Iâm hard-pressed to find another example of a tech company announcing something and then waiting over four years to actually ship it, but thatâs exactly the situation weâve reached with Spotify and its long-delayed HiFi feature. The latest reports indicate itâs finally coming in a matter of months as part of a Music Pro package that Spotify hopes will ensure the serviceâs continued profitability.
But this has become quite the saga.
First introduced on February 22nd 2021, Spotify HiFi was to roll out later that year â or such was the original plan, anyway. In that story, I wrote âyour turn, Apple Music,â which is funny in retrospect since Apple Music managed to successfully deliver lossless and high-resolution audio just a few months later (and at no added cost for subscribers). Amazon stopped charging extra for lossless music at around the same time.
By all accounts, this aggressive approach from both companies totally derailed Spotify HiFi, which was always going to demand an upcharge over the serviceâs regular Premium subscription. The company went radio silent on the feature, and Spotify spokespeople never provided any meaningful updates on its status.