Apple Music hikes subscription costs citing ‘rising licensing prices’
Apple Music has raised its subscription costs worldwide, in its first enhance to the service since 2022.
The brand new pricing is already reside on Apple‘s pricing pages within the US, the UK and Europe, and MBW understands it’s rolling out throughout different markets.
Within the US, the Particular person plan rose to $11.99 monthly from $10.99, the Household plan to $19.99 from $16.99 and the Pupil plan to $6.99 from $5.99.
The brand new pricing took impact immediately (July 17), and marks the primary enhance to Apple Music‘s costs since October 2022.
Apple confirmed the worth enhance and the explanation behind the change in an announcement supplied to MBW:
“Because of rising licensing prices, Apple Music is growing its subscription value starting immediately,” the corporate stated.
You may see the previous pricing and new pricing within the US beneath:
Within the UK, the Particular person plan rose to £11.99 from £10.99 and the Household plan to £19.99 from £16.99.
In Europe, the Particular person plan rose to €11.99 from €10.99, the Household plan to €19.99 from €16.99 and the Pupil plan to €6.99.
“Because of rising licensing prices, Apple Music is growing its subscription value starting immediately.”
Apple Music
New subscribers to Apple Music pay the brand new costs instantly, whereas current subscribers are sometimes moved to them at their subsequent billing cycle after being notified by Apple.
Apple Music had held its costs unchanged since October 2022, when it raised the US Particular person plan to $10.99 from $9.99.
Apple Music launched in June 2015 priced at $9.99 monthly within the US, and held that value for seven years earlier than the 2022 enhance.
On the time, Apple gave the identical purpose, saying the change was “attributable to a rise in licensing prices” and that “artists and songwriters will earn extra for the streaming of their music.”
Its 2022 spherical additionally raised the costs of Apple TV+ and the Apple One bundle, and was utilized worldwide.
Rival Spotify applied a value rise within the US and different markets in early 2026, and its Particular person plan now prices $12.99 monthly there, up from $11.99.
Spotify‘s February spherical additionally lifted its US Household plan to $21.99 and its Pupil plan to $6.99.
Apple Music‘s new $11.99 US Particular person value sits $1 beneath Spotify‘s.
The transfer adopted a sample of worldwide value will increase that Spotify has applied throughout a number of markets over the previous 12 months, together with the UK, Switzerland and Australia, and varied markets throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
The corporate has constantly signaled that common pricing changes would change into an ongoing strategic precedence because it pursues sustained profitability.
Through the firm’s current Q3 earnings name, Co-Chief Government Officer Alex Norström addressed questions on pricing technique.
“We… noticed regular retention charges following the rollout of our current value will increase throughout greater than 150 markets. These outcomes present the facility of the product and the loyalty of our subscribers,” Norström stated on the decision.
The key document firms have pushed streaming companies to lift subscription charges, arguing that costs haven’t stored tempo with inflation and stay low in contrast with video companies resembling Netflix.
Trade figures have lengthy argued that music streaming is underpriced in contrast with video, some extent underscored final 12 months when Apple raised the worth of Apple TV+ to $12.99 whereas Apple Music stayed at $10.99.
The worldwide music-subscription market reached 921.6 million subscribers on the finish of 2025, nearing 1 billion, with Spotify the biggest service worldwide.Music Enterprise Worldwide
