Technologies

Spotify’s Getting a More Expensive Hi-Fi Audio Plan, Report Says

Expect to see the new plan available in the US in October.

Spotify is reportedly planning a new premium tier that would include high-fidelity audio at a higher subscription price, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The new plan would offer subscribers CD-quality sound through lossless compression.

The new «Supremium» subscription tier will likely cost more than Spotify’s Premium plan that includes ad-free listening and goes for $10 a month, the report says. Spotify did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On top of hi-fi audio, the Supremium tier would also include expanded audiobook access that will offer listeners either a number of free hours per month or a number of titles.

Expect to see the new plan to be available in the US in October, after Spotify first launches it in markets abroad.

Spotify revealed that it was working on a HiFi tier in 2021, but halted its rollout after Apple Music and Amazon Music began to offer their own high-fidelity features for free in their own subscription plans.

Uncompressed audio offers some advantages over compressed audio. But hi-fi audio doesn’t always outperform CD audio quality for playback. Bluetooth headphones and earbuds add their own compression to audio, so lossless playback may not make it all the way to your ears even if you’re paying for it, my colleague Stephen Shankland pointed out.

CNET’s Ty Pendlebury called Spotify «a pioneer in music streaming» and says it takes the cake as the «best music streaming service overall,» in his list of the best music streaming services.

Technologies

The Tariff Price-Hike Highway: Subaru Says Some Cars Will Cost More

The Japanese automaker said some models will be priced higher due to 25% tariffs affecting the auto industry.

Technologies

Texas Bill Would Ban Social Media for Minors. Here’s What That Would Mean

The Texas law would allow parents to request the deletion of social media accounts for those under 18.

Texas may soon pass into law one of the most restrictive set of social media rules for minors, including making it illegal for those under 18 to be on social media.

House Bill 186 would not only prohibit minors from creating new social media accounts on services such as TikTok, Instagram and X, but it would require age verification for everyone else creating a new account. Under the law, parents could request a minor’s social media account be deleted and the platform would be required to remove it within 10 days or face fines and lawsuits. Lawmakers who support the bill say it will counter the mental health harm that social media poses to teens.

The bill has passed the Texas House of Representatives and still needs to pass the state senate and get a signature from governor Greg Abbott. A similar law passed in Utah last year was blocked months later by a federal judge. A legal battle over social media restrictions in Florida is also ongoing.