In an exhausting line of recent subscription price increases, Amazon Music is the latest music and podcast streaming service to raise its monthly fee. While there’s no going back to a less expensive plan, here’s how the new prices compare to other music streaming options, like Spotify.
Amazon Music Unlimited Subscriptions Are Going Up
Amazon’s paid, ad-free streaming service known as Amazon Music Unlimited will now see a price increase. While an Individual Plan will increase by $1 per month, a Family Plan will go up by $3. According to an Amazon FAQ page, the 2025 price change will allow Amazon to “bring you even more content and new features.”
The new rates will go into effect for existing customers at their next billing cycle, “on or after March 5, 2025.” New customers will already see these updated prices, as of January 29th, 2025.
Here’s a breakdown of old and new rates for Amazon’s music streaming service, which also depends on whether you’re a Prime member:
|
Plan |
Old Price |
New Price |
|---|---|---|
|
Amazon Music Unlimited Individual (Prime Member) |
$9.99/month $99/year |
$10.99/month $109/year |
|
Amazon Music Unlimited Individual (Non-Prime Member) |
$10.99/month |
$11.99/month |
|
Amazon Music Unlimited Family (Prime and Non-Prime Members) |
$16.99/month $169/year |
$19.99/month $199/year |
The Amazon Music Family plan allows for up to six family members or devices to listen at a time.
Only Prime members can access annual plans, which do net out to a discounted monthly cost.
How Amazon’s New Prices Compare to Other Music Streaming Services
Amazon Music’s latest price tag puts it on par with Spotify, which sells its Premium plan for $11.99/month. Of course, Amazon Prime members get a discount of $1, but the two music streaming services are essentially equal in cost.
Their offerings are somewhat similar, too. According to Amazon FAQ, Amazon Music Unlimited boasts 100 million songs that stream ad-free and in “lossless HD quality”, in addition to top podcasts. Similarly, Spotify claims to have “over 100 million tracks” as well as “6 million podcasts titles,” per Spotify’s About page.
A couple of months preceding this price increase, Amazon announced the addition of one “free” audiobook per month for Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers. Once again, this is fairly in step with Spotify, which in October 2023 announced that Premium members plus Family and Duo account managers would have access to “15 hours of [audiobook]listening per month,” according to Spotify’s On The Record.
Both Amazon Music and Spotify offer free options that include ads and other feature limitations.
Less expensive music streaming options include YouTube Music and Apple Music, which both offer premium, individual plans for $10.99/month.
To compare music streaming services, you can examine features from sound quality, catalog, and perks like annual recaps. Ultimately, the perfect music streaming service for you comes down to personal preferences.
While I thought January was the season of hope, apparently that’s just for big tech. For the little guy, I guess January represents subscription price hikes. From Microsoft raising rates for its 365 subscriptions to Netflix bumping Standard Plan prices, it’s easy for your bank account to take a serious hit. But, price increases can also be a great time to reassess your monthly memberships and consolidate.
