Spotify Introduces Lossless Audio: A Guide to Optimizing Your Listenership Experience
Spotify, the popular music streaming platform, has taken a significant step forward in audio quality by introducing a high-fidelity, "lossless" audio setting. This new feature is being rolled out to Spotify Premium subscribers over the next month.
Lossy formats, such as MP3 and AAC, are commonly used in streaming services due to their efficiency for storage and streaming. However, they don't provide the same richness and depth of sound as lossless audio files. Spotify's new setting plays 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC files, which are far superior to the lossy formats that Spotify usually uses.
To turn on lossless audio on Spotify, users can navigate to the settings menu in the desktop or mobile app and select "media quality," then the "lossless" option. It's worth noting that a moderately fast internet service and wireless router are necessary for streaming lossless audio.
Matt Jancer, an experienced tech writer based in New York City, sheds light on this development. With 15 years in the industry and contributions to more than 15 magazines, including Car and Driver, Outside, Esquire, Smithsonian, Playboy, and Wired, Jancer is well-versed in the nuances of the tech world.
This move by Spotify follows in the footsteps of other streaming services like Tidal, Deezer, and Amazon Music, which already offered a lossless audio option in 2021. Arch-competitor Apple Music introduced a lossless audio option a few months after Spotify's announcement.
Lossless audio refers to the type of file used to share music, which reproduces the song as it was originally recorded. Lossless audio file formats like FLAC and ALAC feature every bit of musical information from the songs' master tracks.
However, not all sound systems can handle lossless audio. Users are advised to ensure their surround sound system or headphones support FLAC and ALAC lossless formats, as well as 24-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/96kHz, or 24-bit/192kHz audio. Many high-end headphones also support FLAC and ALAC, but they usually rely on the source device for decoding. Modern DACs and amplifiers can handle sampling rates of 24-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/96kHz, and 24-bit/192kHz for high-quality audio playback.
A Spotify Premium subscription is required to access the lossless audio setting, which costs $12 per month for an individual plan. The feature is currently rolling out to Spotify Premium subscribers and should be available for everyone by the end of October, 2025.
Digital songs can be divided into lossy or lossless formats. While lossy formats are efficient for streaming and storage, lossless formats provide a more authentic listening experience, cherished for their richness and depth of sound. With Spotify's new lossless audio setting, music enthusiasts can now enjoy their favourite tracks with unprecedented clarity and fidelity.
