Latest news with #ChrisMessina
India Today
6 hours ago
- India Today
When will Spotify get lossless audio? Code references once again say it is coming
Spotify's long-rumoured lossless audio tier has been on hold for a long time, but now new signs suggest it might finally launch soon. Despite promising a high-fidelity streaming option back in 2021, dubbed Spotify HiFi at the time, the company is yet to announce the feature. But some tipsters have been digging into Spotify's latest desktop app update and concluded that the long wait could soon be per a report by TechCrunch, Chris Messina, a technologist and reverse engineer, was among the first to highlight new code references to 'lossless' in the most recent version of Spotify's desktop client. These tantalising fragments appear to involve help cards that would guide listeners on using the feature, a strong signal that the service hasn't been forgotten. TechCrunch also picked up on the findings, reporting that these snippets include phrases like 'Lossless music, now in premium,' as well as descriptions pointing to 'the best sound quality on Spotify for music up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.'If that weren't enough, other help cards imply lossless playback might come with caveats. One mentions that certain tracks won't support lossless playback, while another suggests that a stable internet connection is a must for buffer-free streaming. Yet another tip advises that lossless audio is 'best enjoyed on devices compatible with Spotify Connect and/or wired devices,' which would make sense given the bandwidth requirements for high-resolution And it's not just Messina making these discoveries. The X account for Spicetify, a popular command-line tool that lets you modify the Spotify client, shared screenshots of what looks like a hidden lossless setting buried in the app's streaming-quality options. Spicetify also noted seeing lossless references across Spotify Connect and in the web player, further fanning the flames of anticipation. Although these tiny breadcrumbs will excite audiophiles and die-hard Spotify users alike, there's still no official word on a launch date. The company first unveiled its plans for a lossless tier back in 2021, promising CD-quality sound for premium listeners. However, those ambitions appeared to stall, with licensing roadblocks often cited as a key factor. Spotify even told investors at one point that licensing hurdles were delaying the rollout. That picture could be looking rosier this year, especially after the streamer inked new deals with major labels like Warner Music and Universal Music Group in early 2025, a move that might have smoothed over earlier rights issues. If those agreements have cleared the way, then lossless audio may finally make its debut as part of a premium subscription the timing would fit neatly with other developments, too. Bloomberg previously reported that Spotify was preparing a top-tier 'Music Pro' subscription for later this year, bundling high-quality audio with extra perks like remix tools and other advanced features. Given these app hints and the new licensing deals, a formal announcement could well be on the now, though, there's still an air of 'wait and see' around Spotify's lossless ambitions. But as the company quietly lays the groundwork with these sneaky code references and revamped agreements, it looks increasingly like one of streaming music's most elusive upgrades is on its way, at long In
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Four Years Later, Spotify HiFi May Finally Be Nearing Launch
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Four years is a long time to wait for any new functionality in a streaming service, but that's how long Spotify users have waited for its HiFi feature bringing 'CD-quality, lossless audio' to the streaming platform. New tweaks within the app's code may have hinted Spotify is making steps towards a launch. As spotted by TechCrunch, Chris Messina, a reverse engineer who digs into the code of apps to find unannounced features, found Spotify's latest update refers to 'lossless music' for the first time. There are multiple instances of the term in the desktop version of the app, with most appearing in places ready to be deployed in support menus. The code specifically says, "Lossless music, now in premium.' There's another reference that says, 'Introducing the best sound quality on Spotify: for music up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz." The references aren't currently visible in the final version of Spotify. Another element in the code includes a new animation for a feature called 'Optimize," which may hint toward a calibration tool for high-end headphones. There's no mention in the code of a launch date, but it's likely this is Spotify's team readying support documentation for a future launch. That may mean a launch is imminent, but it doesn't confirm that Spotify has a clear plan to launch soon. One Reddit user also found mentions within the mobile app version of Spotify showing slightly different wording. It says, 'Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz." Reddit Spotify said in 2022 that the delay to its HiFi feature was because of issues with licensing around lossless audio. Ek said on an investor call at the time that the company was in a 'constant dialogue' with its partners to figure out a way forward. A report from earlier this year suggested that HiFi will be available through an additional tier called Music Pro that sits on top of a Premium subscription. This would cost an extra $5.99 a month to top up the $11.99 a month it costs to subscribe to Premium. The report said HiFi would be aiming to launch at some stage in 2025. The wait for Spotify HiFi has been long with many users looking for lossless audio turning to rivals like Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Tidal.
Android Authority
a day ago
- Android Authority
Don't give me hope: Spotify's long-awaited lossless tier shows signs of life again
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Spotify's long-promised HiFi lossless audio tier is likely nearing release, as suggested by new asset file leaks. The upcoming tier will likely offer music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC files, consuming up to 1 GB of data per hour. This feature may be part of a 'Music Pro' tier, potentially costing an extra $5.99 monthly on top of your current subscription. Spotify announced its 'HiFi' lossless tier back in February 2021, but as you may already know, it's still not here. Over the years, we've seen plenty of leaks about the feature, indicating the company hasn't just abandoned its plans. More recently, Spotify's CEO did mention that the Spotify Super Premium plan would offer 'better sound quality,' once more indicating that it's not dead yet. New asset files have now leaked, suggesting that Spotify's 'HiFi' lossless tier is still in the works, possibly nearing launch. Reverse engineer Chris Messina spotted these strings within Spotify, which indicate that its Lossless tier is coming soon: Lossless music, now in premium Introducing the best sound quality on Spotify: for music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. Reddit user Ok_Improvement5956 spotted several graphics within the latest PC update of Spotify that give us more hope than they should after four years of excruciating wait: There are mentions of 'Lossless' across tracks that are served at the higher quality tier. Further, the Lossless tier will consume up to 1GB of data per hour of playback to serve FLAC files at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. The Reddit user mentioned in another comment that Dolby Atmos is not on board. From the graphics, we learn that you will need 'compatible headphones' to experience the lossless tier. The header for the tier also mentions 'wired connection,' which shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone. A Bloomberg report earlier this year mentions that the company hopes to roll out its new Music Pro tier later in 2025, potentially costing an extra $5.99 a month, for higher quality audio, remixing tools, and access to concert tickets. Even though the writing is on the wall that Spotify's Lossless tier is coming, I wouldn't hold my breath on it. It's been years since the first announcement, and we've seen similar leaks a few times now, only for nothing to happen and our enthusiasm to fizzle out eventually. It will launch when it's ready. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Most expensive Spotify bills ever ‘incoming' as membership change ‘makes your songs sound even better for extra fee'
It's been more than four years since the company first announced it was working on 'lossless audio' HEAR WE GO Most expensive Spotify bills ever 'incoming' as membership change 'makes your songs sound even better for extra fee' SPOTIFY bills are set to become more expensive than ever amid reports the global streaming service is moving forward with its long-awaited "lossless" audio feature. The new development was spotted by a reverse engineer who found multiple mentions of "lossless" in Wednesday's build of the Spotify desktop app. Advertisement 1 This is the first sign the 'lossless audio' service is still under development at Spotify These code snippets mainly refer to help cards that would appear to inform users about what the lossless tier offers and how to use or troubleshoot it. It's been more than four years since the company first announced its plans to launch a "lossless audio" tier that has yet to arrive. While there have been numerous leaks and teases from company execs, this is the first sign the service is still under development. Sites such as Tech Crunch are reporting that the code indicates the feature could even be getting closer to launch. Advertisement According Chris Messina, the engineer who uncovered the roll out, one card says, 'Lossless music, now in premium,' while another describes it as the 'best sound quality on Spotify for music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz'. Some of the cards warn users that particular songs aren't available in lossless or when their device has bad connectivity, which could affect playback. Another notes that lossless music is 'best enjoyed on devices compatible with Spotify Connect and/or wired devices.' In addition, Reddit user u/bendotlc noted that other changes were seen in the latest version of the mobile app, where the code now mentions lossless. Advertisement How to save money on Spotify They wrote: 'Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.' The user claimed the feature is actually present in the app, but is currently disabled. Of course, code references don't mean the lossless feature is coming anytime soon. Leaks and code references have appeared before, and yet the high-quality audio tier never arrived. Advertisement When asked directly about lossless and other plans for premium tiers on recent earnings calls with investors, Spotify execs, including CEO Daniel Ek, would only hint that the company was investing in premium products for 'super fans'. They wouldn't give a time frame on when these or any other higher-quality streaming options would finally launch. Most recently, Spotify Chief Business Officer Alex Norstrom told investors on the Q1 2025 call that Spotify was still investing in more premium tiers. 'Now, with regards to higher tiers, we see great potential in them as we've mentioned before,' he said. 'So creating higher tiers around new offerings is something we are working towards as it really opens up new opportunities to delight users." Advertisement When Spotify first announced its plans for Spotify HiFi, as it was then called, in 2021, it said that the service would offer users music in 'CD-quality, lossless audio format.' It had run tests of a lossless option in the years before this, however. Eventually, Spotify pointed to licensing issues as the reason for its delay in launching. In what could be promising news on that front, the streamer signed new deals with labels including Warner Music and Universal Music Group in early 2025, which could pave the way for the lossless tier — or so music fans hope. Advertisement Bloomberg also reported earlier this year that a premium Music Pro tier would launch later in 2025, which would include high-quality streaming, remixing, and other features. Spotify declined to comment on the Bloomberg report.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Most expensive Spotify bills ever ‘incoming' as membership change ‘makes your songs sound even better for extra fee'
SPOTIFY bills are set to become more expensive than ever amid reports the global streaming service is moving forward with its long-awaited "lossless" audio feature. The new development was spotted by a reverse engineer who found multiple mentions of "lossless" in Wednesday's build of the Spotify desktop app. These code snippets mainly refer to help cards that would appear to inform users about what the lossless tier offers and how to use or troubleshoot it. It's been more than four years since the company first announced its plans to launch a "lossless audio" tier that has yet to arrive. While there have been numerous leaks and teases from company execs, this is the first sign the service is still under development. Sites such as Tech Crunch are reporting that the code indicates the feature could even be getting closer to launch. According Chris Messina, the engineer who uncovered the roll out, one card says, 'Lossless music, now in premium,' while another describes it as the 'best sound quality on Spotify for music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz'. Some of the cards warn users that particular songs aren't available in lossless or when their device has bad connectivity, which could affect playback. Another notes that lossless music is 'best enjoyed on devices compatible with Spotify Connect and/or wired devices.' In addition, Reddit user u/bendotlc noted that other changes were seen in the latest version of the mobile app, where the code now mentions lossless. How to save money on Spotify They wrote: 'Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.' The user claimed the feature is actually present in the app, but is currently disabled. Of course, code references don't mean the lossless feature is coming anytime soon. Leaks and code references have appeared before, and yet the high-quality audio tier never arrived. When asked directly about lossless and other plans for premium tiers on recent earnings calls with investors, Spotify execs, including CEO Daniel Ek, would only hint that the company was investing in premium products for 'super fans'. They wouldn't give a time frame on when these or any other higher-quality streaming options would finally launch. Most recently, Spotify Chief Business Officer Alex Norstrom told investors on the Q1 2025 call that Spotify was still investing in more premium tiers. 'Now, with regards to higher tiers, we see great potential in them as we've mentioned before,' he said. 'So creating higher tiers around new offerings is something we are working towards as it really opens up new opportunities to delight users." When Spotify first announced its plans for Spotify HiFi, as it was then called, in 2021, it said that the service would offer users music in 'CD-quality, lossless audio format.' It had run tests of a lossless option in the years before this, however. Eventually, Spotify pointed to licensing issues as the reason for its delay in launching. In what could be promising news on that front, the streamer signed new deals with labels including Warner Music and Universal Music Group in early 2025, which could pave the way for the lossless tier — or so music fans hope. Bloomberg also reported earlier this year that a premium Music Pro tier would launch later in 2025, which would include high-quality streaming, remixing, and other features. Spotify declined to comment on the Bloomberg report. How fraudsters use AI and bots to squeeze royalties out of Spotify, Deezer and the rest Fraudsters are flooding Spotify, Apple Music and the rest with AI-generated tracks, to try and hoover up the royalties generated by people listening to them. These tracks are cheap, quick and easy to make, with Deezer estimating in April that over 20,000 fully AI-created tracks – that's 18% of new tracks – were being ingested into its platform daily, almost double the number in January. The fraudsters often then use bots, AI or humans to endlessly listen to these fake songs and generate revenue, while others are exploiting upload services to get fake songs put on real artists' pages and siphon off royalties that way. Aurelien Herault, Chief Innovation Officer, Deezer, said: 'AI generated content continues to flood streaming platforms like Deezer, and we see no sign of it slowing down. "Generative AI has the potential to positively impact music creation and consumption, but we need to approach the development with responsibility and care in order to safeguard the rights and revenues of artists and songwriters, while maintaining transparency for the fans. "Thanks to our cutting-edge tool we are already removing fully AI generated content from the algorithmic recommendations.'
