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Music streaming service Spotify has announced an increase in its subscription prices.
It comes after the service dealt with backlash earlier this year over its audiobooks service, and less than a year since the last subscription price rise.
Beginning in May, users with see their plans increase from $1 to $3 each month — or $12 to $36 a year.
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Premium subscriptions are set to rise from $12.99 to $13.99 a month, while users on a family plan will see their bill rise from $20.99 to $23.99 a month.
The premium subscription is rising “so we can continue bringing you the best experience”, Spotify said.
As well as ad-free music and offline listening, Spotify spruiked its new “personal DJ” offering and group jam listening session function in its email advising users of the price rise.
Users on the family subscription were told their increased price was going towards investing in and innovating the platform’s offerings and features.
Spotify last increased its subscription price in July last year, up to $12.99 from $11.99 for a premium subscription.
The family plan was reported as costing $18.99 at that time.
Social media users were unimpressed by the new price rise.
“They’re increasing the price of Spotify again, are you f****** serious,” one user said.
“Spotify increasing the price means time to dust off the old Walkman,” another person said.
“Spotify premium going up in price,” another user said with an accompanying skeleton emoji.
Audiobook backlash
Earlier this year, Spotify also found itself the subject of backlash over its Terms of Use for authors using its Findaway Voices platform, which helps independent authors distribute audiobooks of their creations.
Authors blasted the platform for a clause detailing how Spotify would have “a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, fully paid, irrevocable, worldwide license” that would allow them to “reproduce, make available, perform and display, translate, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, and otherwise use any such user content through any medium”.
Multiple authors pulled their books from the platform as a result, and the clause was met with backlash from users as well.
Spotify later clarified the clause, saying it was designed to help advertise creators’ work.
The terms were updated to allow Spotify “basic rights and permissions to help (authors’) audience discover and engage with (their) work or to make … promotional assets like share cards”, Spotify said.
“We cannot change your audiobook or create a new product in any way that would bypass our payment obligations,” it said.
It clarified it could not create any derivative works using creators’ intellectual property, but could create a share card on Spotify promoting the work.
Spotify will also not create an AI voice using authors’ works, it said.
The platform is “deeply committed” to helping authors succeed, it said.