Spotify now offers lossless playback!

Step by step User flow for turning on lossless 16x9 1 scaled 2

Good news. Spotify has finally joined the world of lossless playback! Once enabled, listeners can stream in lossless 44.1kHz audio. CD-quality sound without the compromises of lossy compression.

Here’s why this matters for you and your music:

Masters will translate more accurately. Previously, Spotify’s Ogg Vorbis compression could smear transients and soften detail. With lossless, the subtleties in your mix and master. The width, depth, punch, and tone will come through intact.
Greater consistency across platforms. Services like Apple Music, Qobuz, and Tidal have already been lossless for some time. Spotify making this move means a LOT more listeners will finally hear your music as intended, regardless of platform.
Still capped at 44.1kHz. While not offering high-resolution formats (like 48kHz, 96kHz, etc.), 44.1kHz is the CD and streaming standard. It’s more than enough to showcase the quality of a professional master.
Mastering choices matter more than ever. With compression artifacts no longer masking detail, dynamics, EQ, and stereo imaging are going to be clearer to listeners. A great master will now stand out even more.

As a mastering engineer, I see this as an important shift. Spotify is the global market leader with over 276 million paid subscribers. It closes the gap between what leaves the studio and what reaches listeners. Making sure the time you put into your music is truly heard.

If you’ve got a project coming up, let me know. I’ll make sure your masters are ready to get the very best out of all the streaming platforms.