Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Spotify first announced its HiFi tier in 2021, but the company continues to encounter challenges that prevent its launch.
- During the Q3 earnings call, Spotify’s CEO was asked about the Super Premium plan, but his answer was vague.
- Beyond the better sound quality, Spotify will offer deluxe subscribers “a bunch of other things.”
Back in 2021, long before Apple Music brought lossless audio to its platform, Spotify announced an upcoming Super Premium (aka HiFi) plan. While the Swedish music streaming giant referenced its unreleased high-fidelity tier on multiple occasions in the past three years, it has failed to deliver the product to users or even provide concrete details. Fortunately for the audiophiles out there, Spotify hasn’t axed its HiFi plans yet, but you may have to wait for a very long time.
According to Yahoo Finance (via TechCrunch), Spotify CEO Daniel Ek was asked about the Super Premium plan during the Q3 earnings call. The exec confirmed that the tier is still on the way but didn’t provide a timeline or expected launch date. In terms of exclusive features, Ek vaguely stated that the Spotify HiFi plan would offer a “better sound quality and a bunch of other things.”
In 2022, Ek explained that Spotify is delaying the deluxe plan due to licensing issues, which is surprising since Apple and Amazon have both successfully introduced lossless audio playback on their platforms. In fact, while Spotify plans to charge extra for the HiFi tier, Apple Music offers the option at no additional cost. It remains unclear what the other Super Premium perks will be and whether Spotify users will justify paying extra to access them.
Nevertheless, it’s a bit reassuring that the company hasn’t completely abandoned this project for the time being.
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