After first revealing a possible high-fidelity (hi-fi) option for streaming music in 2021, Spotify is set to finally release the long-awaited feature this year. The downside is that it’s likely to cost more, with some tipping an additional A$7 monthly fee.
This premium offering is expected to arrive by the end of this year and will reportedly be an add-on, on top of an existing plan.
On top of this, the Premium tier is expected to get a price increase next month.
The subscription price increases will take place across major markets including the US, the UK, and Australia. US customers will be the first to face the increases.
Australia’s latest round of price increases have yet to be revealed. It’s currently unclear if Hi-Fi will become available in the free tier.
Hi-Fi audio is already a part of Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. It was also one of the main selling points for Tidal, placing Spotify well behind its rivals.
Expected to be called ‘Supremium,’ this add-on is tipped to include features such as an option to create custom playlists based on specific activities, dates and times of the year.
According to Bloomberg, Spotify’s technology will adjust the playlists based on the behaviour of the user, and automatically create playlists without the need for the user’s input.
A report from The Wall Street Journal suggests the add-on could bundle a remix feature as well, which is expected to allow the user to adjust the playback speed of tracks.
In 2023, there was code discovered inside the Spotify app which provided clues about the possible features.
It hinted at the inclusion of 24bit lossless audio, AI-powered playlist creation, and a mood-based song filtering tool for playlists.
Other discovered code indicated “lossless has arrived” within the app, and leaked UI elements referenced lossless quality reaching up to 2,117kbps and the availability of 24bit / 44.1kHz for specific songs using the FLAC audio format.
