- Prices are increasing in almost every Apple Music tier
- There are also some price hikes for Apple Music
- These are the first price increases we have seen since October 2022
Apple Music is the latest subscription plan to receive a price increase, giving users the choice between paying more or losing access to the streaming portion of their library. The bundled Apple One plan that includes Apple Music now also costs more.
As Music Business Worldwide reports (via Engadget), the reason Apple gives is “rising licensing costs.” This is the first price increase for this particular subscription that we have seen since October 2022. The new monthly prices are below:
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
WE |
UNITED KINGDOM |
Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Individual |
$11.99 (down to $1) |
£11.99 (down to £1) |
AU$14.99 (up to AU$2) |
|
Family |
$19.99 (down to $3) |
£19.99 (down to £3) |
AU$23.99 (up to AU$4) |
|
Student |
$6.99 (down to $1) |
£5.99 (unchanged) |
AU$7.99 (up to $1) |
Apple One price increases are less clear, as they are not as readily available on Apple’s website. It appears that the Apple One Family plan now costs $27.95 per month (up $2) and the Apple One Premier plan costs $39.95 (also up $2), although the Apple One Individual plan has remained at $19.95. Internationally, similar price increases are likely.
This comes at a time when everything tech-related is getting more and more expensive, from laptops to streaming services. The explosion in demand for AI resources has caused the price of memory and storage to skyrocket, and this continues to impact everywhere.
Loss of control
Apple increases prices for Apple Music and Apple One subscriptions
from r/apple
Apple is of course not the first company to increase its subscription prices, but it is a reminder of the pitfalls of the digital rental model. As soon as you stop paying, you lose access. So, if you need a service, you have no choice but to accept the higher price.
Online reaction also focused on this point: “Sometimes it’s not even about the cost,” wrote one Reddit user. “This is a loss of control over your finances. Companies can raise their prices whenever they want.” Few commenters seem ready to leave Apple Music, although many point to the billions Apple has in the bank.
Apple Music doesn’t have a free tier like Spotify, but it outperforms all other music streaming services in terms of local file support. If you have enough ripped MP3s and CDs, you can definitely use it without a subscription.
As we wrote recently, Apple is increasingly selling more of its software products through recurring payments rather than a one-time flat fee, and one reason is that this is more profitable and makes it more likely that users will continue paying.
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