Spotify HiFi – what a cheek!

It’s a dangling carrot situation: although Spotify announced in spring 2021 that it would be improving its audio quality, the hi-res service has yet to materialise. One day, the digital music service claims the improved audio quality will definitely come. The next day, plans are put on hold again. Leakers post screenshots that are supposed to show the feature on what feels like a monthly basis. However, to this day, Spotify has never actually launched anything.

While all this confusion’s happening, the competition’s constantly expanding its range in terms of audio quality. And this despite the fact that Spotify was actually the first service to announce hi-res quality.

Here’s a timeline to show how ridiculous the situation has become:
22.02.2021: Spotify HiFi is announced
08.06.2021: Apple Music launches Lossless with hi-res and spatial audio
17.11.2021: Tidal releases HiFi Plus with hi-res, master quality and Dolby Atmos
07.01.2022: Spotify HiFi is officially put on hold
14.03.2023: Spotify confirms that «we are going to do it» – at some point
28.03.2023: Apple Music launches AM Classical with hi-res
02.08.2023: Spotify increases prices
10.04.2024: Tidal adds the features of HiFi Plus to the standard subscription

When Spotify was still ahead of the pack

At the start, it looked as if Spotify was going to be well ahead of its competitors. When they officially announced Spotfiy HiFi in spring 2021, higher audio quality wasn’t even on the horizon with other streaming services.

Spotify is by far the largest music streaming service. With this in mind, you’d expect the Swedish service to be a pioneer in terms of sound quality, too, right?

Nobody expected this

Shortly after Spotify HiFi was announced, however, two big surprises followed – both Apple Music and Tidal expanded their services substantially. Both implemented hi-res audio with up to 192 kHz/24 bit and Spatial Sound or Dolby Atmos in the same year. Apple doesn’t even charge users for the new feature. Apple Music Lossless is part of the basic subscription.

These developments obviously embarrassed Spotify, as there was no word about Spotify HiFi all of a sudden. Until Spotify finally admitted one year after the announcement that there was no concrete timetable for the HiFi service. The feature was put on hold.

Spotify HiFi is coming! This time for real, honest!

Over a year passed without any official mention of the new feature. Leaks appeared here and there, someone claimed to have found snippets in the source code that point to HiFi, and so on. In spring 2023, Spotify finally made an announcement. However, the promises were rather sobering.

Spotify’s co-president Gustav Söderström told The Verge some version of the lossless feature was on its way. «We announced it, but then the industry changed for a bunch of reasons,» said Söderström. «We are going to do it, but we’re going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.»

Söderström was clearly alluding to Tidal and Apple Music. Evil tongues say it’s all about pricing. And they might be right.

Hi-res audio: yes, but at what price?

After this announcement, there was no talk of the new feature once again. If the leaks that have been circulating for ages are to be believed, the name Spotify HiFi will be scrapped and the pricing model adjusted. The offer could be called Spotify Platinum or Spotify Superpremium in the future. And it’ll almost certainly cost more. However, there’s been no further official statement from Spotify.

However, one thing Spotify did announce is a price increase – without new features. Since then, the price of the service has increased by 8 to 14 per cent, depending on the subscription model.

Spotify HiFi remains a mystery

It’s absurd that Spotify HiFi hasn’t seen the light of day yet. Especially because the competition now offers hi-res audio for the same price as Spotify’s basic subscription. Tidal’s even lowered its prices by merging the previous HiFi and HiFi Plus offers.

Whether the difference in audio quality is actually that drastic or not is no longer important at this point. It’s a matter of principle.

This article isn’t meant as an angry attack on Spotify. I just think it’s a shame. I use the Swedish streaming service every day. In terms of features, algorithms and user-friendliness, Spotify is clearly the best, in my opinion. However, the fact that hi-res audio was promised over three years ago and to this day still hasn’t been made available is a real cheek.