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The Long Wait for Spotify HiFi Is Coming to an End as Spotify CEO Confirms a New ‘Deluxe’ Tier

Andy G.
Andy G.
Andy G.
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Andy is the Senior Audio Writer at Headphonesty. With over 14 years of professional writing experience, Andy has honed her skills in detailing the nuances of sound, ensuring readers receive both depth and clarity in her pieces. For three years, she has been an instrumental contributor to Headphonesty, delving into...
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Spotify's CEO finally talks about HIFI.
Spotify’s CEO finally talks about HIFI.

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Better late than never!

The endless waiting game for Spotify’s HiFi feature is finally drawing to a close. After years of rumors, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has officially announced that lossless streaming is on the horizon.

This long-anticipated feature will be bundled into a new “deluxe” subscription tier, priced at approximately $17-$18 monthly. And, it comes with a feast of features for discerning listeners among Spotify’s 246 million premium users.

In This Article
In This Article

The Spotify Deluxe Tier: What We Know So Far

Is Spotify HiFi actually coming?
Is Spotify HiFi actually coming?

During Spotify’s July 2024 earnings call, Ek revealed that the company is developing a high-end version of its streaming service.

“The plan here is to offer a much better version of Spotify.” shares Ek.

“Sort of a deluxe version of Spotify that has all of the benefits that the normal Spotify version has but a lot more control, a lot higher quality across the board, and some other things that I’m not ready to talk about just yet.”

The new tier is expected to cost about $5 more than the current Premium subscription, landing in the $17-$18 range.

Yes, it’s pricier than the lossless offerings from Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Tidal. But, Spotify seems to be cooking up something special to justify that premium.

The arrival of Spotify Deluxe will hopefully address many long-standing demands from subscribers. (From: Pexels)
The arrival of Spotify Deluxe will hopefully address many long-standing demands from subscribers. (From: Pexels)

This ‘Deluxe’ tier isn’t just about HiFi audio. Reports suggest that other features might also include:

  • Advanced Library Management: Improved tools to organize and manage music libraries.
  • AI-Powered Playlists: Personalized playlists created by advanced AI, building on Spotify’s AI DJ feature.
  • Headphone Sound Quality Optimization: Options to tweak sound quality based on the headphones used.
  • Advanced Playlist Mixing Tools: Features like BPM, vibe, activity, and genre-specific mixing capabilities.
  • Audiobook Listening Time: 20-30 hours, improving the current premium offer.
  • Listening Stats Tools: Year-round access to detailed listening statistics, similar to the year-end Spotify Wrapped feature.
  • Your Sound Capsule: A tool to analyze and present users’ unique listening habits.

How Sure Is This?

The road to Spotify HiFi was marked with a lot of controversy. (From: Unsplash)
The road to Spotify HiFi was marked with a lot of controversy. (From: Unsplash)

Spotify’s journey to HiFi has been more of a meandering stroll than a sprint, with the initial announcement dropping over three years ago. In fact, there’s been news about it ‘coming soon’ almost every month this year to no avail.

But Ek’s recent confirmation makes it seem more likely to happen.

“There’s a good subset of that group of 246 million subscribers that want a much better version of Spotify,” Ek said.

“Those are huge music lovers who are primarily looking for even more flexibility in how they use Spotify and the music capabilities that exist on Spotify.”

Despite the CEO’s assurances, Ek cautioned that the project is still in its “early days.” And, the exact launch timeline is still uncertain.

However, previous reports have suggested a potential release later this year.

As co-president Gustav Söderström once said in an interview, “We are going to do it, but we’re going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.”

Other Signs That Spotify HiFi Is Coming for Real

Other signs of Spotify lossless found by users. (From: Threads/Chris Messina)
Other signs of Spotify lossless found by users. (From: Threads/Chris Messina)

Beyond official statements, a trail of evidence points to Spotify’s active development of HiFi capabilities:

  • A computer science student found mentions of “Music Pro” in Spotify’s Android app code, which may replace the rumored “Supremium” plan.
  • Users reported numerous references to lossless audio in Spotify’s web player developer tools, including lossless download support.
  • A Dolby Atmos icon was spotted on Spotify’s iPad interface, suggesting ongoing tests of enhanced audio features. Yet, this icon was only visible in the full-screen player mode and didn’t appear on every song.
  • Chris Messina, known for inventing the hashtag, discovered a ‘Lossless’ option within the Spotify Connect menu, allowing streaming up to 1,441 kbps. Messina also suggested that Spotify seems to be using the FLAC format for its lossless setting, hinting at the technical approach the company might be taking.
  • Version 8.9.32 of the Spotify app contains various HiFi-related messages, from “Get ready for Lossless” to “Listen in Lossless, offline.” Users have also seen a “sparkle” icon to indicate when HiFi is active.
  • Carousel messages related to “Lossless compatible” playback have been spotted. These cover topics like how Bluetooth affects lossless listening and tips for enjoying lossless audio offline.

All these clues, combined with Ek’s official announcement, paint a convincing picture: Spotify HiFi is no longer a distant dream. It’s coming, and it’s bringing an array of new features.

But then again, we still don’t have a set date, yet.

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