Spotify reportedly introducing high-fidelity audio later this year
It has been reported that streaming giant Spotify will release a high-fidelity audio tier later this year. This news emerged after the company first announced plans to introduce lossless music under the Spotify HiFi banner in February 2021.
Notably, it has long been discussed by consumers that Spotify has the worst audio quality out of all of the most popular streamers, with Apple Music widely praised for having the best. The Swedish company’s “very high” audio quality setting equates to approximately 320kbit/s.
However, Apple Music offers lossless streaming, a form of compression that preserves all the data from the original source file, providing a listening experience similar to that found on a CD. It even holds some albums at hi-res lossless, a superior quality that can be accessed with suitable hardware. Another discrepancy is that Apple Music also presents Dolby Atmos, which they call “Spatial Audio”.
In a new report, Bloomberg state that Spotify is to charge $5 more per month for hi-fi audio. This new price will be added to existing premium plans. This tier is said to offer subscribers new means for creating playlists and managing libraries. As it stands though, an official date is yet to be announced, with an insider telling the publication it will arrive “later this year”.
Spotify has been in the news several times recently. Just last week, it was announced that the streaming platform will raise its subscription fees in the United States, which follows them doing so in the UK and four other international markets. Less than a year on from their most recent price climb, Daniel Ek’s company revealed they will charge $11.99 per month in the US, with Duo plans increased by $2 to $16.99 per month. Meanwhile, the family plan will rise by $3 to $19.99 per month, and the student plan will remain unchanged at $5.99 monthly.
The new pricing structure will be implemented in July. It has caused something of a stir following CEO Ek’s recent comments on social media about how accessible and affordable it is to create “content” thanks to modern technology, such as AI, which added to the ongoing debate about streaming sites and human art. “Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content,” he wrote. “This has sparked my curiosity about the concept of long shelf life versus short shelf life.”
In other Spotify news, in May, the streamer was served a cease and desist notice from the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). The trade association alleges that the platform contains “unlicensed lyrics, music videos and podcasts”.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.