By Oshin Hephzibah
Spotify, the leading streaming platform today, clearly knows its worth and what it brings to the table for its listeners. This ubiquitous music streaming giant has recently been making headlines following their announcement of a new, pricier premium tier back in 2021. Though we are yet to find out what this big money move fully entails, it prompts the question — what exactly are current premium subscribers paying for? Before understanding the implications of recent announcements, let’s take a look at the factors surrounding Spotify’s new tier.
Inside Spotify’s Premium Upgrade
All the high-end specifics are still under wraps but according to Bloomberg, “the plan will cost at least $5 more per month (exact cost unknown) and include access to high-fidelity audio and new playlisting tools,” suggesting that there will be a significant upgrade to one’s standard spotify premium experience. It will likely be presented as an add-on feature on Spotify.
This new information has surfaced nearly a year after Bloomberg reports outlined the new Spotify tier, initially dubbed the “Supremium Tier” (currently known as Spotify Music Pro), aimed at increasing revenue for Spotify and its business partners.
As a dedicated Spotify Premium user, it’s puzzling to wonder if I’ve been missing out on a truly premium experience. Given the recent increase in the Spotify Premium Individual Plan which had slipped in at a price point of $11.99 instead of the usual $10.99, what additional premium services could this new tier potentially offer to cater to a broad audience at a higher price point?
Exploring Spotify Music Pro (ft. Hi-Fi Audio!)
In a statement to The Verge, Spotify Spokesperson Grey Munford said, “At Spotify, we are constantly exploring ideas to improve our product offering and offer value to users… But we don’t comment on speculation around possible new features and do not have anything new to share at this time.”
Intriguingly, the recent code discoveries (shoutout to Reddit User, Hypixely) within Spotify’s apps suggest an elevated listening experience with high-quality lossless audio (up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC), a feature quite anticipated by audiophiles. It also hints at AI-driven playlist curation and advanced song mixing/remixing tools, which could further enhance personalisation within the app itself!
Check out the code at Imgur here!
Coming round to understand the specifics, here are some of the main ‘upgrades’ that this pricier premium tier might bring to said audiophiles:
High-Fidelity Audio
Perhaps the major selling point for avid audiophiles, High-fidelity Audio allows Spotify to deliver a richer, more detailed listening experience as compared to normal streaming qualities. If you had a chance to read my piece on ‘The Resurgence of Vinyl’, it’s no shock that young listeners are increasingly adapting to more authentic listening methods, one where the loudness war or standard compression are of mere importance, cultivating a premium listening habit. But wait…
What Exactly is Hi-Fi Audio?
High-fidelity Audio refers to the high-quality reproduction of sound, which aims to recreate the original audio source as accurately as it can, delivering an authentic listening experience akin to a live performance. It includes audio formats, such as FLAC, ALAC, which when compared to standard compressed formats provide a world of difference in sound.
From Low Distortion, Wide Frequency Response, High signal-to-noise ratio, to impeccable channel separation, it focuses on capturing and delivering extreme key details of music with exceptional clarity in your own living room!
Catering to a Niche Audience
Keep in mind, not every single person associated with Spotify premium fully understands the use of high-fidelity audio, especially since the current tier has been satisfactory for many.
However, catering to audiophiles could position Spotify as a more premium service, attracting a niche market willing to pay a higher amount to get that high-end listening experience.
Exclusive Stuff and Ad-Free Perks?
Well, with a new tier, as you often see with premium upgrades, there is bound to be some kind of access to exclusive content, for instance, live performances, behind-the-scenes stuff or even artist collaborations?
According to several articles online, we might also be getting ad-free podcasts or higher device limits for simultaneous streaming! The only downside might be that this could potentially decrease the monetization options for podcast creators.
However, there are several other implications that might affect the average listener and artist(s):
Potential Drawbacks for Listeners
Creating subsets or a complex tiered system could easily confuse users and collapse if the value proposition is not made distinctly clear. Not just that, the new tier might bring down the value users see within premium subscriptions if the benefits aren’t compelling enough, making existing premium users feel undervalued. A possibility, but owing to Spotify’s reach, they might just be able to innovatively tackle this issue?
Impact on Artists
The overall impact on artist revenue still remains unclear. If the new tier ends up offering exclusive content, it could create potential disparities in artist exposure and subsequent reach. Additionally, change in streaming quality and listening habits could affect royalty calculations, but since we don’t have any further information from Spotify itself, it’s imperative to wait and see how they introduce this tier while addressing all the above-mentioned factors.
While we are yet to see what Spotify Music Pro entails, it’s clear that something is in the works here. The main hope is that this particular feature will do right by Spotify’s artists as well as the listeners, especially in terms of monetization for the former. While it’s exciting to have a more authentic listening experience via this streaming platform, it only raises more questions on how listeners will work their way around its new price and additional features!
I, for one, am eagerly anticipating the potential impact of this new tier, and look forward to sharing updates with you in a future blog post!