Rumors about a Spotify HiFi tier have been around since at least 2017, and the company even announced plans to launch such a feature in 2021 — only to back off the next year. Now, the company may finally be ready to launch a high-fidelity plan (dubbed "Supremium" internally) that would be its most expensive tier, according to Bloomberg. The aim would be to drive more revenue and address investor demands that it raise its prices. Spotify reportedly delayed rolling out the plan back in 2021 as two of its primary rivals, Apple Music and Amazon Music, started including the feature for no charge in their standard plans. In addition, Spotify may enhance its regular Premium offering with expanded audiobook access, either through a certain number of free hours per month or a specific number of books (with an option to purchase more). Audiobooks are currently only available on Spotify via individual purchases. There's no word on whether audio would be lossless at up to 24-bit and 192kHz, as it is on Apple Music and Amazon Music. Lossless audio generally doesn't work on Bluetooth speakers or headphones (including Apple's AirPods and AirPods Max), due to the high bandwidth, so users need a wired or WiFi setup.Pricing hasn't been revealed, either. Spotify has kept its Premium plan at $9.99/month in the US, unlike Apple and Amazon, which raised their rates to $10.99. CEO Daniel Ek said in a recent earnings call that the company tries to balance subscriber growth with revenue, so... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-06-20 12:38:47 UTC ]
Sweden’s Bonnier has announced a sweeping expansion in Europe of its BookBeat digital service, multiplying by seven times its former reach in terms of markets for audiobooks and ebooks. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Service Has More Than 50,000 Audiobooks and Ebooks he... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-06-24 12:55:40 UTC ]
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Audiobook streaming service BookBeat has launched in 24 new European markets, making the service available in 28 countries overall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-24 12:31:26 UTC ]
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A little under two years after its five-season run ended on BBC America, Orphan Black is returning with a bang, and probably loads more sound effects. Fiction publishing startup Serial Box is reviving the beloved sci-fi show this summer as a ten-epis... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-06-13 22:51:00 UTC ]
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Angelica Gonzalez used to read about a book a year. Then she discovered the Libby app, which allows anyone with a Los Angeles Public Library card to borrow e-books, audiobooks and other electronic media — for free. Now Gonzalez regularly checks out titles and transfers them to her Kindle.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-12 10:00:00 UTC ]
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You can now use Apple Pay to make purchases from iTunes, the App Store and Apple Books. You can also use it for Apple Music and iCloud storage subscriptions. MacRumors spotted the change in a recently updated support document. The added Apple Pay opt... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[caption id="attachment_154889" align="alignright" width="150"] Roger Lynch[/caption] Nearly five months after Condé Nast announced that CEO Bob Sauerberg would depart the company, the magazine publisher finally named former Pandora president and CEO Roger Lynch as the new global CEO on... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Music has been on its way to overtake Spotify in terms of subscriber base for a while now. The service got a new boss, Oliver Schusser, this past April, as well. Now, Schusser's first major initiative appears to be the launch of Apple's own mus... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2018-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple’s services business is proving that the company has a built-in audience–a sort of affinity group–that’s ready to buy everything from apps to books to accessories. Apple Music is reportedly launching a publishing division. This would make it easier for Apple to license music, and it could... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2018-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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