If you’re a Spotify Premium user outside the U.S. or Canada, brace yourself: the cost of your monthly plan is about to go up — again. Spotify announced on Monday that it’s increasing subscription fees across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, pushing those regions closer to North American price levels.
The change isn’t exactly a shock. Spotify’s U.S. pricing climbed to $11.99/month for individual plans last year, following a bump from $9.99 in 2023. Now, the company is moving to bring the rest of the world into alignment.
How Much More Are You Going to Pay?
Spotify hasn’t published a full pricing breakdown for every region — but the company is sending out emails to subscribers starting this month. One such example, circulated in Europe, shows the Premium Individual plan rising from €10.99 to €11.99 per month. That’s a jump of roughly €1 (or $1.16 USD), but the increases may vary slightly by country and plan type. The company’s explanation? It’s a “periodic update” aimed at maintaining what Spotify describes as a “world-class experience.”
No Price Change (For Now) in the U.S. or Canada
In a rare move, the U.S. and Canada are sitting this one out — at least for now. After two years of consecutive price hikes, Spotify seems content to hold prices steady in North America while adjusting global rates upward.
It’s not hard to guess why: U.S. users are already paying more than most markets. The new changes simply standardize pricing worldwide.
Apple Music vs Spotify: Why I Made the Switch
Financial Pressures and Missed Revenue Targets
This latest price bump comes just days after Spotify posted weaker-than-expected earnings. The company pulled in €4.19 billion ($4.85B) in revenue for the quarter — short of the €4.26 billion analysts had forecast.
Worse, it reported a net loss of €86 million ($99.6M), compared to a net profit of €225 million in the same period last year.
Clearly, Spotify is under pressure to improve margins. Raising prices abroad — where Premium plans have historically been cheaper — is one way to do that.
Apple Tax Workaround May Help Long-Term
While the price hikes won’t fix Spotify’s Q2 losses, the company is betting on improved monetization moving forward. In May, it rolled out an update to its iOS and iPadOS apps that enables direct purchases, sidestepping Apple’s 30% in-app fee.
That shift could drive up revenue in future quarters — especially as more users renew or upgrade through the updated app.
Bottom Line: Expect to Pay More If You’re Outside North America
Spotify says the changes are part of its global strategy to “invest in and innovate” its platform. Whether that translates into meaningful improvements remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: most global subscribers are now paying more for the same music catalog.
