The premium Spotify tier is soon to arrive. This tier will offer users the ability to stream songs in lossless audio formats. It will also be available in 85 new markets and 36 languages.
HiFi audio feature hasn’t arrived yet
While Spotify is known for its massive music library, the company has been relatively quiet on its lossless audio feature, a rumored subscription tier that promised high-resolution sound and an ad-free experience. Unlike rival services, such as Amazon Music, which offers lossless music for free, Spotify charges $9.99 a month for its lossy tier.
For many fans of high-fidelity music, however, the absence of a lossless option was disappointing. So, in February of 2021, Spotify announced plans to add an ad-free “HiFi” streaming service that would let subscribers upgrade their audio quality.
But the announcement was short-lived. After all, the company’s CEO had already revealed that it had licensing issues that scuttled plans for a major rollout. In addition, it was unclear when the lossless format would arrive, and there was no concrete timeline.
But in February, Spotify executives promised to unveil more information about the HiFi tier soon. As it turns out, the company had already begun the testing phase. And now, there’s even a test to help users figure out which headphones will work best with its streaming technology.
The test is called an ABX test. Essentially, it allows you to test your speakers and headphones to see if they will support a higher-quality stream. If the devices meet the requirements, you will be able to switch from lossy to HiFi with a click.
Spotify has said it’s still gauging the market’s appetite for a premium audio feature. However, the company does offer more features to paid users than its competitors. Among other things, it also offers ad-free listening, personalization, and more.
Until then, you can listen to high-quality streams by opting for the company’s premium tier, or by upgrading your existing account. You’ll get ad-free listening, and you’ll gain access to more than 40 million songs in the Spotify library. It’s all a part of the company’s effort to make its service accessible to as many fans as possible.
Depending on your current speaker and headphones, it’s possible you won’t even be able to hear the difference between lossy and lossless audio. That’s because lossless encoding will not compress your songs.
Spotify’s new premium tier will launch in 85 new markets and 36 new languages
If you’ve been using the music streaming service, you’ve likely heard about the plans that Spotify announced recently. They include plans to launch the service in 85 new markets. This includes markets across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The global expansion is expected to help Spotify reach a billion subscribers. It will also allow it to expand its global catalogue of music. As of now, Spotify offers its free, ad-free subscription in 93 markets. In addition, Spotify offers a variety of plans for its Premium tier.
There are three main plans: Individual Plan, Family Plan, and Student Plan. These plans range in price and will depend on the market that you’re in. However, the company also revealed plans to introduce a lossless audio tier later in the year.
According to Spotify’s executives, the new features are designed to help artists connect with fans. Artists will be able to upload their own clips to the service. Fans will be able to view these clips on the Spotify artist pages.
Additionally, Spotify will launch a variety of new tools and apps for listeners and artists. Apps will be designed to work with wearables, speakers, and even cars. The company also plans to create more content for its creators.
At the same time, the service is also adding support for 36 additional languages. Currently, the company supports over 60 languages, natively.
To support this growth, the company is launching a new premium subscription plan. Instead of advertising, the Premium tier will focus on listening experiences. Having more listeners gives more opportunities for musicians to earn a living.
The company will also launch a new songwriter page, which will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the songs they love. A new podcast, ‘Renegades: Born in the USA,’ will be available for listeners. Moreover, the service has plans to create playlists that are “written by” specific artists.
Finally, Spotify plans to release its mobile applications in new markets. Users will have access to Spotify’s full global catalogue in these new countries. In addition, users will be able to download the free app and get a free Premium tier.
HiFi will deliver higher-quality streams through Spotify Connect
HiFi is a feature that will let you listen to music in lossless audio. Typically, these formats have a wider sound and contain more data than compressed audio, so they can reveal a lot of details in a song.
The HiFi service will work with Spotify Connect-enabled speakers. Spotify has said that it will launch this new tier in some markets by the end of the year. In other markets, it will be an upgrade to Premium.
It’s not clear how much you’ll have to pay for the new tier. However, it’s likely that you’ll get a free trial. Alternatively, if you’re an existing Premium subscriber, you may be able to upgrade.
Spotify is a popular music streaming platform. It offers a massive catalog of more than 30 million songs. Although it currently tops out at 320kbps audio, it has plans to upgrade its premium services.
Spotify HiFi is a premium tier that will allow users to enjoy higher-quality streams. These streams are said to be lossless, and will deliver CD quality sound. According to the platform, this will make it possible for users to take their favorite songs with them wherever they go.
Spotify has said that the most requested feature from its users is high-quality music streaming. Its CEO, Daniel Ek, has said that it’s in talks with major record labels, but hasn’t given an exact date.
Spotify’s latest update, though, is the first to mention the new feature. Users will be able to toggle HiFi by tapping the icon in the bottom corner of the menu.
One Reddit user posted a video showing what HiFi may look like. The feature features a slide-out menu with a selection of different streaming types. It will also show how strong the internet connection is.
Other music streaming platforms, such as Amazon, Tidal, and Apple, offer similar features. However, Spotify is currently behind the competition.
Unlike some other companies, Spotify hasn’t provided an exact launch date for the HiFi service. This could be due to licensing issues. There are also questions as to when the company will be able to offer a high-quality lossless audio service.
ABX test for lossless streaming
If you’re an audiophile, you may be interested in learning how to test your lossless streaming. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to do it. Spotify recently launched a web-based ABX test, which helps you determine whether the audio you’re listening to is lossless.
Compared to lossy compression, which removes high and low frequencies, lossless streaming keeps sonic detail intact. It saves space and is best done on Wi-Fi.
While there are many other lossless streaming services, including Amazon Music, Tidal, and Deezer, Spotify has yet to release a lossless tier. The company says it will launch higher-quality streams in select markets in the future, and they don’t yet have pricing information.
When the HiFi tier launches, you’ll be able to stream your music at CD quality (16-bit/44.1 kHz), up to 24 bit/96 kHz. It will also work with Spotify Connect-enabled speakers. This will be a major upgrade, and it will give Spotify an edge over Apple Music, which currently offers no lossless music streams.
Spotify is also working with some of the largest speaker manufacturers in the world. The company hopes that by bringing the higher-quality streaming to more people, it can retain its audiophile customer base and thwart the competition.
Before Spotify launched the HiFi tier, the company tested the quality of its lossless tracks with a small group of users. Those tests showed that the difference between lossy and lossless was noticeable, but it was difficult to tell the difference.
The company also noted that the top requested feature of users was the ability to listen to higher-quality audio. It hopes to make its lossless service available to as many fans as possible.
Spotify’s HiFi tier isn’t expected to be widely available until later this year. Until then, you can test your audio equipment and see how well it can handle lossless streaming. You can use this ABX test to compare the quality of the streaming you receive from the Premium tier with the lossless version.
Once you’ve gotten a good feel for how lossless streaming can sound, you can take the service for a spin. But you’ll have to keep in mind that you’ll be taking up a lot of storage space.