Latest news with #lossless
The Verge
19 hours ago
- The Verge
Spotify's HiFi lossless streaming might really, finally, actually be coming soon
We've been waiting for Spotify's lossless streaming for more than four years, but there are some new and promising hints that the feature might finally arrive sometime soon. The X account for Spicetify, a command-line tool that lets you customize the Spotify client, says that a new version of Spotify includes some hidden mentions of lossless. In a screenshot the account shared, for example, lossless appears in the sidebar to connect a device. Another screenshot shows lossless as an option for streaming quality in the app's settings. The Spicetify account also says it has seen code that lossless will be available on Spotify Connect and in the web player. To be clear: Spotify's lossless streaming still isn't available yet. But these small lossless mentions and recent reporting indicate that the company may be ready to add lossless at long last. Spotify initially announced a 'Spotify HiFi' tier in 2021 that it intended to launch that year, but that didn't happen. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in 2024 that the company was working on a 'deluxe' version of Spotify. And in February, Bloomberg reported that Spotify was aiming to roll out a new 'Music Pro' tier with features like higher-quality streaming by the end of this year. The tier could cost as much as $5.99 per month more than its current subscriptions, Bloomberg says.
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.
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.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
New code in Spotify's app references the long-awaited ‘lossless' tier
It's been over four years since Spotify first announced its plans to launch a lossless audio tier that has yet to arrive. After numerous leaks and teases from company execs, we know better than to start hoping that the long-delayed service could be finally nearing arrival. But newly added references in the music app's code suggest the lossless service is at least still under development and could even be getting closer to launch. According to technologist and reverse engineer Chris Messina, a number of references to 'lossless' have popped up in Wednesday's build of the Spotify desktop app. These code snippets mainly refer to help cards that would appear to inform the end user about what the lossless tier offers and how to use or troubleshoot the service. For instance, 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: 'Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.' The Redditor claims 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. As we've seen in previous years, 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,' Norstrom said at the time. 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 this report.
TechCrunch
2 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
New code in Spotify's app references the long-awaited ‘lossless' tier
It's been over four years since Spotify first announced its plans to launch a lossless audio tier that has yet to arrive. After numerous leaks and teases from company execs, we know better than to start hoping that the long-delayed service could be finally nearing arrival. But newly added references in the music app's code suggest the lossless service is at least still under development and could even be getting closer to launch. According to technologist and reverse engineer Chris Messina, a number of references to 'lossless' have popped up in Wednesday's build of the Spotify desktop app. Image Credits:screenshot from Chris Messina These code snippets mainly refer to help cards that would appear to inform the end user about what the lossless tier offers and how to use or troubleshoot the service. For instance, 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.' Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Image Credits:screenshot from Chris Messina 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: 'Say hello to the best sound quality on Spotify. Listen to high-fidelity music in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.' The Redditor claims 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. As we've seen in previous years, leaks and code references have appeared before, and yet the high-quality audio tier never arrived. When asked directly about losless 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 timeframe 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,' Norstrom said at the time. 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 this report.
