Apple Music and Mercedes-Benz Bring Premium Immersive Spatial Audio to Drivers Worldwide

PARIS & STUTTGART, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple and Mercedes‑Benz today announced that Apple Music’s highly acclaimed Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos is now available as a native experience in Mercedes‑Benz vehicles for the first time, delivering on a shared commitment to provide customers worldwide with the very best music experience. Apple Music with Spatial Audio comes fully integrated through the MBUX infotainment system first in the Mercedes‑Maybach S‑Class, the EQS and EQS SUV, as well as the EQE, EQE SUV and the S‑Class, equipping these vehicles with studio-quality sound better than in any concert hall, and giving drivers a fully immersive listening experience with unparalleled, multidimensional sound and clarity.

“Sound quality is incredibly important to Apple Music which is why we are so excited to be working with Mercedes to make Spatial Audio on Apple Music available natively in the car for the first time,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “Spatial Audio is revolutionizing the way artists create and fans listen to music and it’s an experience that is impossible to explain in words; you have to hear it for yourself to appreciate it. Together with Mercedes, we now have even more opportunities to bring wholly immersive music to our subscribers all over the world.”

“We’re joining forces to offer our customers a benchmark music experience unparalleled in the industry,” said Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, responsible for Development and Procurement. “We are proud that our vehicles will be the first-ever non-Apple devices to natively feature immersive Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. This seamless experience shows how in-car entertainment can reach exciting new levels by perfectly integrating hardware and software.”

Mercedes-Benz drivers who are already subscribed to Apple Music gain immediate access to an ever-growing selection of songs and albums available in Spatial Audio from some of the world’s biggest artists spanning all genres, including hip-hop, country, Latin, pop, and classical¹. Apple Music also offers curated Spatial Audio playlists like Driving in Spatial Audio and Hip-Hop in Spatial Audio, where listeners can find and discover songs from their favorite artists. Additionally, subscribers can access Apple Music’s entire catalog of 100 million songs, thousands of editorially curated playlists, and daily selections from the world’s best music experts, including all of the artists and hosts broadcasting across its Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country global live-stream radio stations.

The limited edition Mercedes‑Maybach by Virgil Abloh, released to consumers recently, was one of the first cars in the world — and the first model in the Mercedes‑Benz lineup — to offer this superior, multidimensional soundscape powered by the Burmester® high-end 4D sound system. The technology will be rolled out to other models soon.

The Burmester® high-end 4D sound system includes:

• 31 speakers, including six 3D speakers that emit their sound from above, 4 near-ear speakers in the front seats, an 18.5-liter subwoofer
• 8 sound transducers (two per seat)
• 2 amplifiers
• 1750 watts power

About Apple Music

Apple loves music. Apple revolutionized the music experience with iPod and iTunes. Today, the award-winning Apple Music celebrates musicians, songwriters, producers, and fans with a catalog of over 100 million songs, expertly curated playlists, and the best artist interviews, conversations, and global premieres with Apple Music Radio. With original content from the most respected and beloved people in music, autoplay, time-synced lyrics, lossless audio, and immersive sound powered by Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, Apple Music offers the world’s best listening experience, helping listeners discover new music and enjoy their favorites while empowering the global artist community. Apple Music is available in over 167 countries and regions on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod mini, CarPlay, and online at music.apple.com, plus popular smart speakers, smart TVs, and Android and Windows devices. Apple Music is ad-free and never shares consumer data with third parties. More information is available at apple.com/apple-music.

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Mercedes-Benz AG at a glance

Mercedes‑Benz AG is responsible for the global business of Mercedes‑Benz Cars and Mercedes‑Benz Vans, with around 172,000 employees worldwide. Ola Källenius is Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz AG. The company focuses on the development, production and sales of passenger cars, vans and vehicle-related services. Furthermore, the company aspires to be the leader in the fields of electric mobility and vehicle software. The product portfolio comprises the Mercedes‑Benz brand with the brands of Mercedes‑AMG, Mercedes‑Maybach, Mercedes‑EQ, G‑Class as well as products of the smart brand. The Mercedes me brand offers access to the digital services from Mercedes‑Benz. Mercedes‑Benz AG is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of luxury passenger cars. In 2021 it sold around 1.9 million passenger cars and nearly 386,200 vans. In its two business segments, Mercedes‑Benz AG is continually expanding its worldwide production network with around 35 production sites on four continents, while gearing itself to meet the requirements of electric mobility. At the same time, the company is constructing and extending its global battery production network on three continents. As sustainability is the guiding principle of the Mercedes‑Benz strategy and for the company itself, this means creating lasting value for all stakeholders: for customers, employees, investors, business partners and society as a whole. The basis for this is the sustainable business strategy of the Mercedes‑Benz Group. The company thus takes responsibility for the economic, ecological and social effects of its business activities and looks at the entire value chain.

¹ In order to use the online music service “Apple Music”, a personal Mercedes me ID and agreement to the Mercedes me connect Terms of Use are required.

A mobile data connection is required to use the online music service “Apple Music”. Customers can purchase the required data volume via the Mercedes me portal from a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) or use it via their smartphone data tariff via tethering.

The use of Dolby Atmos results in increased data volume consumption.

Contacts

Oliver Fenzl, phone: +49 (0) 176 3092 5025, oliver.fenzl@mercedes-benz.com
Pascal Becker, phone: +49 (0) 160 8630 908, pascal.becker@mercedes-benz.com
Andrea Berg, phone: +1 667 2391, andrea.a.berg@mercedes-benz.com
Jessica Bas, phone: +1 310 895 6508, jessica_bass@apple.com