What to learn about lossless audio coming to Spotify

Apple Music‘s bought it, Tidal‘s bought it, Amazon Music’s bought it, so the place’s Spotify’s lossless audio possibility?

In February 2021, Spotify announced that it was planning to launch a HiFi subscription tier the place customers can get pleasure from CD-quality, lossless audio. It was speculated to launch later in 2021, which might’ve been extra well timed with a view to compete with different streaming platforms that have already got lossless audio as an possibility.

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However now, three years later, there’s a whole lot of uncertainty on when Spotify HiFi will launch, if ever. So in the event you’re questioning what Spotify HiFi even is, when it is possible for you to to make use of it, and what you are able to do as a substitute of ready for it, this is all the things you should know.

The state of lossless audio on Spotify

The entire ethos of Spotify HiFi is offering a lossless audio possibility for Spotify customers. This could enable customers to pay extra to decide on once they need to hearken to lossless tracks, because it’s deliberate as a distinct tier of Spotify subscription from the common Premium subscription. Since it will be pricier, it is going to most likely embody extra than simply CD-quality audio to make it extra price it in comparison with different streaming platforms, however extra on that later.

CD-quality or lossless audio right here refers to music recordsdata with a bitrate of 1411kbps (16bit/44.1kHz), which is the standard of the music you’d get on a bodily CD. Presently, Spotify streams music at a most high quality/bitrate of 320kbps, which is the equal of a top quality MP3 file (although Spotify makes use of the Ogg Vorbis codec as a substitute of MP3).

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When Spotify HiFi will launch, if ever

Since Spotify introduced that Spotify HiFi would launch again in 2021, all we have actually been capable of do is speculate on when it is truly coming. First it was speculated to arrive “later” that 12 months, after which it by no means got here. Subsequent, there was a discussion board publish from a Spotify moderator in January 2022 who stated it will be coming “sooner or later.” Later in 2022, TechCrunch reported that Spotify’s CEO indicated that licensing points have been inflicting delays in HiFi’s launch.

Then, in March 2023, Spotify’s co-president instructed The Verge that HiFi would nonetheless be coming sooner or later, however would not say when. The Verge in that very same article acknowledged that they realized that HiFi was already principally full, however Spotify was going through points with regard to pricing.

The truth that Spotify is taking a very long time to launch that is notable. Amazon Music has had CD-quality music since September 2019, Apple Music added ALAC as an possibility in June 2021, and Tidal launched FLAC assist in July 2023. With different streaming platforms having massive catalogs and lossless audio as an possibility, one would anticipate Spotify to be speeding to determine it out so they do not lose subscribers, however that has but to be seen.

Spotify HiFi might value greater than different streaming platforms

There’s been hypothesis for some time now that Spotify HiFi will value $19.99. There was a survey given to some Premium subscribers about the potential of a $19.99 tier, which appears to again up this rumor.

In September 2023, The Verge reported {that a} Redditor checked out Spotify’s code and located a “Supremium” tier that will value $19.99, and embody options like superior sorting choices and mixing instruments, in addition to 30 hours of audiobook listening month-to-month.

This value is fairly hefty in comparison with different streaming platforms. Apple Music presents lossless audio as a part of its common subscription for $10.99, and Amazon Music does as effectively for $9.99. So if Spotify goes to ask customers to pay that rather more for lossless, it will make sense if it contains different options like these talked about above, in addition to others like Spatial Audio or Dolby Atmos assist.

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Alternate options to Spotify HiFi

If you happen to don’t need to wait longer for Spotify to drop the HiFi tier, you may have numerous different choices for lossless audio, whether or not you need to stream it or purchase it.

Different standard streaming platforms like Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music all have lossless audio of their catalogs already, so you can begin listening to prime quality music instantly if you want. Different streaming choices embody Qobuz and Deezer, which each let you stream music in FLAC format. If you happen to’d desire to modify to purchasing music reasonably than streaming, you may as well purchase music straight from artists on Qobuz and Bandcamp. You too can go the traditional route and purchase bodily CDs out of your favourite artists.

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For now, Spotify HiFi appears to be indefinitely delayed, however hopefully, in some unspecified time in the future it will be an possibility that Spotify customers could make full use of. For now, it could look like an elusive promise with seemingly limitless ready, however that is simply how it’s generally within the tech world.