The only thing that could tempt me is the larger catalog of foreign releases (specifically Japanese rock/pop) that spotify has. Otherwise I've very happy with Tidal, they also have slightly higher pay for artists which is important to me. I still buy physical releases, but often I will use streaming to get familiar with an artist or release first.
Wait, do you actually think that there's no audible difference between a 320kbps mp3 and a 16/44.1 lossless file?
I just find the whole thing laughable, a majority of the general public will not buy into the HD/HiRes streaming mainly because they don't care about sound quality and would prefer the cheapest service available. The way they are trying to sell this (at least from watching the Billie Eilish promo) is using the exact same dialog that Neil Young has been using for his own platforms, I guess they think a fresh face will generate more sales. Audiophiles and people that care about music are the only ones that will care about this service and it will not be worth the price of purchase unless standards are set. Could Spotify not implement a similar standard that Apple did with "Mastered For iTunes"? It puts the pressure on the artists and the record industry to release better sounding products to the masses, it's time for companies like Spotify to step up to the plate make them accountable for better quality. Until then I will not pay for a service like this, I will have to keep expanding my vinyl collection.
I hope the HiFi tier does not require a major change to Spotify connect, so I can seamlessly connect with my OPPO Sonica DAC (which is now discontinued).
Plenty of bricks passed through MFIT's so called 'standards' Labels said 'you get this or nothing, what's it going to be?'
I like Spotify, I used it for a while. I never had a problem with mp3 quality for streaming on headphones/buds as I go for a walk or around the house for background music. CD quality is a nice step in the right direction but it really shouldn't be much of a price increase. I switched to Amazon HD because it was basically the same price. I'm not really sure how great the mastering is on the CD quality or the High Res quality on Amazon HD. It works for the price I guess. I use this mostly to research music or entertain. I mainly listen to records around the house when it's dedicated listening. I do prefer Spotify's interface and Amazon seems to have issues loading at times but maybe that's an issue with the high res files?
Unless these other services has a pay-per-listen subscription, higher "payouts per stream" would seem to indicate people don't listen as much. If I were an artist, I would mostly be concerned with how much money I actually made.
How much more of its revenue should Spotify pay out do you think then, as 70% isn't enough? And how does the market value of a company translate into revenue ready to be paid out?
Spotify should pay a fair amount to artists and eliminate the free tier and charge a price commensurate with the rights it has expropriated. It's current business model is exploitative and on balance a force for bad. Look ma, I'm a commie!
This is awesome news! This is probably a big project obtaining all the lossless files. I hope they do it right and use good masters and not the worst possible brick wall master
I'm guessing they've always had the lossless files and have just transcoded to the lossy formats for users.
About time. I'm subscribing now to three streaming services. With this I think I'll be able to drop Deezer. I'm keeping Qobuz though. It'll get me down to two.
Where (and when)? "Beginning later this year, Premium subscribers in select markets will be able to upgrade their sound quality to Spotify HiFi and listen to their favorite songs the way artists intended..."
It pays 50% of revenue to sound recording right holders pursuant to agreements those rights holders negotiated, and in the US it pays royalty rates to songwriters and publishers set by the government. That's not an expropriation of any rights.
That’s my thought as well except I’d drop Qobuz. I hope they can match Qobuz quality and maintain their better interface and library. Plus you know, listening parties and gaming. Hoping Spotify is all that I need or at least that they will force the other services to improve their shabby old interfaces.
Why do we care what “the masses” want and try force “the masses” to share our obsessions, in which they have no interest? As for myself, I pay for Spotify primarily so I can sample albums outside of my vinyl collection. I already own Kind of Blue and Sgt. Pepper and all of the other classics on vinyl. But when I read about a new (to me) artist online, in Mojo magazine, or on this forum, it’s nice to be able to check them out on Spotify before deciding to buy their album on CD or vinyl.
Would artists really be helped by less money in the bank in return for a nicer-looking "pay per stream"? Free tier users do contribute to the payouts and funnel people into becoming paying subscribers.
Exactly, why does Spotify think that "Hi-Fi" is going to appeal to the general public when they have no interest. It's a lost cause and just another way to grift a few people out of an additional $5-10 dollars a month. Most will be perfectly satisfied with the lowest costing option and that will continue to be the case. I will continue to support artists by purchasing vinyl releases.
You can prepay for a year of Tidal’s HiFi plan via Best Buy for $120, which is half off. If you can wait to the next holiday season they usually discount it. Not sure if this applies to BB Canada.
If it is CD quality I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. I personally hate redbook. Even MPEG streams made at 128k sound better than redbook on my rig. The CURRENT Spotify at 320K even with its dark sounding blotchy audio---sounds richer than redbook at my house! Something about how redbook mangles the interharmonic detail in the midrange and makes cymbals sound like garbage cans banging together---ouch! So for ME it is either 24/192 or GO HOME. So if Spotify is listening to me they either replace Qobuz by virtue of their having a better interface AND 24/192 or FORGET IT.
