Loudness is no longer a competition. It is a target. Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube each handle loudness normalization differently, and mastering hot no longer makes your track stand out.
What is LUFS
LUFS stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale. It is the modern standard for measuring how loud audio is perceived to be.
Platform Targets in 2026
- Spotify: -14 LUFS integrated.
- Apple Music: -16 LUFS integrated.
- YouTube: -14 LUFS integrated.
- Tidal and Amazon Music: -14 LUFS integrated.
Why Mastering Hot No Longer Helps
If you master at -8 LUFS, Spotify will turn your track down by 6 dB. The result: your transients are squashed, your dynamics are gone.
The loudness war is over. Master for translation, not for headroom comparisons.
The Practical Target
Master to -14 LUFS integrated with peaks around -1 dBTP. This works for Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, and Amazon.
If you want a master that hits these targets cleanly, book a mastering session or learn the workflow in our Mixing and Mastering Course.
