Apple Music hikes subscription fees following “rising licence costs”

Apple Music has increased its subscription fees for the first time in four years, citing "rising licence costs" for streaming platforms.

Individual plans in the UK have risen by £1 per month from £10.99 to £11.99, while family plans will now cost £19.99 per month, up from £16.99, and student plans are up from £5.99 to £6.99.

Increases are the same across the US and Europe. It marks the first change to Apple Music's subscription prices since 2022.

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Apple Music confirmed the price change to Music Business Worldwide (MBW) on Friday, July 17, revealing: "As a result of rising licensing costs, Apple Music is increasing its subscription price beginning today."

Prices will be increased with immediate effect, though existing customers will not see the change until their next subscription cycle. New customers will be billed the changed fees immediately, MBW reports.

Before its subscription fee increase in 2022, Apple Music held its prices for some seven years, leaving them unchanged since its launch in 2015. The platform stated at the time that its artists would receive higher payments with the price hike.

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Meanwhile, Spotify has continually increased its subscription fees over the years, with its most recent in early 2026 when it hiked its individual plan from £11.99 to £12.99 in the UK, and its family plan from £19.99 to £21.99.

It marked the streaming platform’s third price increase in under three years, which it said at the time reflected "the value that Spotify delivers".

[Via Music Business Worldwide]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor