At the same time, Spotify is preparing to roll out a long-awaited lossless audio tier. All the while, this piece of development has been in the works for over four years! This feature promises to deliver the “best sound quality on Spotify for music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz,” marking a significant upgrade for audiophiles and casual listeners alike. Chris Messina, technologist and reverse engineer, found early signs of this new product. Inside the Spotify desktop app, he discovered references to “lossless.”
Back in February 2021, Spotify declared its intentions to introduce a new lossless audio tier. After all, this announcement generated considerable enthusiasm from its potential user base. The company has been intensely championing and testing this feature since then, which would allow for access to music of high-fidelity. Recent code strings discovered within the app indicate that Spotify is indeed preparing to roll this feature out. In the latter, they prominently feature “lossless music, finally premium.”
Hints at the next addition began to pop up again. Music industry account Reddit user u/bendotlc pointed out that changes had been made in the mobile app, specifically mentioning lossless audio support. The code reportedly states, “Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.” These recent moves point to the fact that Spotify is locking down its strategy to deploying this much-anticipated service.
Spotify recently tested a lossless audio tier earlier this summer. Multiple leaks, along with chunks of available code, all point towards this awesome new feature. Though we’ve seen similar leaks in the past that never produced a final product, this time the early indications look much more promising. Alex Norstrom, Spotify’s Chief Freemium Business Officer, acknowledged the potential for higher tiers by stating, “Now, with regards to higher tiers, we see great potential in them as we’ve mentioned before.” He added, “So creating higher tiers around new offerings is something we are working towards as it really opens up new opportunities to delight users.”
The excitement building around the new lossless audio tier is just the latest sign that consumers are increasingly clamoring for better sound quality on the lucrative music streaming battlefield. With competition in the industry reaching a fever pitch, Spotify’s foray into high-fidelity music will likely become a major differentiator. By rolling out this feature, they would be bringing in new subscribers with it. It might prevent churn among existing users who value audio quality.
Sarah is a seasoned TechCrunch reporter, having worked for the publication since August 2011 and seen a lot of tech come and go over that span. Her deep background in information technology has encompassed the banking, retail, and many other industries. As a result, she understands what it takes to bring technological advances to consumers in a way that matters to them.
