Spotify throws more breadcrumbs for hungry audiophiles.
Spotify has lined up new deals with Warner and Universal Music Groups for premium subscriptions, bringing its HiFi tier closer to reality in 2025. CEO Daniel Ek’s promise to “double down on music” adds weight to these moves.
Yet after years of similar hints, is this really different from past teasers?
The New Hints on Spotify HiFi
Spotify recently locked in new multi-year deals with Warner Music Group (WMG) and Universal Music Group at the start of 2025.
That’s not entirely new in the industry. But, this time, both agreements include new paid tiers and what they’re calling “Super-Premium” subscriptions.
For example, Universal’s deal follows their “Streaming 2.0” principles, which support superfan subscriptions with premium features like higher quality audio. This sets up a structured approach for launching these new service options.
WMG’s deal, on the other hand, also covers both recorded music and publishing rights, with its major artists on board.
This timing aligns with Spotify’s strong financial performance. So much so that they’re celebrating their first profitable year ever.
They brought in €4.2 billion in the fourth quarter in 2024 and hit a record operating income of €477 million.
In fact, Spotify sent $10 billion to the music industry in 2024 alone.
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek also backed this up during their earnings call.
He announced they will “aggressively pursue” new music experiences with a higher-priced premium tier in 2025.
What’s Different This Time vs. Past Hints
Spotify first promised HiFi back in 2021. But, long story short, it never happened. Now the situation looks different, with real plans and steps already in motion.
Signs of active development started appearing throughout 2024.
First, users discovered a “Music Pro” feature hidden in Spotify’s Android app code, alongside lossless audio options in the web player’s tools.
Then, Chris Messina, who invented the hashtag, also spotted a ‘Lossless’ option in Spotify Connect menus that supports streaming quality up to 1,441 kbps using the FLAC format.
There have also been talks of a new “deluxe” subscription tier announced in July 2024 will cost $17-18 monthly.
Is This a Sure Deal?
Despite multiple positive indicators, not everything actually points to a guaranteed HiFi launch.
For one, during the earnings call, CEO Daniel Ek talked about “the higher priced premium tier we’ve discussed.” But, he never really mentioned HiFi features directly.
Instead, he focused more on efficient deployment of new features.
Sure, the new Warner and Universal deals now allow for premium tiers. But they don’t guarantee specific features or launch dates.
Spotify has said HiFi was “coming soon” multiple times since 2021 without delivering.
So, based on past experience from the four years we’ve been waiting for Spotify HiFi, we shouldn’t get our hopes up too much.
Recent market research adds uncertainty to the mix.
Luminate’s 2024 report reveals fewer people want high-quality audio streaming now. Only 31% of paid subscribers think it matters. This change in what consumers want might affect how quickly Spotify moves forward with HiFi.
While Spotify has lined up the technical, legal, and financial pieces for HiFi, their history of delays suggests we should stay cautious until they announce specific launch details.