Spotify’s HiFi Listening Feature Is Here (Finally)

Spotify has announced that it is rolling retired its long-awaited lossless audio diagnostic for premium subscribers successful 50 markets worldwide. With the caller feature, subscribers tin watercourse tracks successful up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC (or CD-quality audio) connected “nearly each opus disposable connected Spotify,” says a Spotify property merchandise connected the matter.

Lossless audio volition rotation retired gradually crossed the 50 qualifying markets done October. Premium users successful Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK person already started to get access.

Spotify’s precocious fidelity listening diagnostic has been a agelong clip coming. It was archetypal announced successful Feb. 2021 astatine the company’s Stream On lawsuit and promoted by Billie Eilish and Finneas. Originally, the program was to rotation retired precocious fidelity audio “in prime markets aboriginal [that] year” according to the archetypal 2021 announcement, but it ne'er materialized. In aboriginal 2022, Spotify posted a presumption update to its assemblage board, stating that HiFi was present connected hold. “We cognize that HiFi prime audio is important to you,” the connection reads. “We consciousness the same, and we’re excited to present a Spotify HiFi acquisition to Premium users successful the future. But we don’t person timing details to stock yet. We volition of people update you present erstwhile we can.”

At the time, galore onlookers believed this higher prime listening acquisition was an accidental for Spotify to rise prices, which would, successful turn, magnitude to greater profits for the streaming work and much royalties for artists and songwriters. In 2015, Tidal launched a HiFi audio program for $19.99 a month. In 2019, Amazon did the aforesaid by launching Amazon Music HD, a caller HiFi tier that offered 50 cardinal songs successful 16 bit, 44.1kHz and “millions” much successful Ultra HD (24-bit and up to 192 kHz) for an further outgo of $5 per period for existing Amazon Music subscribers.

But the anticipation for a new, higher-priced tier came to a halt successful May 2021 erstwhile Apple Music entered the precocious fidelity contention by announcing its “Spatial Audio” tier with Dolby Atmos astatine nary further outgo to its users. Later that day, Amazon Music announced that its HD tier would present besides beryllium escaped for each users.

In 2023, Bloomberg reported that a alleged “Supremium” tier was successful the works astatine Spotify. The tier was intended to beryllium a higher-priced upgrade from its premium offering, apt including peculiar features similar lossless audio. To date, it has not travel to fruition.

The announcement of its integration of lossless audio comes conscionable weeks aft Spotify announced its Mix With Spotify feature, allowing premium users to make DJ-level mixes and transitions betwixt songs successful a playlist. The institution besides precocious added the quality to nonstop message (DM) different relationship holders.