Spotify Premium gets costlier in India with price hike of up to 28%

Spotify

Audio streaming service Spotify has increased the prices of its premium subscription plans in India by 17 to 28 percent, as part of the company's broader efforts to improve margins and drive profitability.

This marks Spotify's first price hike in India since it entered the country in 2019.

Spotify's individual plan is now priced at Rs 139 per month, a 16.8 percent increase from Rs 119 per month. The Duo plan, which offers two Premium accounts, will start costing Rs 179 per month instead of Rs 149 per month, while the student plan will be priced at Rs 69 per month instead of Rs 59 per month.

The Family plan saw the steepest increase of 28 percent, with the price jumping to Rs 229 per month from Rs 179 per month. This tier offers access to up to six Premium accounts under a single plan.

A look at Spotify's pricing changes across its different plans in India

The service had earlier tweaked its free service in India in October 2023 by moving a few features behind a subscription in a bid to expand its paid subscriber base in the country.

"“As we continue to grow our platform, we are updating our Premium prices for new subscribers in India, from today," a Spotify spokesperson said.

In February, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek said during the company's Q4 earnings call that he is confident India and other emerging markets will become substantial businesses to the audio streaming service in the long term.

His comments came amid broader consolidation in the music streaming sector over the past couple of years. Telecom giant Airtel shut down its music streaming service Wynk in August last year, while Times Internet-owned Gaana was sold to Radio Mirchi parent firm, Entertainment Network India, for Rs 25 lakh in December 2023.

Chinese technology giant Bytedance also shut down its music streaming service Resso in India in January 2024. Other players in the market include YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Apple Music, JioSaavn, and Hungama.

YouTube Music had also hiked its prices in India in October 2024. Individual plans now cost Rs 119 per month, as compared to Rs 99 per month.

Spotify's price hike in India is part of a wider round of pricing adjustments being rolled out across multiple markets in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

"To continue to innovate on our product offerings and features and bring users the best experience, we occasionally update our prices," Spotify stated while announcing the subscription pricing change on August 4. Over the next month, Premium subscribers will receive an email explaining the price increase, the company said.

Last month, Spotify reported a 10 percent increase year-on-year (YoY) in its total revenue to €4.19 billion in Q2 2025. Subscription revenue, which accounts for the majority of the company’s overall revenue, grew by 12 percent YoY to €3.74 billion.

However, higher expenses related to employees, professional services, marketing, and so-called social charges pushed the company to a €86 million loss in the quarter, compared to a €274 million profit in the same period last year.

Social charges refer to payroll taxes tied to employee salaries and benefits in certain countries, which increase as the company’s share price rises. Spotify noted that these charges reached €115 million in the quarter, exceeding forecasts by €98 million due to the share price increase.