Tidal is changing its pricing, and it’s bad news for HiFi subscribers

(Image credit: Tidal)

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Tidal here at What Hi-Fi?. Since 2015, we’ve dubbed it the best music streaming service for audiophiles for its consistently excellent sound quality and bulging roster of hi-res Tidal Masters all laid out in an intuitive, expansive user interface. But could that change in the face of reports that Tidal will soon be increasing its subscription price?

It seems that no matter where you go or where you look, prices are going up for everything from hummus to headphones. Streaming services are no different, with many platforms, be they audio or video, raising their prices in response to the global economic downturn. And Tidal is, seemingly, set to follow suit.

If a popular Reddit feed is to be believed, Tidal charges are about to change globally, with many users worldwide being notified of a rising subscription price for the HiFi (lossless CD-quality audio) tier via email. According to the correspondence, prices will increase on August 1st and subscriptions will automatically renew at the new monthly price on the first billing date on or after that time.

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Tidal prices — Tidal's current, pre-change prices for UK users. (Image credit: Tidal)

The current monthly charges for the HiFi tier are £9.99 / $9.99 / AU$11.99, allowing for streaming in lossless CD-quality audio quality. Prices are set to rise pretty consistently across the board for HiFi, meaning that UK users will now pay £10.99 a month for the standard service in parallel with $10.99 in the US. It’s also a unit increase for European members, too, with many Redditors also reporting a hike of a single Euro to take their memberships up to €10.99.

We’ve seen no indications that the price of the more premium HiFi Plus tier, at £19.99 / $19.99 / AU$23.99 per month, will go up. For the record, HiFi Plus offers hi-res 24-bit streaming via MQA Masters (and now, FLAC) as well as Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks.

Tidal hasn't provided a reason for this apparent price hike, though the rollout of hi-res FLAC streams being added to the catalogue for HiFi Plus subscribers (which has already begun) probably hasn’t helped keep operational costs down lately.

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Harry McKerrell is a senior staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. During his time at the publication, he has written countless news stories alongside features, advice and reviews of products ranging from floorstanding speakers and music streamers to over-ear headphones, wireless earbuds and portable DACs. He has covered launches from hi-fi and consumer tech brands, and major industry events including IFA, High End Munich and, of course, the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. When not at work he can be found playing hockey, practising the piano or trying to pet strangers' dogs.