Loudness Targets by Streaming Platform
Updated July 2026 · by Loopin
Every streaming service normalises playback to its own loudness target, so the same master plays back at the same level whether it’s a whisper-quiet ballad or a wall of sound. Here are the numbers — and why you only need one master.
Why platforms have loudness targets
Streaming services normalise loudness so listeners don’t have to ride the volume knob between songs. Each platform picks a reference loudness in LUFS and turns every track toward it on playback — quieter tracks up, louder tracks down. The result is a consistent listening experience across wildly different songs.
The big consequence for you: mastering far above a platform’s target doesn’t make you louder on playback. The service simply attenuates your track back down, and you’ve sacrificed dynamics for nothing. The target is the level that actually plays — so it’s the level worth aiming for.
The targets, platform by platform
Here’s where the major services sit (integrated LUFS): Spotify −14, YouTube −14, Amazon Music −14, Apple Music about −16, Tidal around −14, SoundCloud roughly −14 to −8 (lighter normalisation), and TikTok/Instagram nearer −14 to −13. Most of the ecosystem clusters around −14 LUFS.
Apple Music is the main outlier at about −16, meaning it turns tracks down a touch more. But notice how tight the cluster is: nearly everything lives between −16 and −14, which is exactly why a single sensible master works across all of them.
You only need one master
Given how close the targets are, you don’t bounce a different file per platform. Master once to around −14 LUFS integrated with a −1 dBTP true-peak ceiling, and that single file translates well everywhere — sitting right on Spotify and YouTube, turned down a hair on Apple, and competitive on the rest. See how loud a master should be for the reasoning.
Trying to optimise for one platform’s exact number is a waste of effort, because listeners hear your music across all of them. A −14 LUFS master is the practical sweet spot — competitive level, intact dynamics, no per-platform juggling.
True peak matters across all of them
Whatever the loudness target, keep a true-peak ceiling of about −1 dBTP. When platforms encode your master to lossy formats like AAC or Ogg Vorbis, inter-sample peaks a normal meter misses can clip and distort. A −1 dBTP ceiling prevents that across every service, and the distortion it avoids is far more audible than a fraction of a dB of loudness.
So the universal recipe is two numbers: around −14 LUFS integrated, true peak at −1 dBTP. Get those right and your master is clean and consistent on every platform in the list — no special cases.
Hit every target free
You don’t need to memorise the table or chase each number. Loopin’s free online mastering measures your track, targets streaming loudness around −14 LUFS automatically and holds true peak at −1 dBTP — the one master that lands well on all of them — then lets you A/B against the original at matched loudness so you judge tone, not volume.
Master once, upload everywhere. Because the platforms agree more than they differ, a single free master at the right targets is all your release needs to sit confidently next to commercial tracks across the board.
Frequently asked questions
What loudness do streaming platforms target?
Most cluster around -14 LUFS integrated: Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music and Tidal sit near -14, while Apple Music is a touch lower at about -16. SoundCloud uses lighter normalisation. A single master at around -14 LUFS translates well across all of them.
Do I need a different master for each platform?
No. The targets are close enough that one master to around -14 LUFS integrated with a -1 dBTP true-peak ceiling works everywhere — right on Spotify and YouTube, turned down slightly on Apple, and competitive on the rest.
Why keep true peak at -1 dBTP for streaming?
When platforms encode your master to lossy formats like AAC or Ogg Vorbis, inter-sample peaks a normal meter misses can clip and distort. A -1 dBTP ceiling prevents that on every service, and that distortion is far more audible than a fraction of a dB of loudness.