[All Platforms][Music] HiFi Quality - Lossless Streaming 16bit 44.1khz

[timiambeing]

I've just started a trial of Qobuz - they offer the standard 320kbps as well as lossless FLAC streaming (and high res downloads if you purchase them) the sound quality is noticeably better and on classical it's just wonderful to get all that resolution through your hi-fi or headphones! The catalogue has a way to go to get to Spotify's level, but they are getting there. The iPad app isn't' too bad (the desktop app is in need of an upgrade but I hear they are putting all their efforts into mobile apps right now).

So - lossless streaming - if Qobuz can do it then so can Spotify, they must have the same source - and obviously if you are asking £20 a month then those record labels and distributors take enough notice to make the high res tracks available for streaming. What this all means is soon, very soon, we will get lossless streaming and closely followed by high res downloads - but if Spotify aren't careful it will be Apple who get there first with an audiophile premium offering, and when they do it will be a much harder market place to make money in!

** please don't lump this suggestion with the main one on lossless downloads, that's a different idea entirely guys!

[timiambeing]

I've just started a trial of Qobuz - they offer the standard 320kbps as well as lossless FLAC streaming (and high res downloads if you purchase them) the sound quality is noticeably better and on classical it's just wonderful to get all that resolution through your hi-fi or headphones! The catalogue has a way to go to get to Spotify's level, but they are getting there. The iPad app isn't' too bad (the desktop app is in need of an upgrade but I hear they are putting all their efforts into mobile apps right now).

[timiambeing]

So - lossless streaming - if Qobuz can do it then so can Spotify, they must have the same source - and obviously if you are asking £20 a month then those record labels and distributors take enough notice to make the high res tracks available for streaming. What this all means is soon, very soon, we will get lossless streaming and closely followed by high res downloads - but if Spotify aren't careful it will be Apple who get there first with an audiophile premium offering, and when they do it will be a much harder market place to make money in!

[timiambeing]

Good news!

Lossless audio quality is finally starting to roll out to Spotify Premium users! 🔊

Check out this post for more info:

➜ Spotify Premium: Now Streaming in Lossless Quality

[paulove]

Saw two featured elements on Apple Music today.

Neil Lives Here

Joni Lives Here 

All of their music is on Apple Music. 

[Audioplayer]

@paulove

Their music is also on Qobuz and Deezer. Some on Tidal and most likely  Pandora, Amazon Music and YouTube Music as well. Belly has just mentioned they want to remove their music from Spotify as well but they say it is more of a complicated process for them somehow.

[Sonos_Steve]

Pressure building!

Focus on music and quality NOT questionable content PODCASTS

[vaajy]

This can be true as:

"Spotify cares little about music anymore . It wants podcasts , which possibly  generate more revenue. Not sure though. "

As the more people listen hour long podcasts, the less they need to pay for the music.

[Gonzo6]

OK! Spotify has no idea, when to have losless streaming. The only solution is to change to another streaming service, which has this! Neil Young partially has found correct words.

[soboyle]

I honestly don't care about some sad old hypocrite rockstars whining or wannabe alphamale stoner podcasts, I just want lossless quality Spotify!! PLEASE! I just started a trial for Apple Music and the quality is LEAGUES better, especially on good sound-systems. I am honestly having trouble justifying Spotify now, the mild social aspect of sharing playlists is all that is keeping me paying. Once I transfer all of my many playlists to Apple Music, it will be bye-bye Spotify... unless they add lossless soon. My trial for AppleMusic is up in June, Spotify has until then. Please do though, I have used Spotify for over 10 years.

[soboyle]

Please do not talk to me, Audioplayer. 

[LawLee]

Spotify continues to do damage control on the Rogan/Young issue in the media. Daniel Elk himself released a statement on Sunday as their market valuation and reputation continues to erode.

Boy, if they had put this kind of energy and attention on their missed promise of HiFi, think about what happy campers we would be!🙃

[Zorq]

Damage control is quite difficult at this stage. 

I see people reacted quite firmly and emotionally, but I don't know how much Spotify can do on censoring content, given the contracts. I don't listen to podcasts at Spotify, only to music, so I don't care. I am also **bleep** off by blunt anti-vaxxer arguments, but to leave Spotify because someone made a podcast with  that topic is IMHO overreaction. You can't just cancel the discussion, you can only isolate it. Now is isolation good? I don't think so. IMHO the only way out is education, verifiable information, building trust.

In Sweden you can talk about everything, if all viewpoints are given a fair and equal chance. 

However, nowadays more and more things become taboo, and if you touch it, you become impure and face the wrath of the self-justified. Wait, from where that sounds familiar?

So I don't blame Spotify on this, but I don't know the details. Maybe they could do more - I just don't know. But I know that such discussion would be perceived with less rigidity in Sweden, so it may be a cultural misunderstanding.

About the Hifi tier, what the status update from Spotify says, in corporate speech usually means they have a pilot on it, so they might be well working on it. I take it at face value. "No timing details to share yet" means they didn't reach the testing/confidence level required for that kind of communication. Again, in corporate planning, this might mean they are a few months away from the announcement (given the comm), or it might also mean they just decided they had to say something, but it could take this year or more to make it.

[Sergjjii]

@soboyle, strange. It's better to listen to the old stuff than the new chippy stuff. And this is the opinion of most people. If the service loses mastodons, most people don't need such service, they need the service where they listen. Spotify probably thought that way too, let him go, if Neil is replaced, there will be 10 others and no one will notice. But the statistics of how the service began to lose money says one thing, people love their idols and follow them. And people have no problem to cancel subscriptions they had for 10 years or more. Moreover, there are competitors and they look in some aspects much more interesting than the green ones).