A recent report revealed that Spotify is planning to raise its subscription price soon, at least in some countries. And for those who think paying $10.99 a month for a music streaming platform is already too much, the company may soon offer a more expensive “Music Pro” subscription that will enable lossless audio and some other additional features.
Spotify “Music Pro” offers lossless audio at a higher price
Rumors about Spotify introducing lossless audio are nothing new. In fact, it dates back to before Apple Music added lossless support in 2021. For some reason, what became known as “Spotify HiFi” never saw the light of day. However, report from the edge It has now been revealed that the platform is preparing to introduce a new “Music Pro” plan.
A hidden icon in the Spotify app shows what to expect from the new, more expensive “Music Pro” plan. The most notable addition is lossless audio support. Spotify will provide FLAC audio files “up to 24-bit/44.1kHz.” In comparison, Apple Music offers lossless files ranging from 16-bit/44.1kHz (known as CD quality) to 24-bit/192kHz.
For those unfamiliar, lossless audio refers to an audio file that has been compressed without losing any information, meaning the audio will sound exactly like the original master file. In other words, the sound has more details for the listener to notice. To listen to lossless sound, it is recommended to use special equipment – e.g Premium wired headphones.
But to justify the higher price, Spotify is also planning to add a few more things to its new tier with lossless audio. For example, the code notes that Music Pro will unlock a new remix feature to “speed up, mix and edit audio clips.” The report also saw evidence of “some sort of headphone optimization” for specific models, such as Apple's AirPods.
There is also evidence of more advanced AI-based filters to find and create playlists.
Launch details are still unclear
It's still unclear when Spotify plans to launch the new Music Pro tier or how much it will cost. However, while Spotify wants to charge more for lossless audio, Apple has specifically made hi-fi audio available to all Apple Music subscribers. Currently, Apple Music also costs $10.99 per month in the US.
Will you pay more for lossless audio on Spotify or will you consider switching to Apple Music? Let us know in the comments section below.
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