Spotify (Nasdaq: SPOT) is rolling out long-awaited support for lossless music streaming to its Premium users after years of anticipation. The company first announced plans for a HiFi tier back in 2021, promising CD-quality sound, but multiple delays pushed the launch back. Starting today, Spotify’s lossless streaming is becoming available in over 50 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Japan, and Sweden, with a full rollout expected through October.
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek highlighted last year that the company was still in the early stages of delivering lossless streaming due largely to licensing negotiations. Unlike some earlier speculation that lossless audio would come as a pricier add-on or a separate tier, Spotify is including this higher-quality option at no extra cost for existing Premium subscribers.
The new streaming quality supports up to 24-bit depth at 44.1 kHz sample rate in FLAC format, which means it preserves every detail of the original audio without any compression. While this matches standard CD quality, it falls a bit short compared to rivals such as Apple Music and Tidal, which offer higher resolution streaming up to 24-bit at 192 kHz. Still, for millions of Spotify users, this represents a substantial upgrade from the existing “Very High” quality setting.
Activating the lossless option is straightforward for premium subscribers once the feature becomes available to them. Users receive a notification within the app and can enable lossless streaming from the settings under Media Quality, applicable to Wi-Fi, cellular data, and downloads. Devices compatible with this feature include headphones and audio equipment from brands like Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser, with support for Sonos and Amazon hardware expected in the near future.
Spotify’s introduction of lossless streaming arrives more than four years after its initial announcement, lagging behind competitors who added similar offerings earlier in the decade. Apple Music was first to introduce lossless streaming for no additional subscription fee in 2021, followed shortly by Amazon Music dropping extra charges on their HD tier. During this time, loyal Spotify users frequently expressed frustration over the delay, as “high-quality music streaming” remained one of the most requested features.
The delay boiled down primarily to rights negotiations with music labels rather than technological hurdles. Spotify has had the necessary infrastructure for lossless streams ready for some time, but securing global licensing agreements to offer lossless tracks proved complicated. In recent years, occasional leaks and code discoveries within the app hinted at lossless streaming arriving soon, increasing anticipation among audiophiles.
With the rollout underway, Spotify faces a critical moment to keep its subscriber base engaged and meet expectations raised by competitors and years of marketing discussions. Providing lossless streaming free to Premium members suggests Spotify is betting the move will help maintain loyalty without fragmenting its user base with paid tiers for this feature.
