I’m hard-pressed to seek out one other instance of a tech firm asserting one thing after which ready over 4 years to really ship it, however that’s precisely the state of affairs we’ve reached with Spotify and its long-delayed HiFi characteristic. The newest stories point out it’s lastly coming in a matter of months as a part of a Music Pro package deal that Spotify hopes will make sure the service’s continued profitability.
But this has grow to be fairly the saga.
By all accounts, this aggressive method from each firms completely derailed Spotify HiFi, which was at all times going to demand an upcharge over the service’s common Premium subscription. The firm went radio silent on the characteristic, and Spotify spokespeople by no means supplied any significant updates on its standing.
But I feel Spotify additionally got here to understand that higher-bitrate music streams alone wouldn’t be sufficient to prop up an “final” subscription tier. Lots of people merely can’t hear the distinction between lossy audio (like Spotify affords at this time) and CD-quality streams — or they lack the type of headphone/speaker {hardware} that will spotlight such an improve.
So the corporate has been transforming the plan right into a broader “Music Pro” add-on that extends far past audio high quality. It’s nonetheless unclear precisely what this may find yourself wanting like: previous stories have talked about the whole lot from early-access live performance ticketing to DJ remixing instruments. It’s additionally been rumored that Music Pro might supply an “optimization” trick for particular fashions of earbuds, headphones, and audio system. Spotify’s person surveys have hinted at different potentialities together with karaoke — one other factor Apple Music is already doing — and the choice so as to add an extra person account to any Music Pro subscription.
Spotify itself could be undecided on simply what Music Pro ought to entail: Bloomberg reported that the corporate “plans to roll out the plan in phases, including instruments and options over time” and continues to be planning to check new capabilities all through 2025. But the surest signal that Music Pro is definitely taking place is that Spotify is speaking concerning the challenge once more. CEO Daniel Ek has talked about an upcoming deluxe tier on a number of events. Last 12 months, he stated it will supply “all the advantages that the conventional Spotify model has, however much more management, loads larger high quality throughout the board, and another issues that I’m not prepared to speak about simply but.” And only some weeks in the past, Ek claimed Spotify plans to “double down on music in 2025.”
Whenever it does finally arrive, Music Pro will tack an additional $5 or $6 onto a normal Spotify Premium subscription, which at present begins at $11.99 per 30 days. I’ve already made the swap to Apple Music, as I like understanding I’m getting the very best quality doable for my cash. But even I’ll be tempted to attempt Spotify’s final plan as soon as it’s prepared. I don’t notably miss Spotify Wrapped anymore, however it’s nonetheless the platform the place most of my buddies do their listening. If the corporate can string collectively an attractive bundle of perks, there’s at all times an opportunity I’d return. It’d be a troublesome capsule to swallow after utilizing the far much less bloated Apple Music app for therefore lengthy, although.
