Diagnose and fix this common mixing problem — with specific, actionable steps.
Spotify and Apple Music are the two dominant streaming platforms, and they handle loudness normalization differently. Understanding these differences is essential for delivering mixes that sound good on both. Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS integrated (with a replay gain algorithm). Apple Music normalizes to approximately -16 LUFS using its Sound Check feature. If you mix for one without understanding the other, your mix may sound different than intended on the other platform.
The key insight: both platforms turn down loud mixes but do not turn up quiet ones beyond their target. A mix at -8 LUFS will be turned down on both platforms. A mix at -18 LUFS will be played at its native level on both (or boosted minimally on Spotify). This means there's no advantage to mixing loud — you lose dynamics and gain nothing in perceived loudness.
Spotify offers three normalization levels: Normal (-14 LUFS), Loud (-11 LUFS), and Quiet (-19 LUFS). The default is Normal. Spotify also applies a limiter to prevent clipping when boosting quiet tracks. The platform uses Ogg Vorbis encoding at up to 320 kbps for premium users. This codec is relatively transparent but can affect transients at lower bitrates.
An important detail: Spotify's normalization is track-based, not album-based. This means individual tracks from an album may be normalized differently than when played in album context, potentially breaking the intended flow of an album.
Apple Music normalizes to approximately -16 LUFS using Sound Check. It uses AAC encoding at 256 kbps. Apple does not apply a limiter during normalization, so if a quiet track is boosted, it may clip — meaning you should ensure your true peaks are below -1 dBTP. Apple's normalization is also album-based when albums are played in full, preserving dynamic relationships between tracks.
The practical implication: mixing at -14 LUFS means Spotify plays your track at native level but Apple Music may turn it down by 2 dB. Mixing at -16 LUFS means Apple Music plays at native level but Spotify may boost by 2 dB. Neither platform gives you a loudness advantage for mixing hotter. Use a LUFS checker to verify your target, and MixDiagnose can analyze your mix against both platforms' targets simultaneously.
The best strategy for both platforms is to mix at -14 LUFS with good dynamics. This means Spotify plays your mix at its native level, Apple Music may turn it down by 2 dB, but the 2 dB difference is barely noticeable and both platforms get a dynamic, punchy track. You avoid the penalty of over-compression and your mix sounds its best on both.
If you must mix louder (for genre reasons), be aware of the trade-offs. At -10 LUFS, Spotify turns you down by 4 dB to -14 LUFS. Apple Music turns you down by 6 dB to -16 LUFS. The louder your mix, the more each platform turns it down, and the more dynamics are lost. The loudness war is over — streaming won it for you by normalizing everything. Mix for dynamics, not for loudness.
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