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Spotify might be about to launch platinum level with higher quality audio

By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 17 October 2022

There was speculation this weekend that Spotify might be getting ready to launch a new ‘Platinum’ subscription package that would be double the price but which will include higher-quality audio.

This is all based on correspondence seemingly received by a person who recently cancelled their Spotify subscription. According to 9to5Mac, that correspondence asked the ex-subscriber if he might consider signing up to Spotify once again if he had access to a number of new features that will be available as part of a $19.99 a month Platinum plan.

The extra features promised in this email apparently include: “HiFi, Studio Sound, Headphone Tuner, Audio Insights, Library Pro, Playlist Pro and limited-ad Spotify podcasts”.

There have been rumours for years now that Spotify would eventually follow the lead of most of its competitors and make higher quality audio available, and at an event in February 2021 the company specifically promised that development – aka Spotify HiFi – was in the pipeline.

Of course, there was a time when higher quality audio was seen as a feature that could command a higher subscription price than the standard 9.99 a month, and initially that’s what Tidal, and then Deezer and Amazon, did. But then Apple decided that higher quality audio should be part of the standard package, making it harder for other services to charge extra.

This means many of Spotify’s rivals already provide higher quality audio in their standard packages. Which is presumably why Spotify Platinum, although making HiFi available for the first time, will also seemingly include other added value benefits.

Spotify is yet to comment on any of this speculation, though the email received by that ex-subscriber implied Platinum would be launching imminently.