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Apple Music is getting a price hike
Apple has raised the price of Apple Music, with the individual plan in the US rising from $10.99 to $11.99 a month. The company told Music Business Worldwide the increase was due to "rising licensing costs," and the publication reports that prices have also gone up in the UK, Europe and, it understands, other countries too. It's the first Apple Music price rise since October 2022, and comes shortly after Spotify also increased its US Premium pricing.
The US family plan has gone up from $16.99 to $19.99 a month, and the student plan from $5.99 to $6.99. Apple has also raised some Apple One bundle prices in the US: the Family plan rises to $27.95 a month and the Premier plan to $39.95, both $2 increases, while the individual Apple One plan stays at $19.95. Apple is also reportedly raising AppleCare Plus prices for Macs and iPads.
In short
- Apple Music's US individual plan rises from $10.99 to $11.99 a month
- Apple cites rising licensing costs; UK and Europe also affected
- Some Apple One bundle plans and AppleCare Plus also getting pricier
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The company's case rests on genuine economic pressures. Music licensing fees have demonstrably risen, and streaming services operate on relatively thin margins despite large user bases. Apple's last increase was nearly four years ago, and with inflation compounding across the music industry, some adjustment is reasonable and proportionate to maintain service quality and continued investment. A roughly 9 percent increase on the individual plan is modest compared to broader inflationary trends.
The case against
Critics argue that consumers face mounting cost-of-living pressures and subscription fatigue, with services raising prices simultaneously, forcing difficult choices between subscriptions. Apple is exceptionally profitable and better positioned than individual households to absorb rising costs. More fundamentally, these incremental increases gradually erode the value proposition; when enough services rise together, consumers cancel subscriptions entirely, ultimately harming both users and the services themselves.
Explained simply
Apple Music is a music streaming service that lets people listen to millions of songs on their devices for a monthly subscription fee. Like competitors such as Spotify and YouTube Music, it has become a central way many people access recorded music.
Music streaming services pay record labels and artists licensing fees for the right to stream their music, and these costs can vary over time. When these expenses increase, companies typically pass the costs to subscribers through price rises.
Apple Music had not raised its prices since 2022, making this the first increase in four years. The move reflects a broader trend in the industry, with other streaming services having made similar increases recently.
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