The music hasn’t stopped for Amazon Prime members who subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited, but it’s about to get pricier.
Starting next month, Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers who are also subbed with Prime will have to pay an extra buck a month for their ad-free tunes, following the lead of other big music streamers who have hiked prices in the past several months.
Starting September 19, the new monthly rate for Amazon Music Unlimited will be $9.99 a month for Prime members, up from $8.99 a month, while the annual individual plan will increase to $99 a year, up $10 a year, according to Variety.
This news story is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best music streaming services.
Meanwhile, the Amazon Music Unlimited plan for Prime-subscribed families is going up to $16.99 a month, a $1/month increase, while the annual Music Unlimited plan for Prime families will ramp up to $169 a year, an annual $10 increase.
Amazon already raised Music Unlimited prices for non-Prime members back in February. The current non-Prime rate for Amazon Music Unlimited is $10.99 a month for individual users, same as Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and other music streaming services.
The last time Amazon raised Music Unlimited prices for Prime members was last May, when the price went up from $7.99 a month to $8.99/month.
If you’re a current Prime member subscribed to Amazon Music Unlimited, you may (depending on your billing cycle) still be able to lock in the old rate by switching to an annual plan now, before the price increase takes effect.
New Music Unlimited subscribers appear to be out of luck, though, as Amazon gives you a free one-month trial first; once the trial is over, the rate hike kicks in.
If it seems like all the streamers, music and video alike, are raising their prices all at once, you’re not imagining it.
Spotify hiked its individual Premium music streaming plan to $10.99 a month just last month, a $1/month increase, while Spotify Duo plans increased to $16.99/month, up $2 per month. Even Premium Student plans went up, with the new pricing at $5.99 a month, a buck-a-month increase.
Tidal also raised its music streaming plans last month, with the price of the Tidal HiFi plan going up $1 a month to $10.99/month.
That new $10.99-a-month price point for music streaming all started with Apple, which raised its Apple Music individual plans to that level last October. Prior to that price hike, all the major music streamers had been sticking to $9.99 a month for individuals.
Amazon’s Music Unlimited price increase hits just as many of the big video streamers are raising prices too, including Peacock, Disney+, Hulu, NFL+, and Shudder. Meanwhile, Netflix recently nixed its most affordable ad-free plan.
Updated shortly after publication with a correction: The Amazon Music Unlimited annual rate for Prime members will go up to $169/year for the family plan, not for individuals (the Music Unlimited annual price for individuals is going up to $99/year). Our apologies for the error.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.