Apple Digital Masters: What It Is and How to Get the Badge

Distinct Mastering is a certified Apple Digital Masters studio. That means when you master with me, your release can carry the Apple Digital Masters badge on Apple Music, if you ask for it. Here's what Apple Digital Masters is, what you need to send, and how the badge gets onto your music.

What is Apple Digital Masters?

Apple Digital Masters is Apple's certification program for mastered music. Only mastering studios that Apple has certified can deliver it, and any release with the Apple Digital Masters badge went through one of those studios. The point of the program is simple: making sure your music is heard on Apple Music the way you intended it.

It used to be called Mastered for iTunes. Under the hood it's about encoding. Apple Music streams in AAC, a format related to MP3 but better sounding, and Apple Digital Masters makes sure your master holds up through that encoding instead of picking up problems along the way.

What you need to send

The one rule that matters: send the highest quality file you have.

• 24-bit, at 44.1 kHz or higher, straight from your session. A 16-bit file can't be used for Apple Digital Masters.
• No bit-padding. A 16-bit file saved as 24-bit is still 16-bit inside. Re-export from your session instead.
• No downsampling. Keep the sample rate you worked at.

The good news is that you don't need to dither or reduce the bit depth yourself. The encoding happens over at Apple. When you upload your files to your project page, the app checks every file and tells you right away if one won't qualify.

How the process works

1. I master your music like normal. Same ears, same chain, same standard.
2. I check it with Apple's own tools. Apple gives certified studios tools to test the encoding, and I verify every file meets their certification standard before it goes back to you.
3. You get your files and my studio's code. You enter the code with your distributor, so Apple knows the release was mastered by a certified Apple Digital Masters studio.
4. Your release shows the badge on Apple Music.

Is it worth it for your release?

If your music is going to Apple Music, it's a real mark of quality that most studios can't offer, and it costs you nothing extra in effort: you send good files, I handle the rest. Just ask for it when you start your project. You can read more about it on my Apple Digital Masters page.

Distinct Mastering is based in San Diego and works with artists everywhere. If you'd like to hear what your track sounds like mastered first, send it over for a free sample.