Access to music streaming for Kenyans is about to get even pricier as Spotify announced its plans to raise premium prices starting this September.
According to the streaming giant, subscribers should expect new email messages indicating what the new Premium Plans will cost from the Individual, Duo, Student and Family tiers.
This is part of Spotify’s plan to increase the prices in multiple markets across South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
While the exact prices are not clear yet for Kenya, the rates are set to increase by 9% globally, which should give you a picture of how much you will be required to pay starting next month.
As it stands, the Individual plan costs KES 339, meaning Spotify will possibly charge about KES 370 for the same plan from next month.
Read: You Can Now Transfer Spotify Playlists to Apple Music
Spotify says that the increase is meant to match a trend that has been going on internationally, as other markets are experiencing price hikes more frequently than others.
The only issue with this is that other markets like Kenya have been suffering heavy economic challenges, meaning users will have to reach deeper into their wallets than they would have liked.
When Spotify CEO Daniel Ek was previously asked why the company wasn’t raising prices more frequently, he stated that they were prioritizing retaining subscribers for the long term over making short-term revenue gains. It will be interesting to see if this goal is still achieved during the firm’s next earnings call.
“At Spotify, we’re committed to delivering a world-class, personalized experience for every user. To continue to innovate on our product offerings and features and bring users the best experience, we occasionally update our prices,” the company states.
Besides the expected price hikes, Spotify is expected to launch a high-fidelity lossless tier by late 2025. This premium tier may include CD‑quality audio, remix tools, AI-powered perks, and early access to concerts, most likely as an extra cost to existing Premium plans.
