What is LUFS?
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is the unit for perceived loudness — the standard streaming platforms use to level all tracks. Spotify normalizes to around -14 LUFS by default: louder masters get turned down, not the other way around. The loudness war is technically over.
What normalization means for your master
If your track is mastered to -8 LUFS, Spotify turns it down by roughly 6 dB — what remains is the crushed dynamics without the loudness advantage. A master around -14 to -10 LUFS (depending on genre) sounds just as loud after normalization but keeps punch and transients. More important than the number: no clipping, clean true-peak limiting (around -1 dBTP) and a mix that can carry dynamics.
LUFS targets of the streaming platforms
This is the loudness the big platforms play a track back at. If your master is louder, it gets turned down. Spotify only turns quieter tracks up as far as the headroom to the true peak allows; YouTube only turns down. The values are guidelines (as of 2026) — platforms can change them.
| Platform | Target (integrated) | Recommended true peak |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | -14 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| Apple Music | -16 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| YouTube / YouTube Music | -14 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| Amazon Music | -14 LUFS | -2 dBTP |
| Tidal | -14 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| Deezer | -15 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| SoundCloud | no normalization | -1 dBTP |
| Broadcast (EBU R128) | -23 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
Is -10, -12 or -14 LUFS good?
-14 LUFS is not too quiet for streaming — it is exactly the reference level of Spotify and YouTube. -12 LUFS is a common level for pop, hip-hop and electronic music and only gets turned down slightly. -10 LUFS and louder is widespread in club and EDM, but loses around 4 dB on the platforms — what remains is the dynamics you gave up. Rule of thumb: as loud as the song takes without audible distortion or pumping, with the true peak cleanly limited at -1 dBTP.
-23 LUFS: the broadcast standard
-23 LUFS comes from the EBU recommendation R128 for television and radio in Europe (in the US, ATSC A/85 sets a similar -24 LKFS). For streaming releases it is too quiet: a master at -23 LUFS sounds noticeably quieter on Spotify than the competition, because the platform does not raise it without limit. The value matters when your track runs on TV, in ads or in film — for example through sync licensing.
Loudness check before release
Measure your master before upload — with a LUFS meter in your DAW export, or automatically: the OGRECORDS™ audio QC checks every track for loudness, clipping and phase issues before it goes to the stores. A technical problem surfaces before the release, not afterwards in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
How loud should I master for Spotify?
As a rule of thumb -14 to -10 LUFS integrated with about -1 dBTP true peak — genre-dependent (club music louder, acoustic quieter). What matters is a clean, dynamic master; the platform levels the loudness anyway.
Does a louder master get more streams?
No — normalization makes all tracks sound similarly loud. An over-compressed master just sounds flatter than the competition afterwards. Dynamics win.
Is -10 LUFS too loud?
For streaming, usually yes: Spotify and YouTube turn a -10 LUFS track down by around 4 dB. It then sounds no louder than a -14 LUFS master, but has less dynamics. In a club, where nothing is normalized, -10 LUFS or louder can make sense.
How many LUFS for Apple Music?
Apple Music normalizes to around -16 LUFS with Sound Check. You don’t need a separate master for Apple: a clean master between -14 and -10 LUFS with a -1 dBTP true peak works on every platform.
What does -23 LUFS mean?
-23 LUFS is the loudness standard for European broadcasting (EBU R128). It is too quiet for Spotify & co.; it matters when your track runs on television or in advertising.
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