Spotify is gearing up for a U.S. subscription price increase sometime in the first quarter of 2026, according to multiple sources close to the plans.
The hike in its biggest market is part of a broader effort to demonstrate consistent profitability. Following the news, Spotify’s stock climbed 2.4% in early Tuesday trading on Wall Street, putting its year-to-date gain at more than 33%—well ahead of the S&P 500’s roughly 14% rise over the same period. The company has already raised prices this year in a number of other countries, including the UK, Australia, and Switzerland. If it goes ahead, this would be the first U.S. increase since July 2024.
Analysts have long viewed a higher U.S. price as key to supporting the stock’s valuation. Deutsche Bank noted recently that uncertainty over the timing of any American price move has weighed on investor confidence, while JPMorgan has estimated that even a modest $1-per-month increase in the U.S. alone could add around $500 million to Spotify’s yearly revenue.
Behind the scenes, the major record companies have been pushing Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services to charge more, pointing out that music subscription prices have not kept pace with inflation and remain low compared with video platforms like Netflix. A standard individual Spotify plan in the U.S. currently runs $11.99 per month—up from the original $9.99 launch price when the service arrived in the country in 2011.
The planned increase comes as the music industry’s post-pandemic boom starts to cool. Global recorded-music revenue growth slowed sharply last year, dropping by roughly half compared with previous years, according to industry body IFPI.
H/T: source
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