Spotify Appears to be Preparing to Introduce a High-Fidelity Audio Subscription Plan

Speculations regarding a Spotify HiFi tier have been circulating since 2017, and the company had previously declared its intention to introduce this feature in 2021, only to retract the statement the following year. However, as per Bloomberg, the company is now possibly prepared to unveil a premium plan (internally referred to as “Supremium”) that would offer high-fidelity audio and be its priciest tier.

The goal would be to increase income and meet the demands of investors to raise their prices. Spotify reportedly delayed the rollout of the plan in 2021 as two of its primary competitors, Apple Music and Amazon Music, began including the feature for free in their standard packages.

In addition, Spotify can enhance its standard Premium offering with extended access to audiobooks, either for a certain number of free hours per month or for a certain number of books (with the option to purchase more). Audiobooks are currently only available on Spotify through individual purchases.

There’s no word on whether the audio will be lossless even at 24-bit and 192kHz, like Apple Music and Amazon Music. Lossless audio usually doesn’t work with Bluetooth speakers or headphones (including Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Max) due to high bandwidth, so users need a wired or WiFi setup.

The price has not been revealed either. Spotify has kept its Premium plan at $9.99 per month in the US, unlike Apple and Amazon, which raised their prices to $10.99. CEO Daniel Ek said in a recent earnings call that the company is trying to balance subscriber growth with revenue, so pricing varies by region depending on which ones it’s trying to add. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would reduce its workforce by two percent after laying off six percent of its employees in January.