ELEVATE YOUR LISTENING EXPERIENCE: SPOTIFY'S HIFI OFFERING MAY REDEFINE DIGITAL MUSIC

With digital music consumption peaking, it just makes more sense to do it with the best possible sound quality you can get. So, say hello to HiFi – Spotify’s upcoming premium subscription tier that promises audiophile-grade sound. You might be hearing a lot about this move in 2021. And you might want to prepare to pay a bit more for it. Knowing why all this makes sense will be important if you’re one of the millions of people around the world who are into playing music.

THE HARMONY OF HIGH FIDELITY: UNDERSTAND SPOTIFY'S MOVE

Spotify’s HiFi move is not about the delivery of music as such but the reimagining of listening. HiFi – High Fidelity – is idealistic; it’s the concept of music brought as close to the original recording quality as the technology will allow. If you’re a fan of listening for the subtle nuances in music, then the HiFi move has pole vaulted Spotify towards the forefront of the music streaming landscape, regardless of the fact that Spotify’s challengers, such as Jay-Z’s Tidal, are already there, setting the standards.

THE CADENCE OF COMPETITION: SPOTIFY'S STRATEGIC MOVE

Why take this risk, now? Rhythm. The music streaming sphere has never been so competitive. Platforms are fighting for every subscriber, attempting to offer anything that might keep them for just one more day. Spotify introduced the HiFi tier because this is where it could make the most noise: among people who care about audio quality and are more likely to find value in more than the standard streaming quality. Spotify thinks this feature might satisfy the ears – and the playlist-makers – of audiophiles and the picky.

THE SYMPHONY OF FEATURES: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM SPOTIFY'S HIFI

What might a subscriber expect from this premium tier? At the centre of Spotify’s HiFi tier are features aimed at making listeners feel like they’re being enveloped in shimmering waves of clear sound. Specifications advertising 16-bit, 44.1 kHz sound quality mean that Spotify’s HiFi option will fix the listening experience to the quality of Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) quality, a similar step up in high-quality audio from Tidal’s HiFi membership, but with Spotify’s trademark easy-to-use interface.

NAVIGATING THE CRESCENDO: PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

The climax of hype builds when the topic turns to price and timing. It’s all somewhat choreographed by Spotify, but the company still hasn’t announced how much its HiFi plan will cost and when it will launch. Expect it to set you back at least $5 a month on top of your standard $9.99 subscription fee for ‘lossless audio’, which is what the industry calls high-definition audio. And even as those details remain hidden, music streaming fans are holding their breath to find out what will come first.

THE OVERTURE OF OPINIONS: INDUSTRY AND USER PERSPECTIVES

Listeners and tech ‘insiders’ alike have a strongly polarised view of Spotify’s new HiFi tier. Some think it’s a response to changing listener expectations. Others see it as a move motivated by the company’s desire to better compete with hi-fi-focused niche streaming services. Still others are weighing up the value of better sound against the added expense, and asking if the upgrade merits the extra expenditure. Regardless of where you stand in the debate, it’s clear that listeners are excited about the potential impact the HiFi plan could have on music listening.

TUNING INTO THE FUTURE: WHAT COMES NEXT?

Spotify’s forthcoming HiFi tier signals a new era in digital music streaming: one in which sound quality becomes a distinguishing feature in the race for subscribers. As Spotify fine-tunes its offering, we should expect a cascade of changes in the field, as rivals respond to its move. For consumers, the evolution promises to be an enriching auditory experience. They, too, stand to win from Spotify’s step towards HiFi.

DECODING THE MOVE: A CLOSER LOOK AT SPOTIFY'S STRATEGY

Spotify’s decision to launch a HiFi tier is a sign that the platform is actively trying to stay in front of the industry. When Spotify was fighting for market share with streaming services like Rdio, it was evident that it did everything it could to stay competitive, including controversial artist exclusives and an anti-competitive ‘free’ pitch, designed to lock in users on their platform. The new investment into audio quality is not just a reaction to Spotify’s competition, but also to their users. It’s driven by the fact that the Spotify user base is now actively demanding higher quality sound. It’s one of the many signals that in a post-Tidal world, the audio market will increasingly move towards the high end of the audio quality spectrum, and that niche markets are emerging for high-end audio services driven by more refined audiophile demands. Spotify’s HiFi plan might just be the beginning of a new chapter in the evolution of digital music, and it suggests that Spotify might have the final say as to what we can come to expect from digital music. Figure out how to deliver good quality sound, and you’ll win.