Spotify has announced that Premium subscribers will now be able to stream lossless audio, a long-awaited feature that the streaming platform first promised users in 2021.
Spotify's Lossless feature allows "nearly every song" in Spotify's catalogue to be streamed in 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, and the option is available across mobile, desktop and tablet, along with some third-party devices that support Spotify Connect. Lossless audio is only available to Premium subscribers at no additional cost.
To enable lossless audio Spotify users should tap their profile icon in the top-left corner of the app, go to Settings & Privacy and hit Media Quality. Users can select where they'd like to enable the feature (on Wi-Fi and cellular connections, or only with downloaded audio) and can choose between Low, Normal, High, Very High and Lossless quality levels.
If you're using a Bluetooth-enabled speaker or pair of headphones, you won't be able to enjoy Spotify's highest level of audio quality. The technology doesn't currently provide enough bandwidth to transmit lossless audio, so the signal will be compressed – Spotify recommends streaming lossless music on Wi-Fi using wired headphones or speakers.
Spotify Lossless will be rolling out to Premium subscribers in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK over the coming weeks, along with more than 50 additional markets throughout October.
The arrival of Spotify Lossless addresses a common complaint among the streaming service's user base: rivals such as Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL have offered lossless audio for several years. Spotify first announced its Lossless feature - then named Spotify HiFi - at 2021's Stream On event.
“The wait is finally over; we’re so excited lossless sound is rolling out to Premium subscribers,” said Spotify's Vice President of Subscriptions Gustav Gyllenhammar.
“We’ve taken time to build this feature in a way that prioritizes quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what’s happening under the hood. With Lossless, our premium users will now have an even better listening experience.”
The news arrives as scores of musicians pull their music from Spotify, including Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Xiu Xiu, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Deerhoof. Several artists have cited Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's recent investment in military defence company Helsing – a German manufacturer that develops AI-powered battlefield drones – as motivation for their withdrawal.
“We are currently working to take all of our music off of garbage hole violent armageddon portal Spotify,” Xiu Xiu wrote in an Instagram post. “Please cancel your subscription.”
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