← All notes

Pop in 24-bit: 16.4% of the catalog, which frequencies?

Published on October 28, 2026 — figures from the Hi Res Quest base on that date

In the Pop genre, 16.4% of tracks exist in a 24-bit edition. That is below the average across all genres, which stands at 18.9%.

A genre with less 24-bit than average

In the Pop genre, 140,560 tracks were analyzed. Of these, 23,099 also exist in a 24-bit edition, or 16.4% of the catalog. That is below the average across all genres, which stands at 18.9%. 24-bit refers to an edition that contains more data than a CD, which is limited to 16 bits. This extra data increases the available margin for the dynamics of the mix. What matters is not the number itself, but the authenticity of the edition offered: a real 24-bit edition, not a simple re-encoding.

For a genre as broad and as old as Pop, the catalog mixes very old recordings, never remastered in high resolution, with recent productions designed for 24-bit from the start. This gap partly explains why Pop remains slightly below the overall average.

Three frequencies, three edition profiles

Not all 24-bit Pop editions share the same sample rate. The higher this rate, the more detail an edition captures in highs and transients. But the sample rate alone is not enough to judge an edition: it still needs to be authentic, not a 16-bit file simply converted.

• 44.1 or 48 kHz: 14,452 tracks, or 62.6% of 24-bit editions
• 88.2 or 96 kHz: 5,759 tracks, or 24.9%
• 176.4 or 192 kHz: 2,888 tracks, or 12.5%

Most 24-bit Pop tracks therefore stay close to the original support's sample rate, with the main gain coming from bit depth rather than sampling.

Concrete examples

Some Pop albums concentrate several tracks in 24-bit, at various frequencies.

• Lady Gaga, Born This Way: 14 tracks in 24-bit, up to 44.1 kHz
• Blondie, Parallel Lines: 9 tracks, up to 192 kHz
• Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill: 4 tracks, up to 192 kHz
• Taylor Swift, Red: 6 tracks, up to 96 kHz
• Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox: 5 tracks, up to 44.1 kHz
• The Kooks, Inside In / Inside Out: 6 tracks, up to 44.1 kHz

These differences, from one album to another, show there is no single rule depending on the artist or the period: each track needs to be checked individually.

What this means for a Pop playlist

A Pop playlist often mixes tracks in different editions, without this being signaled at listening time. A track can be played in CD quality while a 24-bit edition exists for the same song, sometimes on the same platform, sometimes on another one. With 16.4% of the Pop catalog concerned, the proportion is not negligible on a playlist of several hundred tracks.

Hi Res Quest checks each track of a Pop playlist, one by one, and flags those that exist in a 24-bit edition elsewhere. The analysis changes nothing automatically: it suggests, the user decides whether to replace a track or not. No subscription change is needed to have a playlist checked.