Spotify increases its prices for millions of UK customers: Premium subscriptions rise by up to 13% – and angry users threaten to cancel their subscriptions
With over 600 million users worldwide, Spotify is one of the biggest apps of them all.
But users are now furious as the streaming giant has confirmed it is raising its prices for the second time in less than a year.
In Great Britain, the prices of all three Spotify Premium subscriptions are increasing by as much as 13 percent.
The Individual plan goes from £10.99/month to £11.99/month, Duo goes from £14.99/month to £16.99/month, and Family now costs a whopping £19.99/month, an increase of £17.99/month.
The price increase has angered many users, with some even threatening to cancel their subscriptions.
It is the default music streaming app for millions of people around the world. But Spotify risks angering its user base by raising prices again
Spotify has continued to add new users and paying subscribers every year, even when it first raised prices in July 2023
Spotify will send customers an email informing them of the price increase, which will take effect next month.
Spotify said it is raising prices so it can continue to offer customers “the best experience.”
“Your subscription price will change from your billing date in May,” the email says.
“You’ll continue to enjoy the benefits you know and love today, like ad-free music listening and downloading for offline listening.”
Users took to
He continued, “Finally a reason to leave @AppleMusic! I’ve been a Spotify member for years, so this is such a shame!’
Another simply posted: “Spotify goes up, can cancel principal (sic).”
Yet another said: ‘spotify going up again? Didn’t the price literally go up less than a year ago?’
Pictured, email sent to a Premium Duo customer in Great Britain. Duo – which allows two people living together to stream from one account – goes from £14.99/month to £16.99/month
Users shared their anger on X (Twitter), with one asking the company: “Are you completely crazy?”
Another X user simply posted: ‘Spotify goes up, can cancel principal (sic)’
Another said: ‘spotify going up again? Didn’t the price literally go up less than a year ago?
‘Think it’s time to cancel’: Spotify has an estimated 574 million monthly active users worldwide
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Spotify will increase its prices in five markets at the end of April, including the UK, Australia and Pakistan, and in the US later this year.
According to the report, the Swedish audio company wants to raise money to cover the costs of offering free audiobooks to Premium subscribers.
Although Spotify hasn’t verified this, the new email to customers confirms that the price increase is official.
Spotify’s UK website has also been updated with the new prices.
The only tier not affected is the student tier, which remains £5.99 per month, but this won’t be available to the vast majority of users.
Despite an outpouring of frustration online, it appears Spotify will continue its growth.
Spotify’s UK website has also been updated with the new prices. Individual goes from £10.99/month to £11.99/month, while Duo goes from £14.99/month to £16.99/month. Family now costs £19.99/month, up from £17.99/month, while Student remains the same
Spotify has managed to add new monthly users and paid subscribers every year since its founding in 2015.
Even between 2022 and 2023, when prices were last raised, Spotify added 113 million new users.
At the end of 2023, Spotify had 612 million monthly users, of which 236 million were paid subscribers.
In March, Spotify took on YouTube when it launched a music video streaming service for premium subscribers.
WHAT IS SPOTIFY?
Spotify is a music, video and podcast streaming service founded on April 23, 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Spotify allows users to create and customize their own playlists and browse content using parameters such as searching by genre, artist and album.
It compensates artists by paying them royalties based on the number of streams proportional to the total number of songs streamed.
The company was founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon and officially launched on October 7, 2008.
Spotify is a music, video and podcast streaming service founded on April 23, 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Spotify allows users to create and customize their own playlists and browse content using parameters such as search by genre, artist and album
It operates using a ‘freemium’ service model, meaning the basic features are free with some restrictions and advertising, while additional services are available via a paid subscription.
The service is available in most of North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and some parts of Asia.
It is available on macOS, Windows and Linux computers, as well as Android, iOS and Windows smartphones and tablet computers.
Spotify currently has approximately 159 million users, of which 71 million use paid subscription services.
Are gain for the 2017 fiscal year this is believed to be around $4.99 billion (£3.63 billion).