Spotify, the world’s most popular music platform, is apparently preparing for another increase in its subscription fees. According to a report published by the Financial Times, the company plans to raise its Premium subscription prices in the US market in the first quarter of 2026. This move, expected to be the first price increase in the region since July 2024, is yet to be officially commented on by Spotify.
Spotify signals new price hike: Prices may change again in 2026
After years of anticipation, the platform recently launched its 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC lossless audio feature. Many experts predicted this feature would come with a price increase, but Spotify surprisingly offered this improvement at its current price. Recent reports suggest that this “short-term” gesture is about to end, and that higher quality may now come at a higher price.
The company’s price hike strategy isn’t limited to direct price increases; the “bundle configuration” model implemented in markets like India is a notable example. Spotify has restructured its Premium packages in this region into Platinum, Standard, Lite, and Student. The “very high sound quality” previously offered at the standard price has now been shifted to the more expensive packages, while users who remain at the old price are now stuck with lower sound quality (Lite). In other words, users who want to continue using the same service are indirectly forced to pay more.
In the US, the current $11.99 Premium price for Individuals is higher than that of its competitors, Apple Music and YouTube Music ($10.99). Despite the advantageous packages offered by its competitors, Spotify’s boldness in raising prices demonstrates the platform’s reliance on user loyalty. However, this also poses the risk of users turning to alternatives.
Users in Turkey, however, have yet to recover from the shock of a significant price increase that took effect on November 10th. As you may recall, the Individual Premium subscription fee was raised from 80 TL to 135 TL, and the student subscription from 60 TL to 99 TL. It remains unclear whether this new wave of price hikes, which has been discussed globally, or the strategy of “dividing price increases into packages” like the one in India, will impact the Turkish market in the coming period.
What are your thoughts on this? Are you continuing to use the platform after the recent price hike, or have you turned to other alternatives?
