A recent report revealed that Spotify is planning to raise the price of its subscription soon, at least in some countries. And for those who think that paying $10.99 a month for a music streaming platform is already too much, the company may soon introduce an even more expensive “Music Pro” subscription that will enable lossless audio and some other extra features.
Spotify ‘Music Pro’ to introduce lossless audio at a higher price
Rumors about Spotify introducing lossless audio are not new. In fact, they date back to before Apple Music added lossless support in 2021. For some reason, what has become known as “Spotify HiFi” has never seen the light of day. However, a report from The Verge has now revealed that the platform has been gearing up to introduce a new “Music Pro” plan.
Hidden code in the Spotify app details what to expect from the new, more expensive “Music Pro” plan. The most notable addition is support for lossless audio. Spotify will provide FLAC audio files “up to 24-bit/44.1kHz.” By comparison, Apple Music offers lossless files ranging from 16-bit/44.1 kHz (which is known as CD Quality) up to 24-bit/192 kHz.
For those unfamiliar, lossless audio refers to an audio file that has been compressed without the loss of any information, meaning that the audio will sound exactly like the original master file. In other words, the audio has more detail to be noticed by the listener. To listen to lossless audio, it is recommended to use special equipment – such as premium wired headphones.
But to justify the existence of the higher price, Spotify also plans to add a few other things to its new tier with lossless audio. For instance, code suggests that Music Pro will unlock a new remix feature to “speed up, mash-up, and otherwise edit” tracks. The report also saw evidence of “some kind of headphone optimization” for specific models, such as Apple’s AirPods.
There’s also evidence of more advanced AI-based filters for finding and creating playlists.
Launch details are still unclear
It’s still unclear when Spotify plans to launch its new Music Pro tier or how much it will cost. However, while Spotify wants to charge more for lossless audio, Apple has notably made hi-fi audio available to all Apple Music subscribers. Currently, Apple Music also costs $10.99 per month in the US.
Would you pay more for lossless audio on Spotify or would you consider switching to Apple Music? Let us know in the comments section below.
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