Spotify Premium prices are set to rise in Europe, the UK, and the U.S. from April 30, according to e-mails obtained by Mashable. Changes affect different types of Premium accounts including Individual, Duo, Family, and Student accounts. The company said that the changes are required to introduce new content and features but there"s no mention of paying artists more money despite past criticism.
The new pricing regime, which is set to come in at the end of the month and affects regions differently, will see Individual accounts increase from £9.99 to £10.99, Duo accounts will increase from £12.99 to £13.99 (€12.99), Family accounts will go from £14.99 to £16.99 (€17.99, $15.99), and Student accounts will rise from £4.99 to £5.99 (€5.99). If the new prices are making you consider whether you want to keep your subscription, you should know that existing users will continue paying the old prices for an extra month as thanks to customers.
Spotify is yet to announce any new features that premium users will benefit from as a direct result of these price increases but hopefully, users will receive improvements to justify the new prices. As one of the biggest players in the music streaming market, Spotify is able to nudge its prices up when it needs to and still hold on to the majority of its customers.
Mashable pointed out that several Spotify subscribers had been venting on Twitter about the price rises and that it was a bit of a coincidence that the price increases were announced on the same day that it was reported that Spotify owner Daniel Ek is preparing a bid to buy Arsenal football club with several of the team’s former players Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Vieira.
Update: Added new prices for Europe and U.S. and adjusted the title.