Deezer is launching its high-definition audio streaming service globally starting today.
Dubbed ‘Deezer Elite’, the service makes 35 million audio tracks available, as well as lossless FLAC streaming at a 1,411kbps standard.
Deezer calls this a ‘significant jump in music quality’, claiming it streams at ‘five times the bitrate of other services’.
The service was made available worldwide to Sonos users last month at no additional cost, but now anyone can access Deezer Elite.
“Last month Deezer was proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Sonos, where Deezer listeners on Sonos were able to upgrade to Deezer Elite, at no additional cost,” explained Deezer.
“Deezer is now the largest global high definition streaming service in more than 150 countries.”
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At launch, Deezer Elite will cost £14.99 for 12 months, £9.99 per month for one year with £120 paid upfront, or £9.99 per month for two years with £240 paid upfront. We've contacted Deezer about this pricing, however, as it doesn't seem clear why anyone would opt to take either of the latter two options and pay significantly more.
All of these offers include a free one-month trial, so you can check it out before you sign up to any payment plans.
Tyler Goldman, CEO of Deezer North America, said: “Given our early success, with over 200,000 new users in the first few months since launch, making the service available globally is a natural next step to satisfy the unmet needs of audio enthusiasts across all markets.”
Deezer Elite first launched over in the US late last year, with Deezer subsequently claiming that 65 per cent of surveyed users ‘would never go back to MP3’ having used the service.
It also revealed that 91 per cent of users could ‘hear the difference’ between regular files and hi-def audio.