Spotify was set to jump on the lossless audio bandwagon by the end of this year, yet it’s almost end of year and Spotify Hi-Fi is nowhere to be seen.
Back in February, Spotify announced that they would be releasing Spotify HiFi, an upgrade of sound quality for premium subscribers that would deliver music in CD-quality. The experience would offer listeners an opportunity to “experience more depth and clarity while enjoying their favourite tracks,” according to Spotify.
The concept of lossless audio is no new idea with the meaning often being confusing. According to Gear Patrol lossless audio refers to the process in which advanced data compression algorithms are used in the compressing of a digital audio file to ensure that sound quality is not lost in the compression phase.
While current audio quality across streaming services is satisfactory, this new option will immerse listeners into a whole new realm of music experience. For artists, the opportunity to have their music played in Hi-Fi quality is extremely important according to music duo Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS.
“High quality audio means just more info,” she told Spotify.
“There are just things you will not hear if you don’t have a good sound system.”
FINNEAS echoed Billie’s statement stressing how the high-quality audio experience gives a new layer to music.
“When we make music, I think the way that the listener experiences it is the most important thing to us,” he said.
“For me it’s in the details, there are so many weird little things we buried in all our stuff like little times Billie was chuckling in the background or she’ll do whisper layers of each line,”
“Those are things that anytime anyone really takes time to sit down with our music and listen to it in a really high-quality way it’s very exciting because I know that they’re hearing everything we intended them to.”
Music streaming services are a big market in Australia with Spotify generally being the top dog when it comes to music with an estimated 7.7 million users in 2020 according to Sydney Morning Herald.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released a survey in 2020 stating that over 63 per cent of adult Australians listened to a music streaming service at least once a week with 68 per cent of those listeners opting for Spotify as their preferred music app.
With the gap left in the market by Spotify, Apple released its Hi-Fi audio option in June adding to the growing market and giving Spotify a reason to act and release the premium sound option.
For Australians wanting to upgrade their sound experience to Hi-Fi, Apple, Tidal, and Amazon Music are the major music streaming services that will take your audio experience to the next level.
