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Spotify Raises Premium Prices in Canada
According to an email sent to premium Spotify Canada users, the price increases vary on account type, with the student account remaining the same price ($6.39), plus tax.
“This change means we can invest more in Premium. We are always working to improve Premium and deliver the best possible experience for you,” the email reads, linking to Canada’s premium offerings.
A Spotify spokesperson tells Billboard Canada: “Occasional updates to pricing across our markets reflect the value that Spotify delivers, enabling us to continue offering the best possible experience and benefit artists,” but doesn’t expand on what exactly triggered the increase.
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In recent years, Spotify has often re-evaluated its prices and royalty models, notably making changes to its revenue share payouts, which have de-monetized songs receiving fewer than 1000 plays per year. In 2026, Billboard Canada reported that Canadian artists earned $544 million in royalties on Spotify.
The platform is known for implementing unique statistical breakdowns and brightly coloured visuals for users to consume their music listening data, especially with its popular year-end Spotify Wrapped feature. Most recently, the DSP celebrated its 20th anniversary by opening the vault for listeners to see the first-ever song they’ve streamed, along with their most-played tracks and top-streamed artist.
This serves as the first major price hike for the Canadian arm of the streaming platform in nearly two years. During the last rise in 2024, it appeared to be partially inspired by to the “streaming tax” implemented in the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)’s 2024 decision with the Online Streaming Act.
The Canadian tribunal stated that foreign-owned media companies that operate in Canada and generate over $25 million in revenue would be required to pay 5% of those revenues into Canadian content funds. In response, many streamers — including Spotify, Apple and Amazon — took action to challenge the now-paused legislation that has become a hot button topic in today’s Canadian music industry.
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"As we continue to innovate and invest in providing our listeners with greater value than ever before, we occasionally update our prices," a spokesperson for Spotify told Billboard Canada back in 2024. "We may also adjust our prices to reflect local macroeconomic factors and meet market demands while offering an unparalleled service,” noting that they would not publicly comment further on the “legal challenge against the CRTC streaming tax in Canada.”
During the initial consultations for the Online Streaming Act in 2023, Spotify's senior director of European policy, Olivia Regnier, hinted that they might alter how Spotify operates in Canada if forced to pay the 5%.
“Additional costs could require us to cut expenses, including [reducing] our resources for editorial, partnership, and promotional programs in Canada; reduce resources currently going back to the music ecosystem; or force us to raise prices for Canadian consumers,” she said.
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