Hey Canada! Spotify has got a hot new remix for you and it's called "Unavoidable Price Hike Due To Inflation." Yeah, not exactly chart-topper you were hoping for, eh? But before you get on your soap box to rant about this assault on your bank account, let's break it down.
Spotify appears to have jumped aboard the recent price hike bandwagon, upping the cost of its Premium subscriptions following similar announcements by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The price change, which came into effect on Monday, July 24, has impacted the cost of subscriptions in several countries, which is some good news at least, because the last thing we need is some Swedish music company holding a mysterious vendetta against Canadians.
Among the other countries affected by the increases are the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Australia.
The new Spotify Premium plan will cost Canadian subscribers an extra loonie each month, increasing from $9.99 to $10.99.
Here's a closer look at the new price breakdown:
- Individual Premium: $10.99 per month (was $9.99)
- Duo Premium: $14.99 per month (was $12.99)
- Family Premium: $16.99 per month (was $15.99)
- Student Premium: $5.99 per month (was $4.99)
Spotify's message.Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
Spotify, clearly aware of Canadians' love of all things polite, even sent a personal message to subscribers about the price change this week, informing them of the two months grace period before the new prices take effect. The reminder added, "You can always cancel your subscription on the account page."
A press release explaining the changes reads, "The market landscape has continued to evolve since we launched. So that we can keep innovating, we are changing our Premium prices across a number of markets around the world. These updates will help us continue to deliver value to fans and artists on our platform."
Now, to be fair, the company has been launching a whole bunch of innovative features as of late like the discovery tool AI DJ (which uses AI to curate lineups of your favourite music and recommend artists based off your taste with a weirdly human-like voice) and shared experiences like Blend.
But, are these features worth paying extra for each month? Well, it's hard to say, you'll have to be the judge on that one. One thing is for certain though, the prices are going up.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.