While every other video and audio streaming company is either battling it out or raising its subscription costs sans ads, Tidal today made a surprising move: slashing the price of its high-quality lossless audio plan. This bold change positions Tidal as a truly compelling option alongside streaming giants like Spotify and Apple Music.
Previously, Tidal’s HiFi lossless subscription cost $20 per month—almost double the price of Spotify’s popular $10.99 plan. Now, Tidal is dropping the price to match Spotify’s exact cost. With the HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers gone and combined into one TIDAL tier, the service will now cost you $10.99 USD a month for an individual subscription.
Families will be transitioned to the new TIDAL Family plan, which will cost $16.99 USD a month. Additionally, Tidal will offer its DJ Extension as an add-on for individual plans, which will cost an additional $9 USD a month and allow users to access, stream, and mix music from the service’s DJ partners.
But it’s not all great news, particularly for those that were on TIDAL’s free tier, which will no longer exist. As per the company announcement, anyone on the free tier will now need to sign up for a paid plan in order to continue using the service. You gain some. You lose some.
It is important to note that, while both TIDAL and Spotify now share a price point, their offerings differ. Spotify boasts a huge music catalog and excellent music discovery features. It’s a crowd favorite, especially for casual listeners who love finding new tunes. However, Tidal’s edge lies in its superior lossless audio quality, making it irresistible for serious audiophiles with high-end equipment.
Until recently, music lovers wanting lossless quality had a clear choice: Tidal or Apple Music. Spotify’s continued delays in rolling out their promised lossless tier have left users frustrated. Tidal’s pricing shift, effective April 10th, puts serious pressure on Spotify to step up.