Spotify today announced plans to introduce a new “HiFi” premium tier later this year, which will provide higher quality lossless audio. According to Spotify, the feature provides CD-quality music that allows fans to experience greater depth and clarity in their favorite songs.
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Streaming music services such as Tidal, Deezer and Amazon Music have provided lossless audio options, but to date, Spotify and Apple Music have not offered higher quality streaming options.
Spotify is the main competitor to Apple Music, so now that Spotify plans a HiFi music option, Apple may plan to also offer higher quality streaming to remain competitive. A lossless audio layer would also go well with Apple’s high-end AirPods Max headphones released in late 2020.
No pricing information is currently available, but Amazon Music’s lossless tier costs $ 14.99 per month ($ 12.99 for Prime subscribers), while Tidal charges $ 19.99 per month and Deezer charges $ 14.99 for its high fidelity plan. Spotify plans to launch HiFi in select markets later this year, and it will be a premium tier add-on.
HiFi was introduced during Spotify’s Stream On event, which is fully viewable on YouTube.
At the event, Spotify also said it plans to expand into more than 80 new markets in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, allowing the service to reach more than 1 billion potential new customers. A full list of countries where Spotify will be available soon can be found on Spotify’s website.
Other announcements included Spotify’s new Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen “Renegade” podcast, new interactive podcast features for creators such as polls and Q&A tools, and new music promotion resources for artists.