This Is Why Spotify's Hi-Fi Streaming Tier Is Delayed
It's roughly been a year since Spotify announced a Hi-Fi tier of its streaming service that is yet to release, but as per the company's CEO, the delay has to do with licensing hassles with artists and music labels. When it was initially announced, Spotify sold the idea of a «CD-quality, lossless audio format» for the music listening experience. Talking numbers for audiophiles, the company promised audio at 16-bit resolution with a 44.1kHz sample rate. But, of course, all that audio goodness will most likely come at a price.
Meanwhile, Apple Music added Lossless Audio at no extra cost back in June last year, delivering up to 24-bit/192 kHz audio with a serving of Spatial Audio magic on top. All that upgrade came at no extra cost, which was a massive bonus for existing subscribers, and a lucrative incentive for those planning to become subscribers. Amazon also made its move a month before Apple, making its Amazon Music HD hi-res audio tier free for all Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers. All that happened in the wake of Spotify's own Hi-Fi announcement, yet, Spotify's product is still nowhere to be seen.
Related: How To Sneak A Peek At What Your Friends Are Listening To On Spotify
Well, it appears that licensing issues have proved to be a roadblock, but there's still no concrete outlook regarding a market launch. And that observation comes straight from Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's response during the company's earnings call. «So yes, I mean, many of the features that we talk about and especially that's related to music ends up into licensing,» Ek said when asked about the progress on Spotify Hi-Fi. «So I can't really announce any specific on this other than to say that we're in constant dialogue with our partners to bring this
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