Apple raises prices for Apple Music and Apple One due to increased licensing costs
Apple Inc. has announced a price increase for its music streaming service, Apple Music, impacting subscribers in the United States and several international markets. Effective immediately, the monthly fee for the individual plan will rise to .99, an increase from the previous amount of .99. This adjustment reflects the ongoing rise in licensing costs, which the company cited as the primary reason for the hike.
Concurrent with the changes to its individual plan, Apple Music’s family plan is now priced at .99, up from .99, while the student plan will see a new price of .99, an increase from .99. These adjustments suggest a strategic response to the growing expenses associated with licensing music for streaming services.
Moreover, Apple has also made alterations to the pricing structure of its Apple One bundles, which include Apple Music among other services. While the individual tier within Apple One remains unchanged at .95 per month, the family tier has increased to .95 from .95, and the Premier plan now costs .95, up from .95.
This marks the first price adjustment for Apple Music since October 2022, when the monthly fee for the individual plan rose by . The recent price increase follows a similar move by Spotify, which raised its Premium subscription fee from .99 to .99 earlier this year. As a result, Apple Music remains a slightly more affordable option compared to its competitor.
It is not uncommon for subscription services to adjust prices periodically in response to economic factors. For instance, in August 2025, Apple raised the subscription price for Apple TV to .99, reflecting similar market pressures. Previous increases had also taken place in October 2023, when the Apple TV subscription experienced a hike.
Overall, these adjustments by Apple indicate a broader trend in the streaming industry, as service providers navigate the complexities of licensing costs while striving to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.
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