Simply whenever you thought your subscription payments could not get any greater, Amazon has introduced a value improve for its Music Limitless streaming service – and it may sadly level to an analogous enhance to Spotify’s charges.
Ranging from February 21, subscribers to each the person and pupil Amazon Music Limitless plans within the US and UK (opens in new tab) should shell out extra for a similar service. The person plan will go up from $9.99 / £9.99 to $10.99 / £10.99 per thirty days, whereas college students should pay $5.99 / £5.99 a month (up from $4.99 / £4.99).
These rises have sadly develop into the norm throughout music streaming providers, with Apple additionally boosting its particular person plan by the identical quantity final October. As you may see from the desk under, Spotify is now one thing of an outlier amongst its closest streaming rivals, however there are good causes to consider that will not stay the case for lengthy.
| Service | Month-to-month value | Month-to-month pupil value |
| Amazon Music Limitless | $10.99 / £10.99 (from Feb) | $5.99 / £5.99 |
| Apple Music | $10.99 / £10.99 | $5.99 / £5.99 |
| Spotify | $9.99 / £9.99 | $5.99 / £5.99 |
| Deezer | $10.99 / £11.99 | $5.99 / £5.99 |
| Tidal HiFi | $9.99 / £9.99 | $4.99 / £4.99 |
At Spotify’s earnings name in October 2022, the streaming service’s CEO Daniel Ek stated {that a} value rise within the US “is without doubt one of the issues that we want to do”. He added that “for those who assume in mild of our opponents elevating costs, that clearly offers us extra confidence going into it, too”.
In different phrases, Amazon Music Limitless’s upcoming rise solely makes an imminent Spotify rise extra possible. This might additionally probably have an effect on the long-mooted Spotify HiFi service for high-resolution audio followers, which has beforehand been rumored to value $19.99 per thirty days. If the value of that ‘Platinum’ tier, if it ever arrives, goes above that rumored value level, it may develop into a tricky promote within the present local weather.
Streaming providers do differ of their bitrates and audio high quality, which is why Spotify at the moment lags behind Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Limitless in our information to one of the best music streaming providers. The truth is, Tidal HiFi at the moment seems to be like a very whole lot, notably because it typically pays artists the next quantity per stream than its rivals.
Evaluation: Free trials can present short-term aid
Probably the most annoying factor about these streaming value hikes is that you do not get something additional past imprecise guarantees of future enhancements. Amazon says the upcoming Music Limitless rise, for instance, is in order that it may well “give you our service within the traditional high quality”.
For a lot of, these month-to-month will increase can begin to add up and make a music streaming service troublesome to justify. Some providers do supply cheaper choices – for instance, on Music Limitless there is a Single-Machine plan (which can stay on the present $4.99 / £4.99 per thirty days value). However because the title suggests, this implies you may solely stream music on one Amazon Echo machine.
For those who’re ready to leap round and set some reminders, an alternative choice is to embrace every streaming service’s free trial to cut back payments to zero within the quick time period. As we confirmed in our current information to canceling subscriptions, it is potential to get ten months (or eight months, within the UK) of free music for those who chain collectively the free trials on supply from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify Premium, Tidal, YouTube Music and Deezer.
Naturally, these provides are solely accessible to new subscribers, so you will not be capable of embrace trials for providers you at the moment use (or have already utilized in a free trial). However for those who’re seeking to escape the music streaming value hikes within the quick time period, these free trials are actually price exploring – so long as you set a reminder to cancel earlier than that first month-to-month cost.
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