Spotify users just can't seem to catch a break. After raising subscription prices last year, the music streamer is raising prices again this year, Spotify announced Monday.
"So that we can continue to invest in and innovate on our product features and bring users the best experience, we occasionally update our prices," the company said in a blog post announcing the Spotify price hike. The post says that customers will get an email "over the next month" with the news.
The good news is that there's always time to review your options and see if there are other streaming services with better deals or if now's the time to cancel and rid yourself of yet another recurring subscription fee.
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How much does a Spotify subscription cost?
Spotify is a music favorite with its easy-to-use app, playlist-sharing features and its price with it being the cheaper option compared to other music streaming giants like Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Tidal.
The price hikes will go into effect in July. The price of an Individual subscription will be $11.99 monthly; a Duo subscription will be $16.99 monthly; Family will be $19.99 monthly; Student subscriptions will be $5.99 monthly.
It might seem surprising that Spotify historically has lower prices than its competitors, but it does have some limitations compared to them. For example, Spotify uses lossy compression for streaming which reduces audio quality, its competitors use lossless CD-quality streaming, and their albums are in high-res and spatial audio (better quality audio) formats.
Some might even see an issue in Spotify’s "suggested" feature that suggests music and videos based on what you already listen to, which moves away from Spotify’s mission to let users build their own music library. But many users might be in favor of this as it does the hard work for you and serves as a sort of DJ/personal radio in the palm of your hand.
Music streaming alternatives
If you’ve had Spotify for years, it’s likely that you’re attached to it and find it difficult to leave, because all your music is there and Spotify "knows" what you like.
Moving to a different music subscription can seem like hard work, having to start over with your playlists and artist favorites, but you could be better off when it comes to price. Here are some streaming alternatives.
Apple Music
Price: $5.99 Student / $10.99 Individual / $16.99 Family, all monthly
Apple Music’s music library is similar to Spotify’s and it also has Apple Radio channels. If you have an iPhone or any other iOS product, such as an iPad or Apple TV, the Apple Music app is very easy to use. The streaming giant is known for its great audio quality as it uses Dolby Atmos music.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Price: $10.99 monthly
Similar to Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited comes with a great range of music, and you can listen with lossless, high-res, and spatial Audio. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can bag Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 per month, saving you $1 per month and $12 over a year.
Tidal
Price: $4.99 Student / $10.99 Individual / $16.99 Family, all monthly
As Tidal was one of the first music streamers to offer High-Res audio, it is a go-to for audiophiles due to its quality and hi-fi products like integrated amplifiers and receivers. But it isn’t compatible with all devices. Tidal has announced that it is going to support the lossless audio format, FLAC, so even more people will be able to access its high-quality audio.
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