Music Business

Spotify delays HiFi launch indefinitely

Spotify has officially delayed the launch of improved audio indefinitely despite Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL and other competitors offering the option at no additional cost to paid subscribers.

In February of 2021 Spotify announced that it would launch HiFi, CD quality lossless audio tier later in the year.

When it became apparent last month that the streamer would miss its own deadline, the press and social media were vocal in expressing disappointment. But Spotify remained silent.

Finally, in a thread on the Spotify Community website, Spotify has answered frustrated users: that it had no timeline for the release:

We know that HiFi quality audio is important to you.

We feel the same, and we’re excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don’t have timing details to share yet.

We will of course update you here when we can.

After its competitors launched better audio for free, Spotify lost any financial incentive to add it too and likely decided to put precious developer time elsewhere.

Trouble Ahead?

But breaking a promise to paying users is seldom smart and if even one percent of paid and new users chose another service, it will exacerbate Spotify’s already uphill battle to maintain user growth.

MORE:

Music streaming growth falls 2/3rds in UK, is US next?

Spotify promised to add Hifi a year ago. Where is it?

Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.

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