The winds of change are blowing for Spotify. The company is expected to be about to introduce Spotify Hifi, the high-definition sound fans have been waiting for for years; an addition that would probably not be free with the current subscription, but would have to be paid for in the form of a new subscription or an addition to the current one.
To this it must be added that the price of the Premium subscription may increase in Europe; has already done so in the United States, where it now costs $11.99 per month
In other words, no matter which you prefer, you’ll probably start charging more for Spotify, which may put off many users. Today the company presented a new basic package to regain users who might have been lost due to the increase in the Premium plan, or those who were considering moving to a cheaper competitor.
The new Basic package It costs $10.99 per month., and at the moment it is only available in the United States; Therefore, it costs exactly the same as Spotify before the latest price increase, a dollar less per month. It will also be available in a Basic Family plan, which will cost $16.99 per month and can have 6 basic accounts; The price of the Premium Family plan has increased to $19.99 per month.
Better yet, the new Basic plan is practically identical to the Premium plan, except for one detail: audiobooks. Last year, Spotify began offering access to audiobooks to Premium plan users; Specifically, users could listen to 15 hours of audiobooks completely free and opt for a $9.99 per month add-on if they wanted unlimited hours.
The Basic plan eliminates the free 15 hours of audiobooks, but keeps everything else in the Premium plan, including ad-free access to all songs. Therefore, this plan is ideal for users who are not really interested in audiobooks and They only use Spotify for music.
Of course, the Basic plan would not make sense in Europe because Spotify does not offer audiobooks in our country; so it would be understandable if he stayed in the United States. However, as part of a possible evolution of subscriptions with the arrival of high definition sound, This Basic package can be Spotify’s advantage. For example, if the company releases a big update with audiobooks, high-quality audio, and exclusive features, but offers a basic subscription for those who just want to experience it now.