Spotify adds subscribers, still hasn’t added high-res audio

1 month ago

Digital Trends whitethorn gain a committee erstwhile you bargain done links connected our site. Why spot us?

Spotify coming announced its third-quarter 2023 earnings, and pinch it came news of an summation successful subscribers twelvemonth complete year, arsenic good arsenic for nan quarter. But still MIA is immoderate benignant of high-resolution audio, contempt caller (and persistent) rumors.

“It was a genuinely stellar quarter,” CEO Daniel Ek said connected nan company’s net call, soon aft it was announced that nan streaming euphony work reached 574 cardinal monthly progressive users, up conscionable 4% for nan quarter, but 26% twelvemonth complete year. Premium subscribers now full 226 million, up 16% twelvemonth complete twelvemonth and 3% for nan quarter.

Spotify besides managed a crisp turnaround successful operating income successful nan 3rd quarter, signaling 32 cardinal euros successful nan achromatic versus nan 247 million-euro nonaccomplishment nan erstwhile quarter. Spotify besides weathered a value summation successful July, which brought its monthly costs successful statement pinch competitors.

That’s each bully news for investors. And Spotify was speedy to talk up improvements for users, including nan Spotify apps themselves, arsenic good arsenic contented for illustration books and podcasts.

Still absent, however, was immoderate talk of nan long-awaited “lossless CD-quality” streaming action Spotify announced successful February 2021. There has been immoderate chatter of precocious of a “Super Premium” tier that could beryllium priced astir $20 a month. But nan third-quarter news came and went without immoderate existent movement.

The deficiency of lossless news isn’t each that astonishing fixed that Spotify evidently hasn’t been successful a hurry to rotation it out. And possibly it doesn’t request to, fixed that it’s larger than nan competitors that do person high-res options — namely Apple Music. (Apple doesn’t merchandise subscriber numbers, but estimates put Apple Music numbers location astir 20% of Spotify.)

Ek did barely touch connected nan thought of a lossless tier successful nan second-quarter net call, further slow-rolling things. “HiFi remains thing that we deliberation has value,” he said. “But it has worth to much aficionados successful nan streaming market. And we’re willing in, obviously, really we tin usage that arsenic 1 instrumentality to, successful nan future, summation our worth moreover further.”

In different words, not yet. If ever.

Editors' Recommendations

No, Apple Music’s caller Discovery Station won’t termination Spotify
Tidal’s caller hi-res FLAC action couldn’t beryllium much annoying
Spotify’s hi-fi lossless tier could get this twelvemonth — arsenic a paid upgrade
Tidal CEO says hi-res lossless is coming, raising doubts astir MQA
$2,199 Hed Unity Wi-Fi headphones are nan first to connection lossless hi-res audio

Phil Nickinson

Phil spent nan 2000s making newspapers pinch nan Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, nan 2010s pinch Android Central and past the…

NAD’s CS1 adds wireless streaming euphony to immoderate audio system

The NAD CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer.

If you've sewage a hi-fi strategy you love, but it doesn't speak Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, aliases immoderate different wireless streaming languages, NAD's caller CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer ($349) provides a super-simple and compact upgrade.

The London, England-founded, Canadian-based company, announced nan compact audiophile-grade constituent coming that allows you to adhd streaming capabilities to beautiful overmuch immoderate euphony system. The CS1 tin play high-res audio astatine up to 24-bit/192kHz (with its soul DAC besides supporting MQA decoding) via various sources, pinch connectivity options that see Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, and features support for Apple AirPlay 2, GoogleCast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Roon. Through Bluetooth, however, you tin watercourse euphony from immoderate app from a smartphone, computer, aliases tablet, opening up nan playback options.

Netflix adds spatial audio to prime movies and shows for each subscribers

Netflix app icon connected Apple TV.

Netflix has announced that it has added spatial audio to a assortment of movies and shows connected its streaming video service. The audio format is disposable to each subscribers sloppy of their subscription tier aliases their country. To find spatial audio-enabled content, type "spatial audio" into nan Netflix hunt bar. Any of nan titles shown successful nan results will support nan feature, according to nan company's blog post.

Spatial audio refers to immoderate audio that goes beyond nan accepted stereo aliases 5.1 situation sound experience. Until now, nan only measurement you could perceive spatial audio connected Netflix contented was via Dolby Atmos, which is simply a spatial audio format that requires contented that has been recorded successful Dolby Atmos. It must besides beryllium played connected a instrumentality that specifically supports Dolby Atmos. On apical of that, Netflix only makes Dolby Atmos versions of its movies and shows disposable to its highest subscription tiers, further limiting who tin entree it.

Streaming hasn’t killed cablegram yet, study finds

TiVo Video Trends Report connected an iPhone.

TiVo — which, yes, is still a point — has released its "Video Trends Report" for nan 4th fourth of 2021. It surveyed 4,547 adults successful nan U.S. and Canada.

While there's thing earth-shattering successful nan study — called "Finding Balance successful nan Great Rebundling" — it's still an absorbing look astatine really a action of folks are managing their intermezo choices going into 2020, and it's worthy perusing nan afloat report. Cable is still around. There are much streaming services than ever. And while plentifulness are consenting to salary for their content, advertising-based services that provender free shows are doing conscionable fine.