The announcement from TIDAL streaming service informs us that starting July 24, 2024, TIDAL will no longer stream any music in MQA audio format. This was hardly surprising since currently MQA has no advantage over high resolution flac audio which this streaming service have been using for years.
Somewhat surprising is the news that Sony's 360 Reality Audio 'immersive' (multichannel) soundtracks join MQA in a format archive (cemetery?). TIDAL decided to go all Dolby Atmos in immersive (multichannel) audio and this seems to be a valid option: supporting too many formats costs more and confuses end user. Anyway the availability of titles in 360 Reality audio was scarce to put it mildly.
Consequently users who have downloaded MQA tracks as a paid feature will be prompted to re-download them after July 24 in flac format. MQA tracks in playlist or collections will be replaced automatically with flac versions in best available resolution. 360 Reality tracks in collections will be unplayable after the shut-down date.
TIDAL announcement concludes with assurances that no further changes in audio formats availability are expected in foreseeable future.
Owners of Cary Audio, Chord Electronics or Gold Note streamers with TIDAL connectivity will hardly notice the disappearance of MQA tracks as the artist roster and sound quality of high resolution flac tracks keep growing day by day.