After a two year delay, Spotify HiFi could be on its way – for a price

In February 2021, Spotify announced that it was working on a new audio streaming feature called Spotify HiFi. 

At the time, the company promised that the new feature would “deliver music in CD-quality, lossless audio format to your device and Spotify Connect-enabled speakers, which means fans will be able to experience more depth and clarity while enjoying their favourite tracks.” It also promised it would be available at the end of 2021, something which didn’t quite come to pass.

Fast forward to June 2023, and Bloomberg is reporting that the feature could be rolled out as part of a more expensive subscription option, initially released in non-US markets. 

Whilst no price has been revealed for this new subscription tier, last year a survey from Spotify suggested that the company was considering charging US$19.99 a month for the subscription – doubling the amount of US$9.99 that is currently charged for Spotify Premium.

The survey also suggested that audiobooks could be rolled into a future subscription plan.  

Speaking to The Verge, Spotify co-president Gustav Söderström confirmed that Spotify HiFi is still set to be rolled out despite the delays, however, he made no comment on the amount that it would cost. 

“We announced it, but then the industry changed for a bunch of reasons,” Söderström said. “We are going to do it, but we’re going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.

“We want to do it in a way where it works for us from a cost perspective as well. I’m not allowed to comment on our label agreements, nor on what other players in the industry did, for obvious reasons.”

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