Music remixing has become increasingly popular on social media, especially on TikTok and YouTube. The act of speeding up, slowing down, or changing the pitch of songs has brought in millions of streams for random users, while the original artists remain uncompensated. Some artists on Spotify already released slowed and sped-up songs along with the original. However, some listeners may still want to remix the song to their liking. Spotify may have just developed the perfect solution with a new feature on its app that allows users to experiment with potentially new playback and audio features.
With the way fans are listening to music constantly shifting in recent years, it is rumored that Spotify will release a new Spotify Music Pro feature to fit the needs. This feature would include lossless audio, giving listeners the highest audio quality possible. Spotify typically compresses audio files, to save file space and allow for easier streaming, leading to slight decreases in audio quality. However, lossless audio typically involves compressed audio files that have no reduction in sound quality, essentially giving listeners a digital copy of the original recording.
Spotify Music Pro may also contain playback features, allowing users to take the role of a DJ and remix the speed and pitch of the song. This is not a new practice, especially in the younger generation that is filled with millions of TikTokers. Indeed, many TikTok users––usually teenagers––often manipulate songs to utilize for dance challenges, memes, and more on the app. Although the price has not been released yet, these new features would most likely cost more than the current Individual Premium subscription, priced at $10.99 per month.
Users on Reddit were able to dig out these conclusions by surfing through Spotify source code on the app. They found mentions of lossless audio, increased audio quality, and music pro—as an “add-on.” In addition, they found out the possibility of headphone enhancements. In short, Spotify would allow users to select their exact headphone model and optimize their listening experience. It is rumored that Apple’s AirPods Pro will be one of the headphone models supported by the streaming platform.
“Spotify’s exploration of the new tools spotlights a scramble among music and tech executives to ensure artists and labels continue to make money even as the way fans consume music evolves,” described an article fromThe Wall Street Journal. This would allow Spotify to regain the streams lost in TikTok and Instagram reels, divert monetization back to the original artists, and in turn increase personalization on the application.
Although all these rumors may seem unorthodox to develop and release at once, Spotify seems to have already prepared for its releases. In fact, Spotify has previously hinted at updates, such as through announcements in 2021 regarding rumors that a new “Spotify HiFi” or a “Supremium” subscription would be added to the app. Much similar to the rumored features on Spotify Pro, these updates looked to emphasize lossless-quality hearing, enhancing the overall audio quality on the app, according to The Verge. As the release of Spotify HiFi was heavily delayed, many believe that Spotify is planning to bundle the features of HiFi with the new Music Pro features in order to gather a higher price and generate much more revenue.
Spotify’s intentions for such updates are clear; the company recognizes the increasing competition with other music streaming platforms. Notably, Apple Music, which has arguably been Spotify’s long-lasting and biggest competitor in recent years, already contains features of lossless audio. According to Apple, its developers were able to implement lossless audio into their music platforms through the usage of AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) that provides audio “virtually indistinguishable from the original studio recording.” Apple has openly boasted about the wide availability of this feature across its devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod, Apple TV, and even Apple Vision Pro.
Supporters of Apple have often pointed out that this lossless audio feature is one of the major aspects that differentiate Apple Music from Spotify. However, Spotify fans have always counter-argued by emphasizing the various, unique attributes that Spotify contains. Such arguments will be settled when––if ever––Spotify rolls out its features on Spotify Music Pro. The date on which the feature would release is uncertain; however, with countless rumors and even leaked codes, many fans are confident that these additions will be added very soon.
With the promise of enhanced audio quality and innovative playback features for its users, the features of Spotify Pro appear to be a potential step to revolutionizing the streaming experience for music listeners around the world. Will it be released or not? Will it be worth the wait? We will all find out hopefully very soon.
