The Spotify HiFi Saga: Will We Ever Get Lossless Audio?

It has been over three years since Spotify first teased its “HiFi” tier. In February 2021, the streaming giant announced that CD-quality, lossless audio was coming later that year. That deadline passed with silence. Since then, competitors like Apple Music and Amazon Music have not only launched lossless audio but included it in their standard plans for free. This has left Spotify users in a confusing limbo. Here is everything we know about the delayed rollout, the rumored “Supremium” tier, and why the world’s most popular music app is lagging behind on sound quality.

The Timeline of a Broken Promise

To understand the frustration of audiophiles, you have to look at the timeline. During its “Stream On” event in early 2021, Spotify featured Billie Eilish in a promotional video to announce a new add-on called Spotify HiFi. The promise was simple: music in CD-quality, lossless audio format to your device and Spotify Connect-enabled speakers.

At the time, this was poised to be a paid upgrade. Tidal, a smaller competitor known for high fidelity, was charging $19.99 a month for its top tier. Spotify likely planned to charge a premium somewhere between its standard $9.99 (now $11.99) price and that $20 mark.

However, the industry shifted overnight in May 2021. Apple Music announced it would upgrade its entire catalog to Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless at no extra cost to subscribers. Amazon Music immediately followed suit, dropping the extra charge for its “HD” tier.

This effectively destroyed Spotify’s business plan for HiFi. They could no longer charge extra for a feature their biggest rivals were giving away for free. As a result, the project was sent back to the drawing board to find new ways to add value.

Enter "Supremium" and "Music Pro"

According to recent leaks and code snippets found within the Spotify app, the company is finally preparing to launch this feature, but it looks different than the original 2021 concept. Reports from Bloomberg and code spotted by Reddit users suggest two potential naming conventions: a new tier dubbed “Supremium” or an add-on feature set called “Music Pro.”

Here is what the leaks suggest this new offering will include:

  • 24-bit Lossless Audio: This would push beyond standard CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) to match the Hi-Res offerings of Apple and Tidal.
  • DJ Remixing Tools: Recent reports indicate Spotify is building tools that allow users to speed up, mash-up, and edit tracks, capitalizing on the TikTok trend of “sped-up” songs.
  • AI Playlist Generation: More advanced than the current “Smart Shuffle,” these features would use prompts to generate complex playlists.
  • Headphone Optimization: Code strings reference a patent that allows the app to adjust output based on the specific model of headphones you are wearing.

The strategy has shifted. Spotify realizes it cannot sell lossless audio alone. It must bundle it with high-tech functional tools to justify a higher price point.

The Hardware Problem: Why You Might Not Hear It

One reason Spotify may not be rushing is the “hardware bottleneck.” The reality is that the vast majority of Spotify listeners use Bluetooth headphones, such as AirPods or standard wireless earbuds.

Bluetooth technology generally uses codecs that compress audio to transmit it wirelessly. Even the high-end AirPods Max use the AAC codec, which is not lossless. If Spotify flips the switch on HiFi tomorrow, 90% of their users will not hear a difference because their hardware literally cannot play the uncompressed file.

To benefit from Spotify HiFi, you generally need:

  1. Wired Headphones: A direct cable connection.
  2. External DAC: A Digital-to-Analog Converter if you are listening on a computer or phone to bypass internal limitations.
  3. Wi-Fi Speakers: Systems like Sonos or those using Spotify Connect can stream the higher bitrate files directly from the internet, bypassing Bluetooth compression.

Because Apple and Amazon have deeper pockets, they can afford to offer lossless audio as a “loss leader” to sell hardware (like HomePods or iPhones). Spotify relies entirely on subscription revenue, meaning they have to be certain users will pay for quality they might need new equipment to appreciate.

Pricing Predictions: The $19.99 Gamble

The biggest question remains the price. Early industry whispers pegged the “Supremium” tier at $19.99 per month. However, recent adjustments in the market make this tricky.

Tidal recently cut its price. As of April 2024, Tidal combined its HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers into a single subscription for $10.99 USD, matching Apple Music. This means the two main competitors for high-quality audio are charging roughly $11.

If Spotify launches a “Music Pro” add-on, they will likely target an additional $5 to $10 on top of the standard Premium subscription. This would create a total monthly cost of roughly $17 to $22.

To succeed at that price, the “Music Pro” add-on must offer significantly more than just bitrate. It needs to offer the remixing tools and AI features previously mentioned. If they strictly charge for audio quality, they will be the most expensive option in the market by a wide margin.

Why Is Spotify Still Lagging?

It comes down to margins. Spotify pays out roughly 70% of every dollar it makes to rights holders (record labels and publishers). Their profit margins are razor-thin compared to Apple or Amazon.

Apple does not need to make a profit on Apple Music; it serves as an ecosystem lock-in to keep you buying iPhones. Amazon uses Music to keep you in the Prime ecosystem. Spotify has no such safety net.

Negotiating licensing for lossless audio is also complex. Streaming higher-quality files uses significantly more bandwidth. This increases Spotify’s cloud infrastructure costs (hosting fees paid to Google Cloud Platform).

Spotify is trying to balance three difficult factors:

  1. Increased hosting costs for large files.
  2. The inability to charge extra for a feature competitors offer for free.
  3. The need to pay rights holders.

Until they can bundle enough unique features to justify a price hike that covers these costs, the HiFi saga will likely continue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Spotify currently support any lossless audio? No. Currently, the highest quality setting on Spotify is “Very High,” which streams compressed Ogg Vorbis audio at approximately 320kbps. This is high quality, but it is not lossless.

When is Spotify HiFi releasing? There is no confirmed release date. While CEO Daniel Ek has confirmed the feature is still in the works, reports from late 2023 and early 2024 suggest it is in the “early access” testing phase with internal employees. A late 2024 or 2025 launch is speculative but possible.

Will my AirPods play lossless audio? No. AirPods utilize Bluetooth AAC, which compresses audio. While you may notice slight improvements in mastering or clarity, you cannot receive a true lossless bitrate over current Bluetooth connections on Apple devices.

What is the difference between HiFi and Spatial Audio? HiFi refers to the resolution of the audio file (how much detail is preserved). Spatial Audio (like Dolby Atmos) refers to the mix, placing sound in a 3D space around you. Apple Music offers both. Spotify currently offers neither.