In 2021, Spotify announced their HiFi lossless streaming tier would be released later that year. Two years have passed and HiFi still hasn’t been launched. The latest report by The Verge reveals that Spotify’s co-president claims HiFi is still in the works and will be released at some point.
Spotify’s co-president, Gustav Söderström, confirmed in an interview with The Verge that the launch of their HiFi premium tier has been delayed due to industry changes. While the company initially planned to release the feature by the end of 2021, they are now focusing on developing it in a way that benefits both Spotify and their listeners.
Spotify HiFi release date still uncertain
Söderström reassures fans that they will eventually launch, but there is currently no specific timeline for its release. Meanwhile, other music services like Apple Music and Amazon have already begun offering lossless music at no extra cost.
Spotify’s latest update includes discovery feeds and Smart Shuffle for playlists. Although the company has been ready to launch its HiFi feature for over a year, it has yet to be released due to cost considerations.
Unlike Apple, which offers lossless music for free, Spotify plans to offer HiFi as part of a more expensive plan that includes spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, and other audiobook and podcast-related perks. No official release date has been announced, but HiFi is expected to appear “at some point.”
In an interview to The Verge, Gustav Söderström, Spotify Co-President, said on the latest episode of Decoder,
We announced it, but then the industry changed for a bunch of reasons. 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.