Spotify broke the news during the company’s virtual event ‘Stream On’. The HiFi feature “will deliver music in CD-quality, lossless audio format to your device and Spotify Connect-enabled speakers“, Spotify wrote on their website. This means that listeners “will be able to experience more depth and clarity while enjoying their favorite tracks“. In other words, it’s basically HD for your music.
This feature is long overdue. Other companies like Tidal and Amazon Music already offers it since 2019. Moreover, both artists and fans have been requesting lossless streaming to Spotify for years. The streaming giant has no precise dates for the availability of Spotify HiFi, stating that it “will begin rolling out in select markets later this year, and we will have more details to share soon.”
The pricing for this option is also a mystery for the moment. However, chances are it is going to be similar to their competitors. At the moment, Tidal HiFi and Amazon Music HD’s rates are $19.99/month and $14.99/month (non-Prime subscribers) respectively. Sure enough, this move will elevate Spotify on top of the music streaming world even more. On the other hand, Apple Music will probably suffer from this addition, considering they do not have plans for this feature as of right now.
Spotify wants to make HiFi available on most popular speakers. In fact, they mentioned that they are working with the world’s biggest speaker manufacturers to ensure the feature is accessible to as many fans as possible through Spotify Connect.
You can learn more about the lossless streaming feature in Billie Ellish and FINNEAS‘s interviews from the video below.