Spotify Hi-Fi music tier tipped with lossless audio

By Brittany Roston/

The days of low-quality audio streaming may be behind us, at least as far as Spotify is concerned. Screenshots from the service have appeared online detailing a not-yet-available "Spotify Hi-Fi" service that gives users access to lossless CD-quality audio for an additional $5 or $10 per month. Users aren't yet able to sign up for the service and the pricing seems inconsistent at this time.

While the service isn't yet available, the appearance of the upgrade option indicates big things in Spotify's near future, namely a change that will help the service compete with other lossless alternatives while leveraging higher-quality mobile listening options. The cost, according to the screenshots that have surfaced, are in addition to the regular monthly fee.

Reports of the new service are appearing on Reddit as well as Twitter, indicating many users are seeing this new lossless audio option appear. In the Reddit post linked, the user says the upgrade offer was for $7.50/month, which is different than the $5 and $10 fees some other users are seeing. This is perhaps Spotify's way of testing which pricing tier users will find more alluring.

The option for lossless audio is great for subscribers, of course, but could also prove an excellent way for Spotify to boost its premium revenues without having to tack on a larger number of subscribers. When asked for a comment, Spotify gave a generic response, indicating that it tests new products regularly and that is all. When/if this new lossless audio option will go live for subscribers is anyone's guess at this point.

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