Spotify plans to launch a higher-priced Music Pro subscription for lossless songs

A recent report revealed that Spotify is planning to increase subscription prices, at least in some countries. And for those who think paying $10.99/month for a music streaming platform is already too much, the company may soon introduce an even more expensive 'Music Pro' subscription that will allow listen to lossless songs and some other extras.

Spotify 'Music Pro' at a higher price offers lossless audio

Rumors of Spotify introducing lossless audio are not new. In fact, they were around before Apple Music added lossless support in 2021. For some reason, the so-called 'Spotify HiFi' never appeared. However, a report from The Verge has now revealed that the platform is preparing to introduce a new 'Music Pro' package.

Code hidden in the Spotify app details what to expect from the new, more expensive 'Music Pro' plan. The most notable addition is lossless audio support. Spotify will offer FLAC audio files 'up to 24-bit/44.1kHz'. By comparison, Apple Music offers lossless files from 16-bit/44.1 kHz (so-called CD quality) to 24-bit/192 kHz.

For those who don't know, lossless audio refers to an audio file that has been compressed without losing any information, meaning the sound will sound exactly like the original file. In other words, the sound has more details for the listener to pay attention to. To listen to lossless audio, you should use special equipment – ​​such as high-end wired headphones.

But to justify the higher price, Spotify also plans to add something else to its new tier with lossless audio. For example, the code suggests that Music Pro will unlock a new remix feature to 'speed up, combine and edit' tracks. The report also shows evidence of "some type of headphone optimization" for specific models, such as Apple's AirPods.

There is also evidence of more advanced AI-based filters for finding and creating playlists.

It's unclear when Spotify plans to launch the new Music Pro tier or how much it will cost. However, while Spotify wants to charge more for lossless audio, Apple is open to providing hi-fi audio to all Apple Music subscribers. Currently, Apple Music also costs $10.99/month in the US.

David Pac

Update 16 April 2024