Recently, Spotify has been making headlines everywhere. A lot has transpired lately, from Spotify’s new podcast creator tools to the removal of features from the free plan for Indian customers. In the interim, a Spotify Supremium also made its appearance online, confusing internet users for all the right reasons.
What precisely is Spotify Supremium, and how does it operate, then? What is the estimated cost? With this brand-new premium tier, what is Spotify up to? Let’s get started since reports and leaks have been coming in thick and fast and we have the answers to these queries.
What is Spotify Supremium?
Right present, Spotify is the most popular music streaming service worldwide, with over 500 million active users each month. Many of these users also choose Spotify Premium in order to take benefit of the unlimited, continuous listening option, rather than just the “next 30 minutes.” Given that there are more than 200 million Spotify Premium subscribers, it makes sense that the massive streaming service plans to step things up with what some are referring to as Spotify Supremium.
It all began sometime in September 2023 when Reddit user u/Hypixely discovered allusions to Spotify Supremium in the Spotify app’s code. He covered a wide range of topics, including the cost of this Premium package. Later, in October 2023, well-known supporter of open-source software and hashtag creator Chris Messina used Threads to corroborate the Spotify Supremium findings. We learn a great deal about the upcoming Spotify Supremium tier because of all these leaks.
How Much Will Spotify Supremium Cost?
The leaks show that the monthly cost of Spotify Supremium will be $19.99. For those who don’t know, this means that you will have to pay $9 more than the Spotify Premium plan, which has an Individual plan starting at $10.99/month. The prices of the Family and Duo plans are $16.99 and $14.99, respectively.
This is also in line with a leak that surfaced over a year ago, in which a Reddit user discovered a “Platinum” Spotify premium tier while completing an online survey. It was also revealed by same leak that the monthly price is $19.99. It’s possible that the Spotify Supremium that everyone is referring to as this Platinum tier. What additional features does Spotify Supremium offer, then? Let’s explore.
Spotify Premium Features
The option for Hi-Fi streaming is expected to be the standout feature of the future Spotify Supremium subscription level, based on the leaks. Yes, with this paid plan, the nearly two-year-old promise will finally be kept.
Lossless Audio Support
Spotify revealed the HiFi premium plan, which is more expensive, back in February 2021. Users had been waiting for this tier for more than two years, but it never materialised. In June 2023, a report by Bloomberg proposed renaming the HiFi tier as Supremium.
According to the Thread post, HiFi is no longer in existence and that Spotify Supremium will enable users to listen to 24-bit Lossless Audio. Without a question, lossless audio is popular right now, and it appears that Spotify has finally made the decision to get involved. However, Really not sure if charging people more for lossless music is a good idea. Lossless audio support is available with Apple Music for as little as $4.99 per month.
The most popular audio codec at present is Apple Lossless Audio, or ALAC. This is because, even if the file size has been reduced, the audio quality and data are preserved. This is also done by AAC, but ALAC achieves it better. Other lossless audio formats, such as FLAC and AIFF, exist and are far superior to lossy ones, such as AAC. Considering how well-liked Apple’s AirPods are now, it also makes reasonable that Spotify will eventually release this feature. Additionally, Supremium will have the following features:
Your Sound Capsule
A Sound Capsule will probably look something like this if you have ever created time capsules as a child. Chris surmises that the “Spotify Playlist in a Bottle” feature will probably be rebranded as a result of this. This function essentially lets you build a musical time capsule digitally and then retrieve it a year later to see what you were listening to at the time. Thus, it’s likely that subscribers of Spotify Premium will obtain Your Sound Capsule as a feature.
Advanced Mixing Tools for Playlists
You currently have access to Spotify Mixes, a tool that creates customised playlists based on your listening preferences. According to sources, Spotify Supremium will give you access to an improved version of this, enabling users to create more customised playlists based on factors like mood, genre, beats per minute (BPM), and other factors. It appears that this will help consumers find more musicians who share their tastes in music.
Create Playlists using AI
It was recently discovered that Spotify was also creating AI playlists. According to the leaks, this will be a feature exclusive to Spotify Supremium. Spotify introduced Niche Mixes earlier this year, which let you search for almost anything you wanted to listen to and the service would create a playlist for you.
Additionally, there is the much-discussed Spotify AI DJ, which selects music for you based on a variety of factors, including the time of day and your listening history. Although it is currently in beta, additional markets are progressively receiving access to it so that people can utilise it.
It appears that Spotify will enhance these features by including AI Playlist Generation with its premium service. It will be a feature where you input the AI bot prompts and see it generate a playlist for you, similar to the ChatGPT prompts we use now. References to the AI-generated playlist function, which might be a component of the current Blend Genre, can already be seen in the Spotify app code.
Spotify Top Picks
Let’s be honest: most of us are excited for Spotify Wrapped as December draws closer, right? Seeing a thorough breakdown of your favourite musicians, listening habits, and all the data is always beneficial. But as of right now, Spotify Wrapped—a once-a-year tradition—is the only way to learn about this. In addition to Spotify Wrapped, you can create a Spotify Iceberg with Icebergify.
You may get “Last.fm-style listening stats” within the Spotify app or the web version itself with Spotify Supremium thanks to a feature called Highlights. This implies that you won’t have to wait a year for all that data and that you may examine your listening statistics instantly.
Extended Listening Time for Audiobooks
Spotify users had to buy audiobooks separately in 2022 in order to listen to them. But Spotify now revealed that their Premium subscription tier will grant users access to 150,000 audiobooks. Users in Australia and the UK can already benefit from this upgrade. US consumers will be able to access it later this year, as per Spotify. Users will have access to 15 hours of listening time, though. That might soon change since, according to Messina’s Thread post, Spotify Supremium will increase the listening period for audiobooks to 20 to 30 hours.
Date of Spotify Premium’s Release
Chris has noticed some crucial clues, even though there is currently no hard information available on the debut date of Spotify Supremium. He notes in a different Threads post that “pricing experiments” were discussed during the Spotify Investor Day 2022 announcement. Based on this, the tech blogger expects Spotify Supremium to launch by year’s end.
Will the Spotify Premium Be Worth It?
To be quite honest, not every user will find it acceptable to pay a monthly cost of $19.99. On paper, this seems like a big deal, especially considering that Apple Music already offers Lossless Audio for as little as $4.99 a month (with the most affordable Apple Music Voice plan). Additionally, Lossless Audio is available through Amazon Music with its $9.99/month Prime membership. Amazon Music is available to non-Prime members for $10.99 a month. While AI-generated playlists are certainly interesting, is Spotify Premium really worth the extra money?
We think it’s most likely that someone who is accustomed to Spotify’s user interface and recommendation system and doesn’t want to move platforms will upgrade to the Supremium plan for Hi-Fi capabilities. On the other hand, you may just stick to the basic Spotify Premium subscriptions if you don’t want to use any of the features. Say, for instance, that you don’t see yourself using AI-generated playlists and mixes or those 20–30 hours of audiobook listening; in that case, no one could possibly persuade you to subscribe to Spotify Premium in the near future.
Supremium, however, might be a motivator for people who want to switch to Spotify substitutes. It doesn’t seem good for Spotify that the most affordable plans from Apple Music and Amazon Music enable Lossless Audio. By now, the business ought to have included this into its entry-level Premium products. It doesn’t seem wise to pay an extra $9 for it. How about you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below regarding the impending Spotify Supremium paid tier.