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The Spotify Stars Program: Celebrating Values Week!

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

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!

Updated on 2022-01-07

Hey folks,

 

We know that HiFi quality audio is important to you. We feel the same, and we’re excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don’t have timing details to share yet.

 

We will of course update you here when we can.

 

Take care.

Comments
Ramkmr7

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Samppa3

Seems weird that someone moved my previous comment from thread below to here without asking me:

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Community-Blog/The-return-of-Values-Week/ba-p/5377232

 

I decided to post that message there because Spotify give any answer in this particular thread.

So, it still seems that they don't care about their valued customers. Basically all this silence and waiting is total nonsense. I might have to vote with my wallet soon.

 

spider623

A quick reminder the Spotify is co-owned by the record labels, it's one of the reasons they don't and will never pay the artist and use stupid pools and charts to split the revenue, there is no license issue for HiFi, they just don't want to invest in the hardware, even the quality of the songs has drop bellow Youtube Music, even the video podcast they offer can't go above 360p, even worse, Youtube Music almost caught up with all of Spotify's features... they are only missing connect! Now imagine if Youtube changes their minds in a year and they do go lossless for premium, up until now they did not focus on that because the platform was missing important features and artist official integration but when all that is done, why pay for Spotify when Youtube Music free already sounds better and they do not screw the encoding resulting to whole instruments and frequencies to go missing from songs?

The cancelation was never about licenses or podcasts, it was in order to not invest in upgrading their infrastructure and make short term earnings.

Qualdio

I have cancelled my premium subscription to Spotify, after 6 yrs. I have moved my £10 a month to another streaming provider. One who gives top quality CD sound for the same monthly fee. Spotify left me no other option.

Samppa3

@Qualdio, what service did you pick up?

Add me to the list of customers who cancelled their subscription. I'm with Deezer now - 1€ more per month but with a really good feature set, CD quality streaming, a dedicated audiobook app, podcasts in a dedicated section,... Thank you Spotify for several years of music streaming - but in the meantime the competition caught up or is ahead.

El0h1m

Still no HiFi?!

No problem. Count me in as I am cancelling my Family Subscription soon.

Will move to a different provider who can provide this without any issue.

 

This is just unacceptable in times when we all have access to good DAC's and premium headphones.

 

Goodbye Spotify and have a think about this.

 

Oh, and don't team up with MQA in the future. It is a marketing scam. Nothing to do with lossless music.

EarDrums

Give a definite date.  HIFI has been pushed out a couple of time now!

mctesterson

Just over five months since the last (very vague and squishy) status update.

 

I guess they're all too busy counting those massive stacks of lucrative Joe Rogan podcast revenue money to even notice us little insignificant gnats of people who actually care about quality sound, and "of course update [us] here when [they] can."

 

I shudder to think (band pun!) what a Spotify employee might say if they actually ever visited this forum thread...  "Wow, 432 pages of passionate customers who really want Spotify to do better!!  F--- 'em.  Back to counting Joe Rogan money."

 

Yeah,  I guess I'm more than a little irritated with being ghosted by a company I used to champion to others.

PCorreia
No reason to wait, IMO.

I waited over 5 years for HiFi, watched it being officially announced last
year and with a scheduled release time and got nothing.

Last March I moved my Family Plan to Apple Music and everyone is more than
happy with the change. Even my son can notice the huge difference in sound
quality.

Bottom line? Spotify is becoming the Nokia of streaming services. They’re
bleeding premium users and most of them won’t return.

I know I won’t.