Spotify’s High-Fidelity Tier Plans Still in Motion, but Details Remain Elusive
Back in early 2021, Spotify made an exciting announcement about introducing a high-fidelity tier. However, there hasn’t been much news on this front since then. In early 2022, Spotify offered a non-update, stating that it appreciated the excitement around the feature but wasn’t ready to share any timing details. In an interview with The Verge, Spotify co-president Gustav Söderström spoke about the feature, saying that it’s still in the works. However, the company remains tight-lipped about the release date.
Industry Changes Contributing to the Holdup
Söderström appeared on The Verge’s Decoder podcast, where he explained that the delay in Spotify’s high-fidelity streaming service is due to changes in the music streaming industry at large. He didn’t elaborate on these changes. However, it appears that the broader availability of high-fidelity streaming may be playing a part in the delay.
Unique and Original Features
Söderström said that “There is a risk that you unnecessarily commoditize yourself if you just do what everyone else does, and just try to do it the cheapest or the fastest.” He stressed that Spotify is keen to incorporate unique and original features into the high-fidelity tier. He wants to create something where the company has thoroughly considered every aspect.
When discussing the release date, Söderström stated, “I don’t want to give it away because we want to try to do something that is our own and unique.”
Increasing Interest in Hi-Fi Streaming
Services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Qobuz offer high-fidelity options. Furthermore, many of the best earbuds support high-res codecs like aptX and LDAC or 24-bit audio playback (Samsung). Spotify currently has 205 million Premium subscribers, making it the most popular dedicated audio streaming service worldwide. However, it needs to keep up with the competition, or we could see a shift in the market.
