Spotify HiFi is coming to town — and Tidal just peed its pants
AKA a tale of loss
Why is Spotify HiFi such a problem for Tidal?
Basically, the only reason you’d use Tidal over Spotify is for lossless files. With this gone, Tidal loses its only real competitive edge over many over streaming services.
When it comes to flexibility, design, the user interface — anything else you can name, really — Spotify is better than Tidal. In my experience with using the latter, I’d grit my teeth in order to access the higher-quality music files.
This makes something very clear: now I can get top quality tunes on Spotify HiFi, why would I bother with a worse experience elsewhere?
In the sake of balance, Tidal does have a feature Spotify HiFi is unlikely to emulate:Tidal Masters.
Like with anything audio-related, this is both contentious and complex. To summarize as quickly as possible, Tidal Masters allows you to listen to tracksaboveCD quality. The big thing is… you’re basically incapable of hearing those extra details. CDs were literally designed to exceed the capabilities of your ears.
Of course, there are camps that dispute this, so if you’re interested in wading into that mire, please be my guest.
There is one benefit of Tidal Masters over Spotify HiFi though, and that issomeof the albums are actually mastered differently. For example, it’s pretty common for songs to have mixes made for the radio — which means they have more compression and less dynamic range — that appear on streaming services and albums. It’s not always clear when this is the case though…
To try and sum that up: Spotify HiFi is going to hoover up all but the most fervent music streaming fans — which is going to be a problem for Tidal.
Does lossless really matter though?
This is a great point. Honestly? I’m a fan of lossless music, but there is less difference between it and high-quality lossy files than you’d think. If you’re interested in testing your ears,go and do this test. In that, you compare a 320kbs MP3 with a FLAC file. It’s much harder than it sounds.
For me, I love the idea of Spotify HiFi and will definitely subscribe — but you’ll probably have a great audio experience whatever you do.
Just listen to the music love and enjoy it, okay? If it makes you happy, who am I to judge?
In regards to Spotify HiFi, it’s unclear when this will launch, where it will be available, or how much it’ll cost, but it won’t be long until that information becomes clear. And I, for one, cannot wait.
Story byCallum Booth
Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting(show all)Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC.
Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too.
Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.
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