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The streaming service is increasing prices for several of its subscription plans around the world. Here’s what you need to know.
Spotify could cost you a little more from next month onwards, depending on what plan you’re on.
The music and podcast streaming service has announced price increases for several of its subscription plans in the US, the UK and Europe.
In Ireland, those on a Student plan will see an increase of €1 per month to €5.99. The Duo plan, which is aimed at two people in the same household, will rise from €12.49 to €13.99 per month.
The Family plan, which allows an account to have up to six individual profiles, will see its price jump from €14.99 per month to €17.99 per month.
While users in the UK will see similar increases on their Student, Duo and Family plans, the US escapes some of the price hikes for now, with only the Family plan increasing from $14.99 to $15.99 per month.
No price increases were announced for those with an individual account, which currently costs €9.99 a month in Ireland.
Spotify investments
The price increases come as Spotify has been investing heavily to strengthen its portfolio and services, with podcasts being a top priority.
In a letter to shareholders following its 2020 fourth quarter earnings report, the company said that podcast performance benefited from “strong, underlying demand from advertisers”.
At an event in February this year, it announced several new podcasts including a multi-year partnership with filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and Bruce Springsteen and former US president Barack Obama teaming up for an eight-episode series.
The streaming giant is also one of several tech companies getting in on the live audio game, having announced its acquisition of Betty Labs, the company behind the live sports audio app Locker Room, last month. According to Bloomberg, the company is planning to hire more than 100 people to work on a Clubhouse-style live audio feature.
As if all of that wasn’t enough, Spotify revealed earlier this month that it is dipping its toes into the hardware game with a free device for playing music in cars. The imaginatively titled Car Thing is a lightweight device that sits on a driver’s dashboard to allow for control of music or podcasts mid-journey.
Updated, 11.50am, 27 April 2021: A previous version of this article stated that the price of Spotify’s Duo plan in Ireland would rise to €12.99. This was corrected to €13.99.
