Yet another streaming service is going to hit its customers with a price hike, in the latest case of what"s being called "streamflation". This time, it will affect subscribers of Amazon Prime who want to sign up to use the Amazon Music Unlimited services.
The Hollywood Reporter states that Prime members who decide to use the premium music streaming service will now have to pay an extra $1 a month. Individual plans will be switching from $8.99 to $9.99 a month, and annual plans will go up from $89 to $99.
Also, the Family plans for Amazon Music Unlimited, which lets users share up to six accounts at once, will go up from $15.99 to $16.99 a month for Prime members. The annual plans will also be going up from $159 to $169. New subscribers will get these price increases immediately, and current Prime subscribers will see these price hikes on September 19.
Amazon Music Unlimited offers over 100 million songs to stream ad-free with some songs supporting higher audio files like Ultra HD and Spatial audio. Prime members get access to Amazon Music Prime at no additional cost, but it doesn"t offer on-demand music, nor access to premium audio support.
This is just the latest example of higher streaming subscription prices as media companies try to actually make money rather than just concentrate on getting more subscribers. Last week, Disney announced major price increases for its ad-free plans on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Peacock also announced price increases for both its Premium and Premium Plus plans in July.
YouTube Premium prices went up by $2 a month to $13.99 a month in July as well. Even the Spotify music streaming service decided in July to hike its prices for the first time since the service launched, with its Spotify Premium plan switching from $9.99 to $10.99 a month.