After recently raising its prices in North America, Spotify is now set to implement similar price adjustments across most other regions worldwide. The Swedish company confirmed this past Monday that the cost of its Premium subscriptions will soon increase in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
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Rising Price Alignment Globally
By the end of August, subscribers will likely receive an unwelcome email notifying them of the new rates. While Spotify has not yet released an official price list, these adjustments are meant to bring subscribers worldwide roughly in line with those in the United States, where the individual subscription rate has been set at $11.99 since 2024.
In France, there will be no change since all Premium plans were affected by price increases of up to 3€ per month starting June 3, 2025. Therefore, it’s improbable that another increase will occur just weeks after the last one:
• Premium Individual: 12.14€ (previously 11.12€)
• Premium Student: 7.07€ (previously 6.06€)
• Premium Duo: 17.20€ (previously 15.17€)
• Premium Family: 21.24€ (previously 18.21€)
Spotify describes these increases as occasional updates needed to maintain a “world-class experience.” However, these come at a time when the platform has just reported somewhat disappointing results: revenue of 4.19 billion euros in the last quarter, below the expected 4.26 billion, and a net loss of 86 million euros, as opposed to a profit of 225 million a year earlier. Thus, the price hikes seem to be a direct response to the service’s financial troubles.
Is Streaming Becoming a Luxury?
This trend toward higher prices is not new. In 2023, the individual U.S. subscription increased from $9.99 to $10.99, and in 2024, it rose to $11.99. Spotify could potentially improve its margins in the future thanks to a recent change in its iOS and iPadOS app.
It’s important to note that users can now make direct purchases bypassing the App Store, which allows Spotify to avoid the 30% commission typically collected by Apple. This move could help recoup some funds, but it may not be enough…
With this latest increase, Spotify confirms a general trend in the industry: music streaming services can no longer maintain the low prices that characterized their initial offerings. Now, the multi-million dollar question is whether users will accept this new step in price escalation or if they will turn to alternatives…