After years of anticipation, Spotify has officially rolled out its long-awaited lossless audio feature to Premium subscribers, and it is not tucked behind a pricier tier.
What’s New?
Spotify now offers CD-quality, lossless audio via 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC streams, available for nearly every song in its catalogue. This upgrade arrives at no additional cost, following years of delays and speculation.
Global Rollout
The feature is rolling out gradually across more than 50 markets through October. Initial availability includes Spotify’s key markets: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.
No Tier Bump—Just Higher Fidelity
Contrary to earlier reports of a “Spotify HiFi” or “Music Pro” tier that would require an extra fee, lossless streaming is now part of the standard Premium offering with no price increases or tier upgrades required.
User Experience and Enabling Lossless
Premium users will receive an in-app notification once lossless becomes available for their account. To activate it:
- Open Spotify, tap the profile icon (top-left).
- Navigate to Settings & Privacy → Media Quality.
- Choose “Lossless” for listening via Wi-Fi, cellular, or downloaded playback.
Once enabled, a “Lossless” indicator appears in the Now Playing view or Connect Picker. Spotify recommends using Wi-Fi and wired listening setups (such as through Spotify Connect), noting that Bluetooth does not yet support true lossless bandwidth.
Hardware Compatibility
Launch partners include Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser, with Sonos and Amazon devices expected to gain support next month.
Industry Context
This move elevates Spotify to the ranks of competitors like Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music HD, which have long offered lossless streaming, often without additional cost. Spotify’s integration aligns it with modern expectations for audio quality.
A Triumph Amid Controversy
Despite the technical win, the launch comes against a backdrop of artist backlash. Several bands (including Godspeed You! Black Emperor and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) have pulled their catalogues from Spotify over concerns about CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in defence tech firm Helsing, which clashes with the artists’ values.
What It Means for You
- If you are a Spotify Premium user, you now have the option to experience music in full CD-quality at no extra charge.
- Expect catalogue-wide coverage, device-specific visual markers, and manual enablement via media settings.
- For audiophiles, this marks a long-awaited step forward as Spotify finally lives up to its “HiFi” promise from 2021.
