Spotify Rolls Out Lossless Audio for All Premium Subscribers

Lead: Spotify today unveiled free lossless audio streaming for Premium users, launching CD-quality 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC support in 50 markets, including the US, UK and Australia, beginning September 10.

Nut Graf: After years of delays and rival services offering high-fidelity tiers at no extra cost, Spotify’s new lossless feature arrives at no additional fee, aiming to close the gap with Apple Music and Amazon Music while boosting subscriber satisfaction.

Rollout Details

  • Available at no extra charge to all Spotify Premium accounts in over 50 markets through October.
  • Initial access granted in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom.
  • Support for FLAC-encoded 24-bit/44.1 kHz streaming across mobile, desktop and select Spotify Connect devices from Sony, Bose, Samsung and Sennheiser, with Sonos and Amazon integration coming next month.

User Experience and Activation

Premium subscribers will receive an in-app notification once lossless audio becomes available. To enable, users must navigate to Settings & Privacy → Media Quality and select “Lossless” for streaming and downloads. A lossless indicator appears in the Now Playing bar and Connect Picker when active.

Industry Context

Spotify’s vice president of subscriptions, Gustav Gyllenhammar, said, “The wait is finally over; we’re thrilled to introduce lossless audio to our Premium subscribers,” emphasizing user-friendliness and transparency throughout development. This move follows Apple Music’s free lossless launch in May 2021 and Amazon Music’s matching strategy, reflecting growing consumer demand for high-fidelity audio at no extra cost.

Technical Specifications and Limitations

  • Streams up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC but does not yet match competitors’ maximum offerings of 24-bit/192 kHz.
  • Bluetooth streaming is unsupported due to bandwidth constraints; wired or Spotify Connect connections are recommended for full fidelity.
  • Lossless downloads require more storage, and streaming performance depends on network quality, especially on cellular data.

Looking Ahead

Spotify plans to expand device compatibility and market availability through October, with potential future enhancements including higher sampling rates, spatial audio support and integration into a possible “Music Pro” tier. This launch marks a significant milestone in Spotify’s efforts to elevate audio quality and compete more directly with established high-fidelity streaming services.