Spotify CEO confirms a ‘deluxe’ version with hi-fi audio is coming soon

The saga of Spotify HiFi has galore twists and turns. First announced over 3 years ago, nan euphony service’s higher-quality streaming tier has still yet to materialize. Recent reports person said lossless audio will beryllium bundled together pinch different perks (like precocious room management, AI-powered playlists, and headphone sound value optimization) arsenic an add-on to Spotify’s premium subscription. And today, during Spotify’s net call, nan company’s CEO, Daniel Ek, confirmed that a better-than-Premium offering is still successful nan useful — though he offered nary patient timetable arsenic to erstwhile it’ll beryllium available.

In what mightiness beryllium my favorite-ever usage of a cliche tech manufacture phrase, Ek said nan effort is still “in early days.” (For those keeping people astatine home, it has been 1,247 days since Spotify first announced HiFi.) “The scheme present is to connection overmuch a overmuch amended type of Spotify,” Ek said. “Think thing for illustration $5 supra nan existent premium tier. So it’s astir apt astir a $17 aliases $18 value point, but benignant of a deluxe type of Spotify that has each of nan benefits that nan normal Spotify type has, but a batch much control, a batch higher value crossed nan board, and immoderate different things that I’m not fresh to talk astir conscionable yet.”

That pricing would lucifer Bloomberg’s estimates of nan tier costing astir $5 other connected apical of Spotify’s $11.99 monthly rate. Whatever last shape Spotify’s lossless audio yet takes will beryllium overmuch different than what nan institution first envisioned. By each indications, Spotify was caught flat-footed erstwhile Apple and Amazon began offering higher-resolution audio arsenic portion of their modular subscription plans. The starring euphony streamer had ever intended to waste it for an added premium.

Those companies tin beryllium much fierce pinch pricing since they’ve sewage galore different divisions to thief equilibrium retired immoderate losses. Spotify isn’t truthful lucky, truthful nan institution has had to rejigger its plans and travel up pinch an add-on package that will hopefully beryllium compelling to arsenic galore of nan app’s powerfulness users arsenic possible. Finally, nan timing seems to beryllium right.

“There’s a bully subset of that group of 246 cardinal subscribers that want a overmuch amended type of Spotify,” Ek said. “Those are immense euphony lovers who are chiefly looking for moreover much elasticity successful really they usage Spotify and nan euphony capabilities that beryllium connected Spotify.”

Bloomberg reported that Spotify intends to rotation retired its “deluxe” type (as Ek refers to it) later this year. So, aft each this waiting, we’ve only sewage a fewer months near earlier we study everything that nan add-on scheme entails.