The MP3 format for digital audio was first introduced in the 1990s. At a time when digital storage and transmission bandwidth were limited, Apple took the MP3 revolution mainstream with the birth of portable music players. But the MP3 revolution came at a cost; a degradation in audio quality compared to CDs and vinyl records.
Some clawback in audio quality followed with increases in device storage capacity. Similarly, streaming quality improved in line with better internet speed. But still, the audio quality regained has none of the advantages of CD and higher-fidelity audio where the music is warmer, sounds clearer and with fine details reappearing, noticeably more pleasurable to listen and enjoy.
Today, with the conditions of the 1990s essentially gone, a complete restoration of digital audio quality is now possible. All of higher-fidelity audio benefits with the convenience to play on any network and media device like MP3 streaming are altogether possible. The OraStream Service solves the technical and associated issues to stream music at the highest audio fidelity and quality-of-service possible under all network conditions.
The OraStream Service is an end-to-end audio delivery platform for a new generation of cloud music services. It works with full resolution audio recordings to deliver the highest (or any specified lower) quality of streaming audio on web and mobile music players. Audio streaming adapts automatically to network bandwidth fluctuations for uninterrupted playback on cellular and Wi-Fi networks. When bandwidth allows, music plays at full bit-perfect resolution audio quality. When bandwidth degrades, music plays at less than full resolution audio quality. The process of network-based, audio quality adaptability is dynamic and transparent to the music listener.
The OraStream Service is one-of-a-kind; supported by USPTO and EPO patents, trademark and know-how in enhanced scalable audio coding technologies.
The OraStream Service platform is delivered by way of setting-up and implementation services on a cloud-service infrastructure (e.g. AWS, Microsoft Azure, etc.) account operated by the music service. Upon acceptance and delivery of the service platform, the OraStream streaming servers and streaming player components are then licensed to the music service.
OraStream Server
OraStream Players
The OraStream Service is fully proven. It is powering a new wave of high-fidelity streaming digital music services. Notably, it has been adopted by Neil Young for his revolutionary Neil Young Archives to stream all of his music recordings from the last 50 years at the highest audio resolution ever.
ClassicsOnline HD*LL was a dedicated classical music service offering downloads and streaming at up to 192 kHz/24bit quality. The maiden service brought a number of key enhancements to the OraStream Service platform.
The Neil Young Archives is the biggest archival site dedicated to and operated by any major recording artist. It is a place where Neil Young’s fans could hear all his music from the very beginning, from the high school bands to his latest recordings in audio and visual. The Neil Young Archives is capable of streaming at the original quality of master recordings, higher than other streaming services at 192 kHz/24bit.
Primephonic addresses the unmet needs of classical music lovers worldwide. Classical music lovers can stream and download nearly all classical music that has ever been recorded in CD-quality and higher. Since August 2018, the Primephonic service is available to all US, UK and Netherlands-based classical music listeners.
Presto Music’s digital music store, started in 2001, has grown into one of the most significant online sites for classical recordings. Considered to be one of the UK’s premier sources of sheet music, classical CDs and DVDs, music instruments and accessories, Presto Music will offer cloud-locker streaming playback for customers’ music store purchases.
HDtracks is one of the most established high-resolution digital music download stores offering music in multi-formats and audio resolutions. The HDtracks store offers tracks from CD-quality all the way up to 352 KHz/24bit as well as in DSD.
Pantheon Podcast Network is "the MTV of Podcasting", featuring a wide range of music shows focused on history, interviews, commentary, news, careers, industry, reviews, conversations, books, films, comedy, and more. The HD Podcast platform's first show, Rock N Roll Archaeology is the first podcast available to be streamed in lossless, full resolution audio.
The 2021 industry statistics are from the IFPI’s 2021 Global Music Report. The report shows streaming revenue grew by 19.9% in 2021 and accounted for 62% of total music revenue worldwide. Streaming’s success can be attributed to growth in paid subscription services, which increased 18.5% with 443 million paid streaming service users at the end of 2020.
Global music revenue reached $21.6 billion and marks the recorded industry’s sixth consecutive year of growth.
Frankie worked previously in venture capital investment and also held executive positions in sales, marketing and business development. He is an engineer by training. He also holds MSc degrees in Financial Management (with Distinction) University of London, UK and in Strategic Management (Dean’s Honours List) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a graduate of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants United Kingdom, and a member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).
Kelvin has 16 years of industrial R&D experience in real-time embedded software and distributed computing, in areas of audio coding, computer vision, remote sensor networks and 3D visualisation systems. He was instrumental in co-developing and commercialising MPEG-4 SLS at the Institute of Infocomm Research, A*STAR. Prior to co-founding OraStream, he was Senior Manager Technical Solutions in a leading interactive 3D visual content management and virtual reality software provider. Kelvin is a Singaporean and holds a M.Eng degree in Digital Signal Processing.
Naxos is the brainchild of Mr Klaus Heymann, a German-born entrepreneur and music lover based in Hong Kong. Uniquely alive to the cooperation of business and artistic endeavour, in a decade and half Heymann has established Naxos as a world leader in music education, sponsorship, and the provision of recorded classical music to all.
Klaus Heymann had been fond of classical music ever since he was a child. He was one of the early proponents of digital music, and led Naxos to put its entire catalog on-line for streaming in 1996. In 2002, he launched the Naxos Music Library, essentially used by educational institutions and libraries. He also created distribution companies in most major music markets to distribute Naxos recordings, and the group of companies is now a major distributor of classical recordings and classical music DVDs around the world, including those of Warner Classics and Sony.
Klaus Heymann is also the co-founder of Artaria Editions, a music-publishing house with a specialist interest in rare eighteenth-century repertoire. He lives in Hong Kong with his wife Takako Nishizaki and their son Henryk.
Mathew has been one of the pioneers in the development of the music licensing market in China for the past 14 years, having started the distribution company, R2G with his partners. After the acquisition of R2G by Tencent Music in 2016, Mathew moved to NetEase Cloud Music (NCM) to head up their International Music division. He has long been a friend to the independent music community and in addition to launching the first legal independent music store in China 11 years ago, he has paved the way for many international artists to legally distribute their music in China, including then unknown artist Adele.
NetEase Cloud Music is a music streaming service developed and operated by NetEase, Inc. It is also the fastest growing music service in China with more than 600 million users. NetEase is a Chinese Internet technology company providing online services centered on content, community, communications and commerce. Founded in 1997, the company was a key pioneer in the development of Internet services for China.
Phil has been developing consumer electronic products for his entire career, including many iconic products for Polaroid, Apple, Seiko, Barnes & Noble, Think Outside, Pono, and others. He holds over thirty patents and was a San Diego Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for his invention of the Think Outside Stowaway Keyboard.
Phil and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician Neil Young began working together to develop the PonoMusic player in 2012 and continue to work together on other projects, including the Neil Young Archives.
Phil holds a BS degree in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in engineering from Yale, and an MBA from Northeastern University.
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