Okay, so I woke up one morning a while back, checked my email, and there it was. A polite, almost apologetic note from Apple. My heart sank a little because, let’s be honest, those emails usually only mean one thing: a price hike. And sure enough, it was an announcement about an Apple Music price increase. My immediate reaction? Not great. Not great at all.
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I’ve been an Apple Music subscriber since pretty much day one. I remember the messy launch, the initial bugs, and then watching it evolve into a really solid contender against Spotify. I’ve always appreciated the deep integration with the Apple ecosystem, the lossless audio, and the spatial audio features. But this? Worth it.
Wait, What? Apple Music Price Increase Hits Subscriptions
The email, which started hitting inboxes in late October 2022, outlined the new pricing structure. It wasn’t a subtle nudge; it was a noticeable jump across all tiers. For individual plans, we saw a bump from $9.99 to $10.99 per month. That’s a dollar, sure, but it adds up. Check out our guide on iOS 27’s New Home Screen App: What’s the Big Deal?. We covered this in Final Fantasy Resonance: ‘Pixel’ Trailer, New Details & Screenshots Revealed.
Here’s the thing — The family plan, which many of my friends (and I) rely on, went from $14.99 to $16.99. Two bucks. And students, who usually get a pretty sweet deal, saw their monthly cost rise from $4.99 to $5.99. A dollar there too.
It sounds small when you say “a dollar” or “two dollars,” but think about it. If you’ve been a subscriber for years, you’ve already committed to a monthly expense. Now, that expense is just… more. For the exact same service. It definitely felt like a punch to the gut for loyal customers.
Look, I mean, we’re talking about a 10% increase for individuals and students, and a 13% increase for families. That’s not insignificant. Especially when you’re already juggling a bunch of other subscription services. It makes you pause and really evaluate if you’re getting enough value.
Fair warning:
Apple One Bundles Also See a Bump Up
And then there’s the ripple effect. Because it’s not just Apple Music that got more expensive. If you’re like me, you probably bundle a few of Apple’s services together with an Apple One subscription. And yep, those saw a price hike too. This felt even more impactful, as the whole point of a bundle is to save money by consolidating services.
The Apple One Individual plan, which usually includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud+ storage, jumped from $14.95 to $16.95. Another two dollars. The Family plan, with 200GB of iCloud+, went from $19.95 to $22.95. Three dollars there.
But the biggest hit was to the Apple One Premier plan. This beast includes everything in the Family plan, plus Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and a whopping 2TB of iCloud+ storage. It went from $29.95 to $32.95. That’s another three dollars a month.
So, suddenly, your entire digital life with Apple just got more expensive. The question then becomes: is the bundle still worth it? For many, the convenience and the combined savings (even with the increase) probably still make sense. If you’re using most of those services anyway, paying a slightly higher Apple One subscription cost is likely still cheaper than subscribing to each service individually.
Okay, so But it definitely makes you scrutinize your usage. Do I really use Apple Arcade enough? Is Apple News+ truly providing unique value? These are the kinds of questions that start popping up in your head when the bill goes up.
The ‘Rising Licensing Costs’ Justification: Is It Valid?
So, what was Apple’s official explanation for all this? They cited “rising licensing costs.” They said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that the cost of licensing music has gone up, and they want to ensure artists and creators are fairly compensated. On the surface, it sounds reasonable, right?
Understanding music licensing is a rabbit hole, believe me. Essentially, when you stream a song, money gets paid to a whole bunch of entities: the record label, the publisher, the songwriter, and the artist. There are different types of licenses involved too—mechanical, public performance, sync. It’s incredibly complex, and yes, those fees do fluctuate and are often renegotiated. Sometimes significantly.
But here’s where my tech enthusiast skepticism kicks in. Apple is a behemoth. They have massive negotiating power. While I’m all for artists getting paid fairly (they absolutely should!), is it truly all about rising licensing costs Apple faces, or is there a touch of “we can probably get away with this” too?
When you look at the broader music streaming service prices, it’s a mixed bag. Spotify, for example, largely held its individual plan price at $9.99 for years, eventually raising it to $10.99 for new subscribers in some markets and $11.99 in the US for existing ones. YouTube Music also saw a price hike around the same time as Apple, moving to $10.99 for individuals. So, Apple isn’t alone in this. But they were among the first of the major players to make such a widespread move.
This suggests that there might be some truth to the licensing cost argument across the industry. But it also highlights the fact that these companies, even with billions in revenue, are feeling the pinch or at least using it as a justification to increase their own margins. It’s a fine line.
Impact on Subscribers: Are We Stuck or Can We Switch?
For me, and I imagine for many of you, the immediate aftermath of an Apple Music price increase is a value assessment. Is Apple Music still competitive at its new price? For $10.99, you get lossless audio, spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, a huge catalog, and pretty good curation (though I’ve had my gripes with the ‘New Music Mix’ sometimes).
When you compare Apple Music vs Spotify cost, they’re now largely on par for individual plans, at least in the US. Spotify, despite its recent hike, has a fantastic discovery algorithm that many swear by. YouTube Music has its deep integration with YouTube videos, which is a huge plus for some users.
So, alternatives for music streaming are plentiful. There’s Amazon Music Unlimited, Tidal (which often pitches itself on higher fidelity audio), and even niche services. Each has its pros and cons regarding features, catalog size, and, of course, price. Some people might find that the slight increase pushes them over the edge to explore options.
My advice? Don’t just grumble and pay. Take a moment. Go through your subscriptions. See what you’re actually using. If you’re paying for Apple Music and barely listening, maybe it’s time to cancel or switch to a free tier of another service. If you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem and use all the bundled services, then the increased Apple One subscription cost might still be a better deal than going a la carte.
And hey, if you’re not using some of those bundled services, consider downgrading your Apple One plan, or even canceling it and just subscribing to the couple of services you actually need. You could save some money!
My Take: A Necessary Evil or Just More Cash for Apple?
Real talk: My personal reaction was a mix of initial frustration and then a grudging acceptance. I rely on Apple Music daily. It’s woven into my car, my HomePods, my AirPods Pro. The convenience factor is huge for me, and I genuinely appreciate the lossless and spatial audio.
So, for now, I’m sticking with it. The reality is, a dollar or two a month, while annoying, isn’t enough to make me jump ship and migrate my entire music library and playlists to another service. That’s a hassle I’m just not ready for.
But what does this signal for the future of the streaming market? I think we’re going to see more of this. The days of perpetually cheap streaming services might be over. Content creation and licensing are expensive. These companies need to show profits, and if they can justify it with “artist compensation” and “rising costs,” they will. It’s a business, after all.
This trend could lead to a few things. We might see more users consolidating their subscriptions, really paring down what they pay for. Or perhaps, it could push some back to ad-supported free tiers, or even, dare I say it, local music libraries for the truly frugal. Consumer loyalty, especially in the digital realm, is only as strong as the perceived value. And when prices go up, that value gets re-evaluated very, very quickly.
What surprised me was that Ultimately, while I understand the business reasons, as a consumer, it never feels great when your bill goes up for the same service. But that’s the nature of the beast in digital subscriptions these days. And Apple, being Apple, knows most of us will sigh, grumble, and then just keep paying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When did the Apple Music price increase go into effect?
A: The new pricing for Apple Music and Apple One subscriptions rolled out for existing subscribers with their next billing cycle after the late October 2022 announcement. New subscribers immediately saw the updated rates.
Q: Why did Apple raise the prices for Apple Music?
A: Apple stated the price increases were due to ‘rising licensing costs,’ implying that the fees paid to record labels, artists, and publishers for the music streaming rights have gone up. They also mentioned artists would earn more from their streams.
Q: How much did Apple One subscriptions increase?
A: The Apple One Individual plan increased by $3, the Family plan by $3, and the Premier plan by $3. The exact percentage increase varies slightly by tier, but all bundles saw a notable jump in price.
Q: Are other music streaming services also increasing prices?
A: While Apple’s announcement was specific to their services, the trend of increasing licensing costs affects the entire music streaming industry. Some competitors like YouTube Music have also adjusted prices, while others like Spotify have largely held steady, though they may face similar pressures.
