield
Well-known member
I'm personally holding out for MQA Reel to Reel, for the ultimate expression of 19th century stereo.
crwilli
Active member
On an objective note, we can’t see into the financials for MQA, their sales pipeline or any real detail of their corporate health. While certainly a valid question, no one here is likely to know the answer.
AJ Soundfield
Well-known member
Well, if you ran their financials through an MQA processor, the deblurring would make things a lot clearer
Access Denied
Here is part of the answer (just click on the link, don’t let the description deter you)
$611k in annual sales? LOL. How’s that even sustainable? That 21 employee number doesn’t seem right. You can’t sustain a payroll of 21 on $611k in REVENUE.
Then again, I just looked up one of my companies and it was so completely wrong as to be laughable. I didn’t bother checking the others.
So, not sure we can trust D&D. They were always such scoundrels, trying to sell you reports or get you to pay for this or that. Total waste of time. They would always say “but your information won’t be visible.” Good!
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crwilli
Active member
One year of revenue is a start but not really that helpful. How about 5 years and a full P&L…
W9TR
Active member
It came from reading the article Stenho posted.