Google’s price hike for YouTube Premium and Music was somewhat expected, given that other music-streaming giants like Spotify and Apple Music have already made similar moves.
However, the price hike for YouTube Premium is a bit surprising. We’ve enjoyed reasonable prices for a while, but Google is finally raising the costs for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music.
The price changes were first noticed by the team at 9to5Google who found the updates on the landing pages for YouTube’s Premium and Music services. The cost of YouTube Premium is now $13.99 per month, while YouTube Music will cost $10.99 per month. Interestingly, Google has not made any official announcement about these price hikes, so it’s uncertain whether this will remain a low-key update, or if a formal announcement is forthcoming.
We’ve reached out to Google for more details, given the company’s history of testing changes. We are hoping these price increases are just another one of their tests. As of now, it seems the price rise hasn’t affected all regions, but we’re keeping our eyes open. If you’ve noticed an increase in your region this month, let us know in the comments.
What remains unclear is the impact on current subscribers. According to 9to5Google, prices for their existing subscriptions have not changed, suggesting that current subscribers might continue with the prices they originally signed up with.
YouTube Premium’s features include video downloads for offline viewing, ad-free streaming, background play, and access to YouTube Music. A recent addition is enhanced streaming quality from the usual 1080p to 1080p Premium.
Despite these benefits, the price hike might be a tough pill to swallow for some. For clarity’s sake, we’ve contacted Google to find out if these price increases are here to stay, how they might affect users on older plans, and whether the changes are region specific. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we get a response.
