So yeah… your Spotify bill will continue to climb – and that’s by design

– Alex Norström, co-president and chief business officer of Spotify, August 2025

Norström added that these hikes won’t come empty-handed – they will be paired with new features and services. The catch? We don’t know what those will be yet. Given how much Spotify has been pushing into AI, though, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them tie into projects like its AI DJ.

Two years ago, AI DJ became part of Spotify. | Video credit – Spotify

Meanwhile, the platform is still seeing solid growth. Spotify reported last month that subscribers are up 12% year-over-year, hitting 276 million, while monthly active users jumped 11% to 696 million, beating expectations. Norström even predicted the streamer could soon reach more than 1 billion users.

Spotify also revealed that users have now created nearly 9 billion playlists, and it recently added tools to customize transitions between songs. The goal is clear – keep people building playlists and spending time in-app, especially as AI-driven content starts spreading across the music space.

And then there is the “superfan” subscription that has been teased for a while. Spotify has been working on a premium tier that could tack on another $6 a month for die-hard fans. It’s still in development, but it shows the company’s not done experimenting with how to make more money from its most dedicated users.

Of course, Spotify isn’t the only one pushing prices higher. Peacock recently hiked its rates, Apple TV+ did the same globally, and really, the list keeps growing. Subscription prices rarely stay flat for long, and I think with how hooked we all are on digital services, companies know they can push a little further without losing too many of us.

“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!

Good news everyone! Over the past year we’ve been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we’re thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.