Spotify has started sending out emails to its subscribers in the UK and Europe informing them of a forthcoming price hike. The new subscription rates will be applicable starting April 30, 2021.
The price hike is across the board for new and old subscribers across various Spotify plans.
Spotify Is Getting More Expensive in the UK and Europe
Spotify is hiking its subscription fees for users in the EU and UK. The company says that the price hike will allow it to "bring you new content and features that you can enjoy." It is unclear if the price increase will lead to an increase in artist payouts or not. But we're going to guess not.
The new subscription rates will come into effect for new Spotify subscribers starting April 30, 2021. Existing Spotify subscribers will get one more billing month at their existing rates, with the new prices coming into effect from June.
Spotify is also giving new subscribers who are currently enjoying their one-month trial period until June before billing them at the higher rate.
Depending on which Spotify plan you are subscribed to, the price increase is in the range of €1-3 in the EU and £1-2 in the UK. The price hike will also affect Spotify's Student plan. Below are the new subscription prices for Spotify in the UK:
- Spotify Student: £4.99 > £5.99
- Spotify Individual: £9.99 > £10.99
- Spotify Duo: £12.99 > £13.99
- Spotify Family: £14.99 > £16.99
The new Spotify subscription prices for European users are as follows:
- Spotify Student: €4.99 > €5.99
- Spotify Individual: €9.99 > €10.99
- Spotify Duo: €12.49 > €13.99
- Spotify Family: €14.99 > €17.99
Depending on which part of the EU you live in, the price hike might be more than mentioned above. The highest price increase is for the family plan, which is becoming expensive by nearly 20 percent.
Spotify Subscribers Are Understandably Angry About the Price Increase
The price hike has not gone down too well with Spotify subscribers, and many have taken to Twitter to express their anger about it. Some users are also considering switching to Apple Music, which costs £9.99/month in the UK.
Spotify announced a lossless streaming tier dubbed Spotify HiFi in February of this year. The company is yet to officially announce its subscription price.
Given the price hike for the regular tiers, however, Spotify HiFi is likely going to be more expensive than what we initially thought.