A recent report revealed that Spotify plans to increase the subscription price in at least some countries. For those who think paying $10.99 a month for the music streaming platform is too much, the company may soon introduce a more expensive “Music Pro” subscription that will provide lossless audio and some additional features.
Spotify ‘Music Pro’ to deliver lossless audio at a higher price
Rumors of 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 was known as “Spotify HiFi” never saw the light of day. However, a report The Verge Now it has revealed that the platform is preparing to introduce a new ‘Music Pro’ plan.
A secret code in the Spotify app details what to expect from the new, more expensive ‘Music Pro’ plan. The most notable addition is lossless audio support. Spotify will offer FLAC audio files “up to 24-bit/44.1kHz”. In comparison, Apple Music offers lossless files ranging from 16-bit/44.1 kHz (known as CD quality) to 24-bit/192 kHz.
For those unfamiliar, lossless audio refers to an audio file that has been compressed without any data loss, meaning the audio will sound like the original master file. In other words, the audio has more detail to grab the listener’s attention. To listen to lossless audio, it is recommended to use special equipment – for example premium wired headphones.
But to justify the higher price, Spotify plans to add a few other things to its new tier of lossless audio. For example, the code suggests that Music Pro will unlock a new remix feature to “speed up, mix and otherwise edit” tracks. The report also saw evidence of “some sort of headphone optimization” for specific models like Apple’s AirPods.
There is 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 introduce the new Music Pro tier or how much it will cost. However, while Spotify is willing to pay more for lossless audio, Apple has made hi-fi audio available to all Apple Music subscribers in particular. Currently, Apple Music also costs $10.99 per month in the US.
Would you pay more for lossless audio on Spotify or consider switching to Apple Music? Let us know in the comment section below.
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