Spotify Reportedly Planning To Launch Hi-Fi Music Tier This Year

Spotify is planning to launch a premium HiFi tier for audiophile users this year, according to reports, but it’ll come with a price.

Bloomberg and Music Business Worldwide reported that the new tier, which will include access to high-fidelity audio, will cost “at least $5 more per month” and exist as an “add-on” for Spotify subscribers. If true, Spotify Premium (with HiFi support) will cost $17.99 a month in Australia.

Today’s news arrives a year after Spotify was reportedly working on developing a “Supremium” tier, while the first announcement regarding Spotify adding HiFi audio to its application was made in 2021.

At the time, the addition of HiFi audio was regarded as “consistently one of the most requested new features by our users” and said the feature would begin rolling out in “select markets” that year, with Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas featuring in the announcement.

If Spotify does indeed finally add a HiFi audio tier, it’ll be a bit late to the party, joining Apple Music (which added Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos in May 2021), Amazon Music, TIDAL and Deezer, all of which support HiFi audio on their platforms.

Earlier this year, Spotify's Premium subscriptions went up from $12.99 a month to $13.99 in Australia.

In March, Neil Young returned to “low-res Spotify” after a two-year boycott.

“Spotify, the #1 streaming of low res music in the world – Spotify where you get less quality than we made, will now be home of my music again,” Young wrote in a statement on his website. 

Explaining his choice to return to Spotify, Young continued, “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I opposed at Spotify.

“I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did with Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it. Qobuz and Tidal, where my music is presented, are all High res as well.”

He concluded, “Hopefully Spotify will turn to Hi Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and the listeners! Start with a limited Hi res tier and build from there!”