


One thing that will probably work in Spotify's favor is how well-supported its wireless streaming standard, Spotify Connect, is. The only way we can see Spotify HiFi being a true rival for Apple Music's lossless streaming tier is if the company can offer it at no extra cost to existing Premium subscribers – audiophiles won't be satisfied by anything less than 96kHz / 24-bit streams, and casual listeners probably won't care enough about CD-quality audio to fork out for it every month. After all, if Apple can offer a better service for less, what's stopping previously loyal Spotify subscribers from jumping ship? Previously, audiophiles have had to pay a premium for hi-res audio on platforms like Tidal – and it could be the same story for Spotify HiFi, which is expected to cost more than a regular Spotify Premium subscription and won't even meet the minimum threshold for hi-res audio.Īpple's delivery of true hi-res audio (as well as Spatial Audio) at no extra cost has likely put a spanner in the works for Spotify. Apple Music (and Amazon Music HD) has introduced hi-res audio to its streaming platform at no extra cost to subscribers, in a move that's democratized high quality audio for the first time.
