After years of anticipation, Spotify has officially launched high-quality, lossless music streaming for its premium subscribers. This significant enhancement allows users to experience audio in its purest form, closely mirroring the original studio recordings.
A Long-Awaited Feature
Spotify first announced its intention to offer a hi-fi tier in 2021, promising CD-quality audio to its users. However, the rollout faced multiple delays, primarily due to licensing challenges. In 2024, CEO Daniel Ek mentioned that the company was still in the early days of implementing lossless streaming support. Over the years, various reports and code discoveries hinted at the impending release of this feature, often suggesting it might be part of a more expensive subscription tier.
Technical Specifications
The newly introduced lossless streaming supports up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality. FLAC, or Free Lossless Audio Codec, is a format that compresses audio without any loss in quality, ensuring listeners receive sound as it was originally intended. This move aligns Spotify with industry standards, offering audiophiles a richer and more immersive listening experience.
Global Rollout
Spotify has begun rolling out this feature to premium users in over 50 countries, with the process expected to continue through October. Subscribers in countries such as Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK are among the first to gain access. Users will receive a notification within their app once the feature becomes available to them.
Enabling Lossless Streaming
To activate lossless streaming:
1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Navigate to ‘Settings and Privacy.’
3. Select ‘Media Quality.’
4. Choose ‘Lossless’ quality for streaming over Wi-Fi, cellular data, and for downloads.
It’s important to note that this setting must be enabled individually on each device, as it doesn’t automatically sync across all devices linked to a user’s Spotify account.
Considerations and Limitations
While lossless audio offers superior sound quality, it also results in larger file sizes. Users should monitor their data usage, especially when streaming over cellular networks. Additionally, due to bandwidth limitations inherent in Bluetooth technology, streaming lossless quality tracks over Bluetooth-connected devices isn’t feasible. To enjoy lossless audio wirelessly, users can utilize Spotify Connect to stream over Wi-Fi to compatible devices from manufacturers like Bose, Yamaha, and Bluesound.
Industry Context
Spotify’s introduction of lossless streaming comes after competitors like Apple Music and Amazon Music have already integrated similar features. Apple Music rolled out lossless audio in 2021, and Amazon Music made its lossless streaming free after initially launching it as a paid HD tier. By adding this feature, Spotify aims to remain competitive and cater to the growing demand for high-fidelity audio among its user base.
Looking Ahead
The launch of lossless streaming marks a significant milestone for Spotify, reflecting its commitment to enhancing user experience and audio quality. As the feature becomes available to more users worldwide, it will be interesting to observe its impact on user engagement and subscription rates. Moreover, this move may prompt further innovations and improvements in the music streaming industry, benefiting listeners and artists alike.
