Spotify could finally get lossless audio, but don't hold your breath
Will Spotify deliver finally deliver hi-res audio to match its competitors?
🙏 Spotify could launch lossless audio streaming after years of rumors
👍 It’ll bring Spotify’s streaming quality in line with its rivals
😳 Spotify’s current maximum bitrate is just 320kbps
🆕 A new Music Pro add-on would allow users who want better quality to pay a little bit extra
Spotify is the most popular music streaming platform, but it’s the only service that doesn’t offer lossless audio quality.
Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, and Amazon Music all allow subscribers to stream music at a far higher quality than Spotify. Spotify’s maximum bitrate is 320kbps, while the likes of Apple offer hi-res audio quality at 24-bit/192kHz.
Even though we’ve been here countless times before, it appears Spotify is inching closer to finally giving users lossless audio. Snippets of code were spotted in the recent builds of Spotify for Android by Reddit user Hypixely (thanks, The Verge). One of the lines of code says “Lossless has arrived”, while another says “Your favorite music in 16-bit and 24-bit high-fidelity sound”.
Originally dubbed “Spotify HiFi” and later Spotify Platinum, hi-res audio could come via a new “Music Pro” add-on which will also include DJ remix features that will let subscribers tinker with tracks.
Music Pro won’t be a separate plan like Premium or Basic, but it seems like you’ll be able to pay for it as an additional extra if you’re an audiophile who cares about sound quality.
Spotify raised the price of its Premium plan in July last year, which was the first time in 12 years. It followed similar price hikes from Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.
Even though Spotify’s music streaming quality hasn’t held it back, there’s no doubt that it’s behind the times compared to the competition. If you own a good pair of headphones and a DAC, the difference is noticeable, even though it seems most Spotify subscribers don’t seem to care.