Spotify has a price increase planned for early 2026

In the age of digital subscriptions in which we find ourselves, price increases have become par for the course. Spotify is no different to other companies in this regard, and the arrival of a new year seems to be as good a reason as any to hoik up monthly fees.

At the moment there is no official word from Spotify itself, but a price increase is certainly due, and a report by the Financial Times suggests that it is just around the corner.

The timing is slightly different to previous increases, however. In the past, the fee hikes have landed around the middle of the year, but this time things are different. The FT says that “Spotify [will] raise US prices in the first quarter of next year.

The paper does not have any precise details about the new subscription price, or an exact date, but says that the information comes from three people familiar with the matter.

The price rise in its largest market will come as Spotify pushes to show sustained profitability. Shares in the group rose 2.4 per cent in early Wall Street trading on Tuesday, leaving them up by more than one-third so far this year, compared with the broader S&P 500 index’s increase of about 14 per cent. 

Spotify has increased prices in several other countries in recent months, including the UK, Switzerland and Australia, but it will be the first price rise in the US since July 2024.

While subscribers will undoubtedly complain that the increase is a money grab, the FT makes a reasonable point. It says:

The major record labels have been pressing Spotify, Apple Music and other music-streaming platforms to increase their fees, arguing prices have lagged inflation and subscriptions remain cheap compared with video services such as Netflix. 

When asked about what was going to happen with US pricing, Spotify’s co-chief executive Alex Norström said:

We will act when the time is right for each specific market, and we’ll do it at the appropriate price based on those market dynamics.

Although details are yet to be revealed, how much of an increase would you be willing to stomach before you consider giving up your subscription and moving elsewhere?