According to CNET, Spotify is reportedly planning another price increase for its US Premium services starting in early 2026. The current $12 monthly Premium plan would likely jump to around $14, matching recent hikes in Europe, South Asia, and Latin America. This would mark the third price increase since 2023, when Premium plans moved from $10 to $11, then to $12 in 2024. Spotify also offers Family ($20), Student ($6 with Hulu), Duo ($17), and Basic ($11 without audiobooks) plans. Despite these ongoing increases, Spotify continues growing its subscriber base globally, reaching 276 million Premium users in Q2 2025 compared to 246 million the previous year. The company maintains about 32% market share in music streaming as of late 2024.
The Price Hike Pattern
Here’s the thing about these increases – they’re actually pretty calculated. Spotify waited years before that first 2023 hike, and now they’re doing the slow-and-steady approach. Basically, they’re testing how much people will tolerate without mass cancellations. And so far? The numbers suggest most subscribers are sticking around.
Think about it this way: if you’re already paying $12, is another dollar or two really going to make you jump ship? For many people, the answer seems to be no. The convenience of having your entire music library and personalized playlists accessible everywhere is worth the extra cost. But how long can this continue before people start pushing back?
Why Now and What’s Next
Spotify’s been making some interesting moves lately. They just added the ability to import playlists from competitors like Apple Music and Tidal. That’s a pretty smart retention strategy – make it harder for people to leave by lowering the switching costs.
Meanwhile, the company has faced some controversies that could have hurt growth. Some musicians have been abandoning the platform, and there was that whole mess with ICE advertising backlash. Yet according to Statista’s subscription data, none of this has really slowed their momentum.
The Bigger Picture
What’s fascinating is how this might ripple through the industry. As one expert noted in the report, competitors like Apple Music and Tidal have been priced lower than Spotify. If Spotify successfully pushes prices higher, don’t be surprised if everyone else follows suit. It’s basically the streaming equivalent of “if they can get away with it, so can we.”
There’s also the artist payment angle. Higher subscription prices could theoretically mean more money flowing to musicians, though as the article points out, labels still control how that pie gets divided. The market share dynamics show Spotify’s dominance isn’t really threatened yet, despite these regular price adjustments.
At the end of the day, it comes down to value perception. As marketing expert Shoshana Winter from Converge Marketing put it, subscribers are willing to absorb modest hikes for the convenience and personalized experience. Spotify seems to have found that sweet spot where they can raise prices without triggering mass defections. But 2026 will be another test of just how elastic that customer loyalty really is.
