Spotify rumoured to be introducing new "Supremium" subscription band later this year
The plan, which includes HiFi audio and expanded audiobook access, is projected to be rolled out in "non-US countries first"
Spotify is rumoured to be launching a more expensive subscription service to its platform by the end of 2023.
Bloomberg reported yesterday that the streaming service could introduce the ‘Supremium’ plan in the next few months, offering HiFi audio and expanded audiobook access.
The ‘Supremium’ service is projected to hit non-US countries first, Spotify affiliates told Bloomberg, requiring users to pay more for several new features.
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Despite Spotify’s announcement to introduce lossless HiFi audio quality under the name Spotify Connect back in February 2021, the feature has yet to become available.
Apple Music and Amazon Music, Spotify’s largest competitors, currently offer HiFi audio playback or ‘CD quality’ for free.
Bloomberg revealed that the streaming service has made plans to add an expanded selection of audiobooks rather than sell titles individually, while ‘Premium’ users will have access to a specific number of free hours or titles each month.
Earlier this year, Spotify’s co-president Gustav Söderström told The Verge that HiFi was still underway despite the delay. “We announced it, but then the industry changed for a bunch of reasons,” he said.
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“We are going to do it, 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.”
Price plans for further premium options have not been agreed upon yet, although when it was put to Spotify users in a survey in October, Spotify suggested charging $19.99 per month for quality services.
“We want to do it in a way where it works for us from a cost perspective as well,” Söderström told The Verge. “I’m not allowed to comment on our label agreements, nor on what other players in the industry did, for obvious reasons.”
[Via Bloomberg]
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter