Written by The launch of the AuroMasters platform on September 30, 2025, is a watershed moment for immersive music streaming—one that could reshape how listeners, labels, and artists engage with audio in the years ahead. From my experience with projects (mostly in the classical domain) that were recorded natively in Auro-3D, the possibilities for lifelike, emotionally compelling sound have always stood out.
Unfortunately, the adoption of the Auro3d format has lagged behind other immersive formats, even though they offer far lower quality. I’m thrilled to see the arrival of a dedicated platform for Auro3d, I believe a lossless streaming platform for the format is a highly positive development and perhaps just what the industry needs to trigger a wider adoption of the format.
AuroMasters was founded by Wilfried Van Baelen, the innovator behind both Galaxy Studios and the Auro-3D format. His goal is simple but ambitious: to bring listeners as close as possible to the original studio or concert hall experience, delivering audio with full spatial realism at up to 192kHz/24-bit resolution. The platform is designed for discerning audiences, those who want to hear music as it was meant to be heard without the signal degradation caused by compression algorithms.
Wilfried Van Baelen
This is where Auro-3D rises above the commonly encountered Dolby Atmos. While Atmos has certainly captured attention in recent years, largely thanks to its adoption by Apple Music and integration into music production workflows, its streaming format is fundamentally lossy (compressed), topped out at 48kHz and often leading to audible artifacts and listening fatigue. For mostly acoustic genres like jazz, this lack of resolution is a major drawback. By contrast, Auro-3D offers true lossless immersive sound, retaining every subtle nuance of the original recording and making it an ideal format for jazz and similarly rich, acoustic music.
As a long-time advocate for jazz and other niche genres to embrace the very best available formats, be it DSD, Hi-Res PCM, or immersive Auro-3D, AuroMasters represents an overdue opportunity. At launch, it supports native Auro-3D mixes on a wide range of devices, with adaptive streaming that preserves fidelity for whatever hardware listeners have.
A key innovation on AuroMasters is the business model. Rather than the “All You Can Eat” subscription that dilutes the pool and undervalues artistic craft, AuroMasters uses credits. Listeners pay only for what they choose to stream, while artists and rights holders stand to earn up to 80% of revenue after deduction of platform fees—a sharp and much-needed departure from the status quo.
Album discounts and the unique Album Mode encourage listeners to experience works as artistic wholes, rediscovering not only the “hits” but deep tracks, flow, and intention. This model addresses a long-standing issue in the streaming world: the neglect of artistic integrity and the devaluation of serious music.
There remains a hurdle, and it cannot be glossed over. Content is king, and at launch, only around 100 hand-curated albums in native Auro-3D will be available—drawn mainly from niche or forward-thinking labels. While the ambition is to scale quickly to 1,000 albums in a year and eventually 10,000 by 2027, success will depend on whether independent artists and labels see enough incentive to create original immersive mixes rather than rely on up-mixes or compressed deliveries.
I truly hope the jazz contingent in particular will be watching closely. While major and boutique jazz releases have begun appearing in immersive formats, the catalog remains far smaller than what could be achieved if AuroMasters delivers on its promise to foster a robust, artist-focused ecosystem.
My hope, and I believe, one alsso shared by many in the jazz and pro audio community, is that the launch of AuroMasters will provide the necessary impetus for more labels and indie artists to invest in the format. With clear technical and business advantages, the platform has the potential to bring about a sea change in music delivery, especially for genres that thrive on intimacy and sonic detail.
Whether this potential will be realized depends not just on the technology and financial model, but on a shared commitment from both creators and listeners. As AuroMasters continues to expand its catalog and reach, it stands as a truly exciting proposition for improving sound quality and correcting longstanding market imbalances.
In summary, the launch of AuroMasters is a boon for audio quality and business practice alike: genuine immersive sound and artist-friendly economics are finally aligned. For labels, musicians, and fans of jazz, the next step is clear—embrace the format, support the platform, and ensure that the catalog grows to match the promise. If enough voices join, AuroMasters could well become the platform that redefines digital listening for immersive music—jazz included.
Last modified: October 8, 2025
