Feature Story –
Lending some marketing power to Hi-Res Audio, Ford announced at CES that Lincoln vehicles will soon come with Hi-Res Audio systems.
Lincoln support of Hi-Res Audio could help boost consumer awareness of the format, thereby helping aftermarket sales in turn.
Ford’s Senior Technical Leader Alan Norton announced on the eve of CES, “The growing acceptance of Hi-Res Audio by music enthusiasts creates an opportunity for Lincoln. It enables us to demonstrate the capabilities of our Revel sound system in the most impactful way possible, while providing our customers with an incredible listening experience”.
No roll out timetable was provided.
Ford’s acknowledgement that momentum is building for Hi-Res Audio is supported by other studies.
Last fall the NPD group found that Hi-Res audio device sales increased 77 percent in dollars in 2016 over 2014. And the Consumer Technology Association forecast that almost 11 million people would shop for a Hi-Res Music player over the 2017 holiday season.
Additionally, Hi-Res music streaming is taking off, said a press announcement on behalf of the Hi-Res Audio Pavillion at CES, supported by a group of companies including Universal Music Group and Sony Entertainment. The latest research from MusicWatch says that “studio quality” music streaming services have the potential to reach nearly 30 million subscribers. Other recent studies have also shown that ‘sound quality as good as the recording studio’ is a key factor in motivating younger music fans to purchase subscription services.
The Hi-Res Audio Pavillion was also sponsored by A2IM, RIAA, the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing and the Digital Entertainment Group.
