Subscription fees are climbing for the first time in years as major streamers adjust to the cost of rights management.
Apple Music has bumped its subscription fees globally. Individual plans in the UK and US are up by £1/$1, pushing monthly costs to £11.99. Family and student tiers have seen similar adjustments, marking the first significant shift since late 2022.
Management points to rising licensing costs as the primary driver. While standard for the industry, the move follows a pattern of streamers passing legal and operational overhead onto the listener. Existing subscribers will see the change reflected in their next billing cycle.
This adjustment comes after a period of relative stability for Apple, which launched in 2015 and held prices steady for seven years. The company previously stated that fee increases directly support higher payouts to rights holders and artists.
Apple is not alone. Spotify has implemented multiple hikes over the last three years, recently raising its UK individual plan to £12.99. As licensing remains the heavy lever in streaming economics, users across all platforms should expect the floor to keep rising.