Spotify Stream On feature brings HiFi quality audio and new podcasts.
Spotify held an event in which it showed us some key elements of its plans for this year. And although they are not a big surprise, they may be the key to 2021 being a good year for the Swedish company, which despite being the dean and most recognized among streaming services, faces fierce competition that makes its situation is not as comfortable as you might expect.
Spotify Stream On: HiFi quality audio and new podcasts will be available
The main announcement was something that many users have been waiting for for years, to the point that it is surprising that Spotify had not yet advanced in this regard. The big news is Spotify HiFi, the long-awaited version of the service in which the music will have CD quality, and with which the company intends to face mainly Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Deezer HiFi, the two most popular streaming music services currently offering HiFi quality.
At the moment not too many details are known about Spotify HiFi. According to the company, the service will be launched sometime this year and in some countries, and although they have not clarified it, we can imagine that with part of its catalog. Nor do we know the price it will have, which will undoubtedly be higher than the standard subscription. Unless there are surprises, we can imagine that it will be between the $14,99 of Amazon’s service and the $19,99 of the Tidal. And maybe we’re wrong, but we see it closer to the first than the second, or in a more risky and ambitious bet, daring to a price slightly lower than Amazon Music HD.
And another unknown, probably the most important, we still do not know what will be the sound quality in Spotify WiFi. We do know that the company has been testing for years in this regard, but so far no data has been disclosed. but since the term “CD quality” has been mentioned, we can interpret that in any case, it will not go below 16-bit/44.1 kHz, and hopefully, it will improve it, otherwise, it may fall short compared to its rivals.
HiFi quality is demanded by more and more users every day, who have no problem paying a few dollars more per month in exchange for being able to enjoy high-quality sound. This is also related to the proliferation of high-quality headphones which, of course, are an essential element to get the most out of these services. Spotify is indeed a little late, but on the other hand, it seems like the right time, and if it plays its cards right, it could be quite a successful move.
On the other hand, and also as we saw coming some time ago, Spotify continues to strengthen its commitment to podcasts, a business area in which it has invested heavily, but which so far have not been as profitable as expected. Even so, it seems that its managers continue to see possibilities for growth in this regard, and therefore will grow its catalog in this regard, with content that at least a priori seem very interesting and varied.
Among the protagonists of these we find from Renegades: Born in the US, a joint podcast of Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen in which they will discuss life in the United States, to the Russo brothers and David S. Goyer, which makes clear the interest generated in Spotify content related to the universes of Marvel (although in this case will not be related) and DC, which will bring some of its most important characters to Spotify in podcast format.
