After years of promises and delays, Spotify has begun to deploy Its lossless audio function for premium users in selected markets. The Swedish platform now offers streaming in FLAC quality up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz, fulfilling one of the most demanded requests of its subscribers.
What changes. Premium users will receive a notification in the application when they have access to the function. From that moment, they can manually activate the audio without loss from configuration> multimedia content quality, choosing between different options for Wi-Fi, mobile data and downloads. The function is available in mobiles, computers and tablets, in addition to devices compatible with Spotify Connect of brands such as Sony, Bose, Samsung and Sennheiser.
Years of waiting. Spotify announced for the first time Its high quality audio plans in 2021, promising a “HIFI” level that never materialized. During these years, rivals like Apple Music implemented lossless streaming That same year, while Amazon Music He made his lossless option After initially launching an HD level of payment in 2019. “The wait is finally over; we are very excited that the sound without losses is being displayed for premium subscribers”, declared Gustav Gyllenhammar, Vice President of Spotify subscriptions.
The technical limitations. The implementation has important restrictions. According to the firm, the Bluetooth does not provide sufficient bandwidth to transmit lossless audio, so the recommendation is to use cable or speakers connected by Wi-Fi by spotify Connect. The higher quality archives occupy more space and can take a few seconds to load the first time, although once stored in cache, playback ends up being more fluid.
Where is Spotify. Spotify’s offer reaches 24-bit/44.1 kHz in flac format, while competitors like Apple Music, Tidal and Qobuz They offer higher resolutions up to 24-bit/192 kHz. This difference leaves margin so that the Swedish company can introduce additional premium levels of higher quality, something about which Rumors have circulated for months. Likewise, once we ascend to the field of 24-bit, it will need a lot of heard, experience, and a system of several thousand euros to end up appreciating the difference.
A global deployment by phases. The function is gradually reaching more than 50 markets and the deployment will be progressive until October. The users of Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom will be the first. The company ensures that it covers “almost all the songs” of its catalog of 100 million tracks, although some may not have Lossless support.
Integrated in Premium. The lossless audio arrives integrated in Premium spotify without additional cost, a decision that differentiates the platform from some initial proposals of the sector that bet on separate premium levels. It should also be noted that the price of the premium He recently uploaded.
Cover image | Spotify
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