From February 21, Amazon’s Music Unlimited streaming service will go up $1/£1 in the US and UK. The Amazon Music Unlimited individual plan drops from $9.99 (£9.99) to $10.99 (£10.99) per month, while the student plan drops from $4.99 (£4.99) to $5.99 (£5.99) per month.
The company noted the price changes on its support page, which was first noticed by Billboard. “To help us bring you even more content and features, we’re updating the prices for select Amazon Music Unlimited plans,” Amazon wrote.
While the company mentions price increases for its individual plan and student plan, the prices for the family plan ($15.99/month) and single device plan ($4.99/month) appear to remain unchanged.
It’s only been eight months since Amazon last raised prices. In May, the discounted Amazon Music Unlimited plan for Amazon Prime customers went from $7.99 to $8.99 per month. Non-Prime members saw no change this time and still had to pay $9.99 per month.
Amazon also offers an Amazon Music Prime tier, which is included for free with Prime subscriptions and offers ad-free listening. However, if users want HD, Ultra HD and Spatial Audio, they must subscribe to Music Unlimited.
The e-commerce giant is currently in the midst of a cost-cutting spree, which includes the recent shutdown of its AmazonSmile charitable giving program and the decision to lay off 18,000 employees earlier this month.
Amazon’s decision to increase the cost follows Apple’s increase of its rival music streaming subscription, Apple Music, by $1 for individual subscribers and $2 for families in the United States. Apple Music also quietly increased the price of its student plan in the US, Canada and UK in June 2022.
Spotify is also considering raising its subscription price in the United States, which CEO Daniel Ek noted during the company’s earnings call in October. “[Price increases] is one of the things we would like to do,” Ek said. “I feel really good about this coming year and what that means in terms of price versus our service.” It would be a notable move for the company as it has not increased its standard subscription cost since launching in 2011 at $9.99 per month in the US.
