Mastering for Streaming: LUFS Targets, True Peak, and What Actually Matters
Every streaming platform processes your audio differently. Here's what the specs actually mean, why they matter, and how to master once and sound great everywhere.
One of the most common questions I get from artists is some version of: "Do I need a different master for Spotify vs. Apple Music?" The short answer is usually no — but understanding why requires knowing what streaming platforms actually do to your audio when someone hits play.
Every major platform uses loudness normalization. That means if your master is louder than their target, they'll turn it down automatically. If it's quieter, they'll bring it up. This happens before the listener ever hears a single note. The goal of mastering for streaming isn't to get as loud as possible — it's to deliver a file that sounds exactly how you intend it to sound after the platform does its thing.
Loudness normalization means a brickwall-limited, over-compressed master doesn't give you an advantage on streaming — it just sounds worse when the platform turns it down. Dynamic, well-mastered tracks often translate better at normalized volumes than crushed ones.
Specs by platform — click to explore
Here are the current loudness targets and true peak limits for every major streaming service. Click each platform to see the details and understand how they compare.
Spotify is the platform most artists master toward by default — it's the most widely used and –14 LUFS is a comfortable target that preserves dynamics well. Tracks louder than –14 LUFS get turned down; quieter tracks get normalized up. They have loudness normalization on by default but users can disable it.
Apple Music normalizes 2 LUFS quieter than Spotify via Sound Check. This is intentionally more conservative — Apple prioritizes dynamic range and offers the Apple Digital Masters program for high-res delivery. If your track is mastered to –14 LUFS, Apple will bring it down 2dB, which is generally fine. If you want absolute precision for Apple, a –16 LUFS alternate master is worth doing for key releases.
YouTube Music targets –13 LUFS — slightly louder than Spotify. A master at –14 LUFS will be brought up 1 LUFS, which is barely perceptible. Worth noting that YouTube applies AAC encoding, which can add up to 1 dB of intersample peaks — another reason to keep true peaks at –1.0 dBTP or lower, not 0.
Tidal matches Spotify's –14 LUFS target. Notably, Tidal offers lossless HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers — so delivering a high-quality 24-bit master is particularly worthwhile here. The same spec applies regardless of tier.
Amazon Music Unlimited uses the same –14 LUFS target as Spotify. Amazon also offers HD and Ultra HD streaming tiers, making a high-resolution master worthwhile. A Spotify-targeted master translates perfectly here.
Deezer aligns with the –14 LUFS standard. They offer HiFi lossless streaming (FLAC) alongside standard tiers. Normalization behavior is consistent with other major platforms.
Four of the six major platforms target –14 LUFS. Master to –14 LUFS and –1.0 dBTP and you've covered Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, and Deezer in one pass. For Apple Music, your track gets turned down 2dB — which is fine for most releases. For YouTube, it gets nudged up 1dB — also fine. One well-made master covers the whole landscape.
File format — what to deliver to your distributor
The format you deliver matters even after mastering. Your distributor will encode your file into the compressed formats each platform uses (AAC, MP3, FLAC etc.), so starting from the highest quality source gives the encoding process the best material to work with.
How to actually measure this
LUFS isn't the same as dBFS (the level shown on most DAW meters). A standard peak meter won't tell you your integrated loudness — you need a dedicated LUFS meter. Here's what to use:
Metering tools worth knowing
The free Mix Analyzer shows you your track's LUFS, True Peak, dynamic range, and tonal balance — and lets you hear exactly how each streaming platform will play it.
Try the free Mix Analyzer to check your own track →iZotope Insight 2 — my go-to in the studio. Loudness measurement, spectrum analysis, true peak metering, and platform-specific targets all in one window. Shows you exactly where you stand relative to each platform's spec.
Youlean Loudness Meter — free version is genuinely excellent for basic integrated LUFS and true peak measurement. A solid starting point if you're new to loudness metering.
NUGEN Audio VisLM — professional broadcast-grade metering. Worth it if you're delivering to film and TV as well as streaming.
Whatever tool you use, check two numbers: integrated LUFS (measured over the whole track, not a section) and true peak (the highest intersample peak in the file). Both matter, and both need to be right.
Streaming platforms normalize based on integrated LUFS — the average loudness across the entire track. Short-term and momentary readings are useful for mixing but irrelevant for streaming compliance. Make sure your meter is set to display integrated loudness when you're checking your master against platform targets.
What goes wrong and why
Pre-release checklist
Run through this before sending your master to your distributor. Tick each one as you confirm it.
Want a master that's already optimized for every platform?
This is what I do every day. Send me your mix and I'll deliver a streaming-ready master to Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and beyond — with the LUFS, true peak, and dynamics dialed in correctly. First-time clients get a free sample before committing.