Apple has quietly raised the subscription costs of its core Apple Music and Apple TV+ subscriptions in several countries, including the UK, the US and Australia. The company has said that the changes are due to increased licensing costs and to ensure artists receive more money for their music.
The price rises, which we have listed below, include a £1 / $1 / AU$1 increase on Apple Music Monthly for individual users, while Apple TV+ is rising by £2 / $2 / AU$2. Prices of Annual and Family tiers have also increased, as has the Apple One bundle, though Student and voice-only subscriptions remain the same.
The new prices have gone live on Apple's global websites, with current subscribers set to receive a notification of the planned price increase 30 days before their subscription will renew at the higher price.
Apple Music price increase
- Individual: £10.99 / $10.99 / AU$12.99 per month (from £9.99 / $9.99 / $11.99)
- Family: £16.99 / $16.99 / AU$19.99 per month (from £14.99 / $14.99 / AU$17.99)
- Individual Annual: £109 / $109 / AU$TBC per year (from £99 / $99 / AU$TBC)
Apple TV+ price increase
- Monthly: £6.99 / $6.99 / AU$9.99 per month (from £4.99 / $4.99/AU$7.99)
- Annual: £69 / $69 / AU$TBC per year (from £49.99 / $49.99 / AU$TBC )
Apple One price increase
- Individual: £16.95 / $16.95 / AU$21.95 per month (from £14.95 / $14.95 / AU$21.95)
- Family: £22.95 / $22.95 / AU$28.95 per month (from £19.95 / $19.95 / AU$25.95)
- Premier: £32.95 / $32.95 / AU$ 42.95 per month (from $29.95 / $29.95 / AU$39.95)
According to a statement given by an Apple spokesperson to 9to5Mac, "The change to Apple Music is due to an increase in licensing costs, and in turn, artists and songwriters will earn more for the streaming of their music.
"We also continue to add innovative features that make Apple Music the world’s best listening experience. We introduced Apple TV+ at a very low price because we started with just a few shows and movies. Three years later, Apple TV+ is home to an extensive selection of award-winning and broadly acclaimed series, feature films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment from the world’s most creative storytellers."
Previously one of the most affordable video streaming platforms, Apple TV has, up until now, been pitched to users as more of a supplement to other, larger services such as Disney Plus or Netflix. With a quality-over-quantity approach, all the content has high production values and is original to Apple, with no third-party offerings.
While we think it's a bit of a stretch to describe Apple TV's library as "extensive", it's fair to say that the service includes features as standard that other streaming platforms charge more for, such as 4K HDR. Similarly, Apple Music offers lossless Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio across its 100 million songs catalogue in its standard tier, something other music platforms charge a high premium for and that Spotify doesn't even offer yet.
Apple is the latest service to make recent adjustments to its pricing structure. Netflix raised its prices earlier this year and will soon introduce a far cheaper ad-supported subscription tier and put restrictions on password sharing. At the same time, Disney is also adding an ad-supported tier and raising costs at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Spotify may soon be launching a Platinum service that is double the price of its current Premium subscription plan, finally offering higher-quality audio.
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