If you use Apple Music and Spotify you may have noticed that the audio quality between each service is quite different with Apple Music offering more Dynamic High Fidelity audio. Why is this? Well, it’s because Apple does quite a few things differently than Spotify.
First, they stream songs at a higher bit rate of 256 kilobits per second compared to 160 for free Spotify users and while paid subscribers do have a 320 kilobit per second option on Spotify audio quality still won’t likely be as good as the 256 standard option on Apple music and the reason why has to do with audio compression.
You see streaming services want their file sizes to be as small as possible for several reasons that way storing millions of songs takes up less space on their expensive music servers and when you select a song to play on your device it takes less time to load and buffer finally downloading a song for offline listening takes up less of your storage space so smaller file sizes benefits everyone and the way that’s done is through audio compression which can be achieved in a variety of ways with different methods.
Delivering different levels of quality file size and cost When Apple Music was originally released in 2015 Apple only offered songs compressed in their AAC format which while not retaining 100% of the original audio data did deliver better sound quality than Spotify’s OGG Vorbis format.
But in 2021 Apple took things even further by offering lossless audio using their own compression format called Apple Lossless Audio Codec also known as Apple Lossless, or Apple Lossless Encoder (ALE) which simply means there’s no data lost between the original song file and the compressed file this means better sound quality but also larger file sizes how much larger well a 4-minute AAC song on Apple music would be about 4 megabytes while the same song in less would be about 20 so about five times larger.
Spotify on the other hand doesn’t offer true lossless audio they did announce plans for a new Spotify Hi-Fi streaming tier back in February 2021 which would have delivered lossless songs to users willing to pay a higher monthly subscription but they have been no signs of it since and after 3 years many are wondering if it’ll ever arrive.
Meanwhile, Apple not only delivered lossless audio on their streaming platform but did it without charging a premium and they didn’t stop there Apple also created something called spatial audio which is essentially an upgraded version of surround sound where instrumentals or vocals can be placed in 3D space around the listener creating an audio experience similar to a movie theater.
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This technology is achieved by basically taking a 5.1 or 7.1 Dolby Atmos signal containing multiple channels then applying various audio filters and equalizers to make it sound like the audio is coming from all around you.
This is a technology Spotify doesn’t offer but Apple didn’t stop there because airpods have sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes apple can track your head movement and adjust the placement of these audio channels.
As you move your head around which gives the illusion that the audio is coming from a fixed point in space as if you really are in a wide open movie theater rather than wearing headphones that are stuck to your head so all of these things AAC encoding lossless audio spatial audio and head tracking make apple music sound way better than Spotify or any other music streaming service.
How Spotify Outsmarted Apple in the Streaming Wars
Back in 2015, Apple tried to crush Spotify.
• They threatened to remove Spotify from the App Store.
• Demanded a 30% cut from all Spotify subscriptions.
• Blocked app updates, making it harder for Spotify to compete.
But Spotify didn’t back down. Instead, they launched a brilliant counterattack. It All Started In 2006, Daniel Ek founded Spotify in Sweden. At the time, the music industry was in crisis:
• Piracy had wiped out 50% of industry revenue.
• CD sales had plummeted.
• iTunes had taken over legal music downloads.
Most people believed streaming had no future. When Apple launched Apple Music, they made life difficult for Spotify:
1. App Store tax: They charged 30% on all subscriptions made through iOS.
2. No external payment links: Spotify couldn’t direct users to cheaper payment options.
3. Update restrictions: Spotify was blocked from mentioning prices in-app updates.
4. Unfair advantage: Apple Music came pre-installed on over 1 billion devices.
This put Spotify in a tough spot:
• On iOS, Spotify costs $12.99 (to cover Apple’s 30% fee).
• Everywhere else, it was $9.99.
• Apple Music? $9.99 everywhere.
Apple was using Spotify’s revenue to undercut them but Spotify Fights Back instead of giving in, Daniel Ek took a bold step:
• filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the EU.
• Apple hit back, claiming Spotify wanted “all the benefits of a free app without actually being free.”
Spotify didn’t stop there. They launched TimeToPlayFair.com, exposing Apple’s restrictive policies:
• Blocked 12 Spotify app updates.
• Prevented Spotify from working on HomePod.
• Refused Siri integration for Spotify.
• Restricted how Spotify communicated with users.
The backlash was massive and the war escalated, Spotify’s campaign began to gain momentum:
• The EU launched a formal investigation into Apple.
• The US Congress questioned Apple’s practices.
• Other developers joined Spotify’s fight.
• South Korea passed new laws targeting Apple’s App Store rules.
It was like David vs. Goliath in the Bible story, and David won. Spotify’s First Major Victory was in 2021. Apple was forced to allow external payment links, weakening its 30% App Store tax. But the most shocking part? While battling Apple, Spotify’s user base kept skyrocketing:
• 2015: 75M users
• 2017: 140M users
• 2019: 248M users
• 2021: 365M users
• 2023: 489M users
During the fight, Spotify added 414 million users. How Did They Win? Ek’s strategy was simple but effective:
1. Made the fight public, turning it into a movement.
2. Rallied other developers to stand against Apple.
3. Prioritized user experience over everything.
4. Kept innovating (adding podcasts, audiobooks, and new features).
5. Never backed down.
By exposing Apple’s restrictions, Spotify turned a legal battle into free publicity. Where Things Stand Today
• Spotify: 489M users
• Apple Music: 88M users
The “small Swedish startup” didn’t just survive it dominated.
