Spotify Supremium explained: when will the long-awaited hi-res streaming upgrade appear?
All you need to know about the upcoming CD-quality music streaming service, which looks to be called Spotify Supremium
Spotify HiFi rumours have circled for years. And now it seems the service – dubbed Spotify Supremium – is on the way…at some point. Read on for more about what that means!
Back in February 2021 Spotify officially announced a new tier that offered CD-quality music using a lossless compression format, ideal for high-end speakers or headphones
The high-quality streams would, the company said, be “rolling out in select markets later this year”. We even got a Billie Eilish featuring ad and everything. Since then, nothing official has happened on the topic. Yes, that’s over three years we’ve been waiting.
Currently, when you listen to music on Spotify, the stream is compressed to make better use of the available bandwidth. There are a couple of different ways of doing this. Spotify uses Vorbis and AAC. But what they have in common is that they use ‘lossy’ compression. This means that bits of the music file are thrown away in an attempt to reduce the amount of data being sent. Spotify Hi-Fi would offer CD-quality or lossless streaming – more on what that means below.
When is Spotify HiFi or Supremium coming?
We still don’t know. After a 2023 presentation, Spotify co-president Gustav Söderström told The Verge that Spotify “are going to do it [HiFi], but we’re going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.”
Söderström added that the hi-res service “is coming at some point.” But it’s still not here as of early 2024. The service has been much delayed considering it was first trailed in 2021.
There was a lot of speculation Spotify HiFi might be announced at the company’s annual Stream On event on 8 March 2023. Instead the presentation showed us a bunch of creator tools, user features, and new programming available on the service. The platform was TikTokified, with the company officially announcing a new scrollable layout and extra Spotify exclusive podcasts.
We also got the AI DJ app – a feature that adds an MC, blends and other algorithmic personalisations to playlists. Listeners can discover new music overseen by the voice of Xavier ‘X‘ Jernigan, who will recommend songs, and offer pieces of trivia on your favourite artists.
What is Spotify Supremium?
In September 2023, a Reddit-user named u/Hypixely found within the Spotify app code details about a ‘Supremium’ tier. Bloomberg also reported that the new tier will be named Supremium. The code discovered seems to confirm many of the rumours surrounding Spotify HiFi; 24-bit lossless music, AI-powered playlists and advanced mixing tools are all mentioned.
Since then, we’ve heard further news about a Supremium tier, yet again through u/Hypixely, who trawled through lines of code in Spotify’s most recent app update to reveal some very obvious hints. In one snippet of code, the user discovered the words ‘lossless has arrived’, as well as some evidence that the upgrade will play ‘up to 24-bit/44.1kHz’ FLAC files.
Thanks to a Threads post from writer Chris Messina, might also have a logo.
Yes, we’re not entirely sold on the name ‘Supremium’ either…
In April 2024, some ‘Pro’ branding appeared in code, spotted here. This would suggest the new tier may be named ‘Music Pro’, but it might not be a new tier at all. Instead, Spotify could brand this lossless audio plan as an add-on, rather than an entirely new tier.
What will I need to listen to Spotify Supremium?
The upgraded service will most likely be part of the standard Spotify app. Examples of lossless audio compression algorithms include ATRAC from Sony, FLAC, HD-AAC (which Spotify already uses in its Premium tier) and Dolby True-HD.
Wired speakers or headphones should have no problem getting the full Supremium quality, with the usual caveats about analogue connections, but if you want to use wireless headphones make sure they (and your player) support a higher-bitrate Bluetooth codec such as aptX HD Lossless or LDAC, otherwise all that extra information will be compressed away in the last stage of its journey.
What will Spotify Supremium cost?
It’s safe to assume that it’ll be a costlier tier than the current $9.99/£9.99 Spotify Premium.
Alongside news of Supremium, u/Hypixely also discovered within the Spotify app code a price of $19.99. The price could be a placeholder, but at least it’s a sign. And it’s a sensible assumption in any case.
If Spotify does charge extra for lossless audio, it’ll go against the grain of other streaming providers, such as Tidal, Apple and Amazon, who provide lossless streaming as an added extra to their existing subscribers.
Ian Evenden
