A recent report suggests that Spotify is planning to raise its subscription prices soon, at least in some countries. And for those already looking to pay $10.99 a month for a music streaming platform, the company may soon offer a more expensive “Music Pro” subscription that enables lossless audio and a few additional optional functions.
Spotify “Music Pro” offers lossless audio at a great price
Rumors about Spotify introducing lossless audio are nothing new. In fact, this is even before Apple Music adds lossless support in 2021. For some reason, what became known as “Spotify HiFi” never saw the light of day. Anyway, report back edges Now it has been announced that the platform is preparing to launch a new “Music Pro” plan.
A hidden icon in the Spotify app shows what you can expect from the new, more expensive “Music Pro” plan. The most notable addition is lossless audio support. Spotify will provide FLAC audio files “up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz”. In comparison, Apple Music offers lossless files from 16-bit/44.1 kHz (known as CD quality) to 24-bit/192 kHz.
For those unfamiliar, “lossless audio” refers to an audio file that has been compressed without loss of information, meaning the audio sounds exactly like the original master file. In other words, the sound has more detail that the listener can perceive. In order to listen to harmless sounds, it is recommended to use special devices – ie Premium wired headphones.
However, to justify the higher price, Spotify plans to add a few more things to its new level of lossless audio. For example, the code notes that Music Pro will unlock a new Remix feature to “accelerate, mix and edit audio clips.” The report also found evidence of “some form of headphone optimization” for certain models, such as Apple’s AirPods.
There is also evidence of more advanced AI-based filters for searching and creating playlists.
Details about the launch are still unclear
It’s not yet clear when Spotify plans to launch the new Music Pro tier and how much it will cost. However, while Spotify wants to charge more for lossless audio, Apple has specifically made Hi-Fi audio available to all Apple Music subscribers. Currently, Apple Music costs $10.99 per month in the US.
Are you paying more for lossless audio on Spotify or considering switching to Apple Music? Let us know in the comments section below.
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