Spotify's Music Pro could have this killer feature for creators

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It's now been almost four years to the day since Spotify promised to introduce a new HiFi tier offering lossless HD audio by the end of 2021. To date, nothing has materialized, other than lots of rumors about what else a high-end tier might contain to keep up with the likes of Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited and Tidal, which all already offer lossless audio.
The most recent official acknowledgement came in a 2024 earnings call, when CEO Daniel Ek confirmed that Spotify Deluxe was in the works later in the year. True to form, it missed that deadline, but a new report from Bloomberg suggests something may finally arrive in 2025 — and it actually sounds quite exciting.
Now called Music Pro — by our count the fourth name for it, after HiFi, Supremium and Deluxe — the most exciting reported feature is the ability for subscribers to 'mix together songs from different artists.' This will in part lean on artificial intelligence, according to Bloomberg's sources, which could lower the bar of technical skill needed for creativity to flourish.
On top of this and the higher-quality audio, the company is also apparently 'testing various ways to sell concert tickets, such as giving fans access to presales or better seats.' This is at the 'preliminary talks' stage with promoters and ticket sellers.
While the article suggests that the service could cost as much as $5.99 a month on top of an existing subscription (which currently ranges from $5 per month for students to $20 for families), neither pricing nor the launch timeline have been finalized, because Spotify is yet to acquire rights from all the major record labels, the sources claim. As you might expect, however, price will vary by geography, with lower costs in 'less-developed markets.'
This isn't the first time we've heard about possible extras Spotify has considered to try and tempt subscribers to pay for an add-on. Indeed, last April, a Reddit user found the Music Pro name in a code dive, along with references to lossless audio, 'advanced mixing tools', the ability to filter your music library by mood or activity and headphone optimization.
While some of these features aren't mentioned in today's report, it's possible they will be part of the software eventually. Bloomberg's sources claim that Spotify aims to add 'tools and features over time' and will 'test many options over the course of this year.'
Hopefully that means that 2025 is the year the app finally catches up with the best music streaming services on the all-important audio quality metric — for serious audiophiles, anything else is just a bonus.

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Refinery29

an hour ago

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A Week As A Student In Los Angeles

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We're asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar. Today: a law student who is not currently earning a salary and who spends some of her money this week on a mint stracciatella gelato. If you'd like to submit your own Money Diary, you can do so via our online form. We pay $150 for each published diary. Apologies but we're not able to reply to every email. Occupation: Law student Age: 28 Location: Los Angeles Salary: Currently $0, but with an expected income of ~$40,000 from a summer job. Joint Income & Financial Setup: I live with my boyfriend, K., and we split expected expenses like rent, utilities, and pet costs equally. We do cover things for one another occasionally, him more often than me, since I don't have a steady income. Assets: Investment accounts: $211,400; Roth IRA: $36,800; 401(k): $64;000; checking: $6,300; HYSA/savings: $9,750; crypto: $4,000; HSA: $2,600, car: ~$38,000 (this is how much I've paid toward it, but the value is actually less since it's depreciated since I bought it). Debt: Car loan: $4,400; student loans: ~$40,000. Pronouns: She/her Monthly Expenses Housing Costs: $1,150 (split rent with my boyfriend, K.). Loan Payments: $405.62 (car loan). Car Insurance: $126 Apple iCloud: $2.99 Spotify: $5.99 Internet: $20 Water/Power: ~$60 Gas: ~$18 Capital One Member Fee: $95 (annually). Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it? Yes! I grew up in a town where going to college after high school was the path for the overwhelming majority. I got an undergraduate degree and am currently in law school after working for four-ish years after college. My parents paid for my undergrad experience, including both tuition and living expenses, which I am very grateful for. I'm paying for law school myself with a combination of scholarships, savings, and loans. Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances? Growing up, I saw my parents fight about their different views on spending and saving, so I definitely understood that stress surrounds money for a lot of adults. However, I was never aware of any financial strain growing up, as I did club sports, traveled, etc. I definitely know my upbringing was privileged. Beyond the importance of saving, I didn't learn much from my parents — I gained most of my financial knowledge in early adulthood from coworkers and my own research online. What was your first job and why did you get it? I was a (very bad, probably) math tutor in high school, which I think I did because a friend offered me the job when she was no longer able to do it. My first official job was on campus in college at an organization that sends students into the community to tutor kids. Did you worry about money growing up? Other than seeing my parents argue about it, no. Do you worry about money now? Not too much since I think I'm in a pretty good situation financially, but eventually buying a house in LA and raising children is definitely something I think about often now that I'm 28. At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net? At 26, when I moved out of my parents' house to attend law school. My family or my boyfriend K. would be my financial safety net if something happened. Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain. As mentioned earlier, my parents paid for my college experience and let me live at their house rent-free for about four years after I graduated. They also bought me a used car in college that I sold for $10,000, which went toward the down payment on my current car. Day One: Wednesday 8:30 a.m. — No class today! My boyfriend, K., already fed the cats, so I get out of bed, write my to-dos, and make avocado and cottage cheese toast with an egg on the side. I'm a recent cottage cheese convert. I follow breakfast with an Earl Grey matcha, one of my favorite daily rituals. 9:35 a.m. — Clean up emails and do 'computer stuff' like filling out a survey from my law school. Most of the cleaning up is just deleting emails, so it only takes 15 minutes. 12 p.m. — I finish listing a bunch of old and unwanted clothes on Depop and Poshmark. It always takes me forever, since I model each item and try to be ultra-descriptive to avoid unhappy buyers, so I've been putting it off. Secondhand platforms are one of my side hustles during the school year. I don't make that much, but it's a nice way to counteract my spending and keep the clutter at bay (especially in light of my small shared closet and thrifting addiction). 12:42 p.m. — Lunch is a gorgeous bowl of soup made by K.'s mom and zucchini made by me. His mom gives us tupperwares full of homemade food pretty often, and I'm so grateful for her. 3 p.m. — Video call with a prospective law student! She was so sweet and had great questions. As a first-generation law student, I love talking about my experience and making honest information about the field more accessible. I connect her with a few law friends as well. 4 p.m. — K. recently took my body lotion to the kitchen sink to act as hand cream, so I head to Marshall's in search of actual hand cream (and cat treats). I find just what I need and can't resist getting some cat toys, too. Marshall's is my favorite for when I need stuff but am not specific about what brands they are. When I get home, I promptly move the body lotion back to its rightful place in our medicine cabinet. $17.52 6 p.m. — I cave to my guiltiest pleasure and ask K. to pick up Wingstop on his way home: they have a good tender deal right now. Wingstop always makes me feel gross after, but the joy I feel eating it is unfortunately unparalleled. It's $17 for the two of us, but K pays. 6:40 p.m. — Two of the items I listed for sale today sold! I immediately pack them up. I made $10 on an Artizia shirt and $32 on a pair of Vuori leggings. 11 p.m. — After spending way too much time browsing wedding guest dresses (Club L London, Meshki, Revolve, and Selfie Leslie) and cycling between my usual rotation of TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram, I do my readings for school and get ready for bed. I'm very committed to doing my assigned readings because I prefer to 'study' by being prepared for class rather than cram new material during finals. Goodnight! Daily Total: $17.52 Day Two: Thursday 6:55 a.m. — Rise and shine. I get ready, make a to-go matcha, grab my lunch, and head out the door to campus. 12 p.m. — Two classes down. I have a lunch break before my next class, so I eat (short rib, japchae, and a Korean pancake) while I parse through a classmate's research paper. I have to provide comments on it in my next class, which I didn't realize I had to do until this morning… And it's 37 pages. 2 p.m. — In the middle of my last class and after surviving my own paper's critique, I remember an email I got from Wikipedia this morning asking for a donation. I appreciate that Wikipedia doesn't have ads or a paywall, so I donate a very law student-y amount ($10.40). 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I wasn't feeling the best mentally on the way here, but the endorphins help some. I charge my car on the way home and try to stop at a thrift store nearby but find it closed. I'll take that as fate! $8.99 4 p.m. — I eat a small bowl of short rib and rice, then do my full shower-hair-makeup routine in time for a dinner reservation with K. and our friends at 7 p.m. I'm finally starting to get better at blowing my hair out with my Shark. 11 p.m. — Dinner is amazing! We go to K.'s friend's restaurant, which I can best describe as Japanese-influenced fine dining. They always give us extra dishes and discount the bill, which is so kind and not expected. K. and one of his friends cover the bill for the table. 12 a.m. — We meet some more friends at a bar nearby in Chinatown. I agree to drive everyone home, so I don't get any drinks, but it's a great time nonetheless. 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We get hungry when we see someone in a YouTube video eating a PB&J, so K. makes us mini grilled cheeses and PB&Js. They absolutely hit the spot. We're in bed by 11:15 p.m. Daily Total: $24 Day Six: Monday 6:45 a.m. — After a night of super weird dreams, I get up slightly earlier than usual to dedicate a bit more time to get ready since I have a school event tonight. Make it out the door, matcha and Depop packages in hand, with just enough time to get to class. 11 a.m. — I realize in my second class that I forgot about an Emi Jay sample sale I intended to check out at 9 a.m. By the time I notice, all the clips I might have wanted are sold out. I'm disappointed because they were selling clips that were actively on the Emi Jay site. Even at half off, $18 for one claw clip is crazy, but I've heard they really do hold — and I have fine hair, so I was eager to try them out. Oh well. 12:40 p.m. — Back at home after dropping my packages at the post office. 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Axios

2 hours ago

• Axios

Apple is under pressure to deliver a hit iPhone

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