For the first time ever, Apple is hiking fees for Apple Music and Apple TV+ subscription services.
The cost of Apple TV+ for new and existing subscribers was announced to increase by 40% to $6.99 per month; an increase from the original $4.99 per month, the price point it originally launched at back in November 2019.
Apple Music is on the other hand increasing its pricing from $9.99 to $10.99 per month for the individual plan, while the family plan (which accommodates up to six users) will increase by $2, from $14.99 to $16.99 per month. It’s the first price hike for the service since it first bowed in June 2015.
In addition, the price of the Apple One bundle — which includes Apple Music and Apple TV+ — has also been hiked, rising $2 from $14.95 to $16.95 per month for the individual plan. Apple One also includes Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+.
Commenting on the elephant in the room, Apple TV+’s representative while speaking to Variety said: “We introduced Apple TV+ at a very low price because we started with just a few shows and movies. Three years later, Apple TV+ is home to an extensive selection of award-winning and broadly acclaimed series, feature films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment from the world’s most creative storytellers.”
As a music streamer, Apple Music offers a catalog of more than 100 million songs.
The company alludes this to higher music licensing costs for higher pricing on Apple Music plans. “The change to Apple Music is due to an increase in licensing costs, and in turn, artists and songwriters will earn more for the streaming of their music. We also continue to add innovative features that make Apple Music the world’s best listening experience,” the Apple rep said.
Apple TV+ currently offers dozens of original titles, including the 2022 Oscar best picture winner, “CODA”; Emmy-winning series “Ted Lasso”; series including “Shantaram,” starring Charlie Hunnam and based on the bestselling novel, as well as “Severance,” “Bad Sisters,” “Mythic Quest” and “Pachinko”; and documentary films such as “Sidney,” about legendary actor Sidney Poitier. Apple TV+ also offers MLB’s “Friday Night Baseball” live games, and inked a deal to stream Major League Soccer matches starting in early 2023.
Apple continues to offer special free promos to Apple Music and Apple TV+ for customers who buy certain new products. It offers three months of Apple TV+ free with the purchase of a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac; and six months of Apple Music free with eligible AirPods earbuds, Beats headphones, or HomePod speakers.
The price increases took effect yesterday and will start reflecting for existing customers within their next billing cycle or period. Below is a look at the price changes:
Apple Music
| PLAN | BEFORE | NEW PRICING |
| Individual | $9.99 | $10.99 |
| Family | $14.99 | $16.99 |
| Individual Annual | $99 | $109 |
Apple TV+
| PLAN | BEFORE | NEW PRICING |
| Individual | $4.99 | $6.99 |
| Annual | $49.99 | $69 |
Apple One
| PLAN | BEFORE | AFTER |
| Individual | $14.95 | $16.95 |
| Family | $19.95 | $22.95 |
| Premier | $29.95 | $32.95 |
Written with context from Variety.
In case you are looking to switch, the closest you could have to go is Spotify, which for now is still priced at $9.99/month (individual) and $15.99/month (family) or even Tidal.
