In order to eventually launch its Music Pro add-on in 2025, the streaming service is finalizing the arrangements that are required. Hopefully.
It’s difficult to think of another instance of a tech company making an announcement and then waiting more than four years to release it, but that’s just what happened with Spotify and its long-delayed HiFi function. According to the most recent sources, it will finally be available in a few months as part of a Music Pro subscription that Spotify hopes will guarantee the service’s ongoing profitability.
This has turned into quite a tale, though.
Originally released on February 22, 2021, Spotify HiFi was supposed to launch later that year, or so the original plan was anyway. I wrote in that story, “your turn, Apple Music,” which is ironic now that Apple Music was able to deliver lossless and high-resolution audio a few months later (and at no additional cost to subscribers). Around the same time, Amazon stopped charging extra for lossless music.
By all accounts, this aggressive approach from both companies totally derailed Spotify HiFi, which was always going to demand an upcharge over the service’s regular Premium subscription. The company went radio silent on the feature, and Spotify spokespeople never provided any meaningful updates on its status.
There were occasional glimpses of HiFi, mostly from those willing to dig through the app’s code. I’ve been told that employees have long had access to lossless streaming. Spotify HiFi, as it was originally envisioned, was thoroughly tested and has been ready to go for ages — but a green light for launch has never materialized. Why? Some believe it’s due to a music rights quagmire that Spotify has sought to resolve with its latest deals. This is partially true, according to a recent Bloomberg report, which noted that the service “doesn’t have rights from all of the major music companies” for what it’s trying to do.
However, I believe Spotify also realized that a “ultimate” membership tier couldn’t be sustained by higher-bitrate music streams alone. Many individuals either lack the headphone/speaker hardware necessary to appreciate such an update, or they are unable to distinguish between lossy music (such as what Spotify now gives) and CD-quality streams.
In order to create a more comprehensive “Music Pro” add-on that goes far beyond audio quality, the business has been rethinking the original design. The precise form of this is still unknown, since previous reports have suggested anything from DJ remixing tools to early-access concert tickets. Additionally, there have been rumors that Music Pro would provide a “optimization” method for particular earbud, speaker, and headphone models. Other potential features that Spotify has alluded to in user surveys include karaoke, which is already available on Apple Music, and the ability to add a second user account to any Music Pro membership.
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It’s possible that Spotify is unsure about exactly what Music Pro should include: According to Bloomberg, the corporation is still planned to test new capabilities through 2025 and “plans to roll out the plan in phases, adding tools and features over time.” However, Spotify’s renewed discussion of the project is the most reliable indication that Music Pro is genuinely happening. Daniel Ek, the CEO, has made several references to an impending deluxe tier.”All of the benefits that the normal Spotify version has, but a lot more control, a lot higher quality across the board, and some other things that I’m not ready to talk about just yet,” he stated last year. Additionally, Ek stated just a few weeks ago that Spotify intends to “double down on music in 2025.”
Music Pro will add an additional $5 or $6 to a regular Spotify Premium subscription, which presently starts at $11.99 per month, when it finally arrives. Since I prefer to know that I’m receiving the most value for my money, I’ve already switched to Apple Music. When Spotify’s ultimate plan is complete, though, even I will be tempted to give it a try. Although I no longer really miss Spotify Wrapped, the majority of my friends still listen to music on it. There’s always the possibility that I would return if the business could put together an alluring package of benefits. However, after spending so much time using the far less cluttered Apple Music interface, it would be difficult to accept.
SOURCE: THE VERGE
