Spotify could soon become the music service of choice for audiophiles, with the company reportedly planning a high-resolution music service that will service lossless audio files.
That’s according to some leaked screenshots which have shown up on Twitter over the last few days, with the new service reportedly dubbed “Spotify Hi-Fi.”
High-resolution audio is something consumers have been craving, especially those with high-end audio equipment. Until now, Spotify hasn’t been able to justify the extra costs associated with streaming lossless audio. That’s because most people enjoy Spotify on mobile devices, and a 3.5mm headphone jack wasn’t quite up to the task of working with lossless audio files.
Now that the 3.5mm headphone jack is finally on its last legs, with Apple ditching it in favor of the lightning port and Motorola replacing it with USB-C, the infrastructure is finally in place for consumers to enjoy lossless audio on their phones.
Spotify has yet to officially confirm its Spotify Hi-Fi service, although Twitter users have reported that they have been met with pop-ups offering them the chance to upgrade to the new service.
Spotify’s late entry into the lossless audio marketplace won’t do too much to hurt its chance of success.
So far, Tidal has been the most prominent high-resolution music streaming service, but despite the fanfare it has been unable to sign users up en masse – the company has even been criticized for wildly inflating its subscriber numbers.
It’s not just consumers who are demanding access to high-resolution music; the recording companies are also falling in love with the idea. The world’s largest record company, Universal Music Group, recently committed to the MQA format, which is one of the most recognizable formats for delivering lossless quality audio.
Spotify has yet to officially confirm the existence of its Spotify Hi-Fi service, although Twitter users have reported that they have been met with pop-ups offering them the chance to upgrade to the new service.
Some users have reported different pricing strategies being considered by Spotify for its new high-resolution music service, with the company reportedly planning to charge users anywhere between $5 or $10 more for lossless audio.
That would put Spotify’s service roughly in-line with Tidal HiFi, which costs $19.99 a month.
This article originally appeared on CE Pro Europe.
If you plan to distribute audio and video content throughout the house, you need to make sure you have the TVs and the technology to accommodate your system.Want your music to move with you?
Download this checklist to see if your home is a strong candidate for a FREE, professional whole-house audio evaluation.
Get the checklist!
Danny says
Now this steps up competition on Tidal’s turf. As it always is, Spotify is gonna win here.
Damnrascal says
A 3.5mm audio jack is all you need to enjoy “lossless” hifi audio. Or as we called it in the 90s, music. The idea that the only reason this has finally come around is because apple ditched the jack is complete and utter B.S.. A 3.5mm jack paired with GOOD headphones is enough to blow your socks off. A 3.5mm to RCA splitter cable plugged into a good receiver with good speakers can take you to another world. No more is needed. Please stop spreading this garbage. I can’t believe how mis-educated people are about this topic.
That said, I’m very excited about this possibility. I’ve been waiting for the ease of use of streaming to be coupled with good quality music for a long time. Apple doesn’t even offer lossless with ITunes downloads. It’s time. Storage is no longer an issue. My data plan is ready. Bring it on, finally!