Deezer drops HiFi subscription price in SA

Deezer HiFi, which is the service's highest subscription plan, will now cost R89.99 (about $5) per month, down from R119.99.

The top subscription tier delivers top quality audio content in the uncompressed free lossless audio codec (FLAC) format.

At 1.411kbps, FLAC is currently the best quality offered by major music streaming platforms. Deezer's lower-end Premium tier only allows a maximum streaming quality of 320kbps.

With the exception of Tidal, Deezer is the only music streaming service that offers true lossless audio in the country. After the company reported that its HiFi listeners grew 45% last year, the platform made the lossless codec available on mobile in November.

The HiFi format, which Deezer says produces CD-quality sound, has attracted interest from audiophiles who want nothing to do with compressed audio formats like MP3.

With the lowered price, the HiFi tier now costs the same as the Deezer Family plan, which gives up to six users access to the Premium service. The price change also brings the HiFi subscription fee closer to the Premium tier, which costs R59.99.

Additionally, the HiFi offer includes free access to Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format through Deezer’s 360 app. HiFi subscribers would need headphones to listen to the music in the innovative format.

Existing HiFi subscribers will be switched automatically to the new price from their next payment. Those who have not used a Deezer promotion in the past are eligible to sign up for a 30-day free trial.