As expected, Amazon Music Unlimited is increasing its monthly fee for Prime subscribers. The service now costs $10 a month, up from the previous $9 monthly fee. This pricing is already in effect for new subscribers, though existing users won’t be charged $10 a month until September 19th. Music Unlimited is also increasing Family Plan and annual payment pricing for Prime members, and of course, it enacted similar price increases for non-Prime members earlier this year.
While a price hike is never fun, this one is at least tolerable. Music Unlimited is still cheaper than rival services like Spotify and Apple Music (so long as you’re a Prime member), and it integrates well with Amazon’s ecosystem of smart devices and online services. Also, Music Unlimited streams CD-quality audio (24-bit/192kHz), a feature that Spotify still lacks.
Here is all the updated pricing for Amazon Music Unlimited:
- Prime Member Pricing:
- Individual Plan – $10 a month (up $1 each month)
- Family Plan – $17 a month (up $1 each month)
- Annual Plan – $100 a year (up $10)
- Single Device – $5 a month
- Non-Prime Pricing:
- Individual Plan – $11 a month (up $1 each month)
- Family Plan – $17 a month (up $1 each month)
- Annual Plan – Not available without Prime
- Single Device – $5 a month
For reference, nearly all music streaming services enacted a price hike this year. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Premium, Tidal, and Pandora are all more expensive than they were in 2022. This comes as no surprise—when one service increases its prices, rivals see an excuse to follow suit. Most of these companies blame their new pricing on increased operating costs. Notably, 2023 marked the first price increase for Spotify’s Individual plan since its debut in 2011.
If you’re a Music Unlimited subscriber with a Prime account, you should probably stick with what you’ve got. Music Unlimited cost less than the competition and beats Spotify’s sound quality. That said, Spotify and other services offer some unique perks, such as exclusive podcasts and audiobooks. If you’re willing to pay a little extra for something better, now might be a good time to shop around.
Source: Amazon via TechRadar
