Spotify’s CEO doesn’t actually know when promised HiFi feature will roll out

If you’re one of the many Spotify users wondering where the service’s promised HiFi feature is, it seems that even CEO Daniel Ek doesn’t know the answer to that. Speaking to analysts and investors yesterday, Ek explained that the feature is tied up in the licensing process, but that Spotify is “in constant dialogue” with labels to actually bring the feature to market…

Spotify HiFi still MIA

Spotify first announced its plans to roll out a new Spotify HiFi tier almost exactly a year ago, with a promise that the feature would launch before the end of 2021. That deadline came and went without an update from the company, leaving many users in the dark despite similar features rolling out for Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Last month, Spotify issued a vague comment on the status of its HiFi rollout, essentially saying that the feature had been delayed indefinitely. Since then, it seems nothing has changed.

Speaking to analysts and investors yesterday following Spotify’s Q4 2021 earnings release, CEO Daniel Ek said that the company still doesn’t have any specific information to announce on this feature. Ek explained that many features related to music end up being delayed due to licensing negotiations with partners:

Many of the features that we talk about and especially that’s related to music ends up into licensing. So I can’t really announce any specific on this other than to say that we’re in constant dialogue with our partners to bring this to market.

9to5Mac’s Take

Ek’s explanation here doesn’t really add up when you consider that both Amazon Music and Apple Music have launched HiFi streaming tiers at no extra cost for existing subscribers. Some important context here is that when Spotify first announced its plans to roll out HiFi, it said that it would offer the feature would be an additional cost add-on for Spotify Premium subscribers.

Regardless of the details of the situation, it continues to reflect poorly on Spotify. The company announced its HiFi tier almost exactly a year ago, and yet still hasn’t rolled it out. Its latest comments on the status of the feature also don’t instill confidence that it’s coming in time soon, or perhaps even coming at all.

Are you a Spotify user holding out for HiFi support? Let us know down in the comments.