[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"nav-categories":3,"article-spotify-prepares-to-hike-prices-in-the-us-the-only-surefire-way-to-boost-revenue":70},{"data":4},[5,37,57,64],{"name":6,"slug":7,"categories":8},"Productivity","productivity",[9,13,17,21,25,29,33],{"id":10,"title":11,"slug":12},17,"Branding","branding",{"id":14,"title":15,"slug":16},19,"Marketing","marketing",{"id":18,"title":19,"slug":20},20,"Work","work",{"id":22,"title":23,"slug":24},34,"Community","community",{"id":26,"title":27,"slug":28},21,"For newbies","for-newbies",{"id":30,"title":31,"slug":32},24,"Investment","investment",{"id":34,"title":35,"slug":36},22,"Finance","finance",{"name":38,"slug":39,"categories":40},"Tech","tech",[41,45,49,53],{"id":42,"title":43,"slug":44},28,"Technology","technology",{"id":46,"title":47,"slug":48},32,"Artificial Intelligence","artificial-intelligence",{"id":50,"title":51,"slug":52},26,"Security and protection","security-and-protection",{"id":54,"title":55,"slug":56},31,"YouTube Blog","youtube-blog",{"name":58,"slug":59,"categories":60},"News","news",[61],{"id":62,"title":58,"slug":63},18,"quasanews",{"name":65,"slug":66,"categories":67},"Business","business",[68],{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66},16,{"post":71,"published_news":95,"popular_news":154,"categories":219},{"title":72,"description":73,"meta_title":72,"meta_description":74,"meta_keywords":75,"text":76,"slug":77,"created_at":78,"publish_at":79,"formatted_created_at":80,"category_id":69,"links":81,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":86,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"category":89},"Spotify Prepares to Hike Prices in the US: The Only Surefire Way to Boost Revenue","It's a sad tale, but one that's become all too familiar in the streaming world. Come the first quarter of 2026, American Spotify users will likely face a bittersweet New Year's resolution: shelling out more for their Premium subscriptions.","Yet history suggests resilience: after the 2023 US increase from $9.99 to $10.99, churn rates barely budged, and revenue climbed 13% year-over-year.","It's efficient, it's effective, and for now, it's the only lever left to pull. But one can't help but wonder: how many hikes until the music stops feeling quite so free?","\u003Cp>It's a sad tale, but one that's become all too familiar in the streaming world. Come the first quarter of 2026, American Spotify users will likely face a bittersweet New Year's resolution: shelling out more for their Premium subscriptions. The individual plan, currently priced at $11.99 per month, is expected to climb to $12.99 - a modest $1 bump that feels anything but modest when you're already stretched thin on monthly bills. Analysts at JPMorgan project this adjustment alone could swell Spotify's annual revenue by a hefty $500 million, a lifeline in a sea of stagnant growth.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-left\" height=\"447\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2025-11-25T172755.598.jpg\" width=\"300\" />This isn't Spotify's first rodeo with price tweaks, and the company seems to have learned from its earlier experiments on less scrutinized shores. Just last month, in October 2025, Spotify rolled out increases in markets like Australia, the UK, and Switzerland.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>In Australia, the individual plan jumped from AUD 14.99 to AUD 15.99, while in Switzerland, it surged from 13.95 CHF to 15.95 CHF - equivalent to about $20 USD, making it one of the priciest streaming options in Europe.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Backlash was there, sure: a smattering of social media gripes and a few cancellations here and there. But overall, the uproar fizzled out faster than a forgotten playlist. Subscribers grumbled, adjusted their budgets, and kept streaming.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>No mass exodus, no viral boycott. It was the green light top brass needed to eye the lucrative US market, home to over 100 million paid users and the bulk of Spotify's $14.8 billion in 2024 revenue.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>For a company that's dominated the music streaming space since its 2008 launch - boasting 640 million monthly active users worldwide as of late 2025 - hiking Premium prices feels less like innovation and more like a desperate grasp at stability.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Spotify's financials tell a story of razor-thin margins: despite explosive user growth, the platform posted a mere €532 million operating profit in the first half of 2025, down slightly from the prior year amid rising royalty payouts that eat up nearly 70% of revenue.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Efforts to juice engagement, like the rollout of voice messaging features in mid-2025 or AI-powered playlist curation, haven't moved the needle on subscriber acquisition. Premium sign-ups ticked up by just 2% quarter-over-quarter in Q3 2025, far short of the double-digit surges competitors like Apple Music occasionally boast. And revolutionary? Forget it. Spotify's audiobook integrations and podcast expansions have been solid, but they're no game-changers in a landscape where users crave the next big disruption - think spatial audio that actually feels immersive or seamless cross-device continuity that doesn't glitch.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cimg alt=\"\" class=\"image-align-right\" height=\"447\" src=\"https://quasa.io/storage/photos/00/image - 2025-11-25T172756.781.jpg\" width=\"300\" />Enter the music labels, the shadowy puppeteers pulling strings from afar. Universal Music Group, Sony, and Warner - Spotify's biggest royalty payers—have been leaning hard on the streamer to finally align prices with reality. For years, they've argued that streaming rates have lagged woefully behind inflation, which has ballooned over 20% in the US since the last major US hike in 2023.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Why subsidize endless access when video giants like Netflix have hiked their standard plan from $15.49 to $17.99 in the past two years, passing costs to consumers without batting an eye? Labels point out that Spotify's effective payout per stream hovers around $0.003 to $0.005, a rate that's barely budged while artist advances and production costs skyrocket.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>It's starting to feel less like a thriving business and more like reluctant philanthropy: Spotify funnels billions to the industry annually - $9 billion in royalties in 2024 alone - yet struggles to turn a consistent profit without these incremental squeezes.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>Of course, not everyone's on board. Free-tier loyalists, already ad-burdened and feature-limited, might stick it out, but the real risk lies with the 30 million or so US Premium holdouts who could balk at the extra dollar and bolt to cheaper rivals like YouTube Music ($10.99) or Amazon Music Unlimited ($10.99).\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Chr />\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Also read:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cul>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/a-beginner-s-guide-to-real-estate-investing-crms-why-investors-need-them\">A Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing CRMs: Why Investors Need Them\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/the-genesis-mission-america-s-bold-leap-to-unite-ai-and-science-in-a-modern-manhattan-project\">The Genesis Mission: America's Bold Leap to Unite AI and Science in a Modern Manhattan Project\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/the-solar-revolution-is-no-longer-coming-it-s-already-here-and-it-speaks-chinese\">The Solar Revolution Is No Longer Coming – It’s Already Here (and It Speaks Chinese)\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\t\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://quasa.io/media/text-vs-email-what-to-use-for-events\">Text vs Email – What to use for Events\u003C/a>\u003C/li>\n\u003C/ul>\n\n\u003Cp>Yet history suggests resilience: after the 2023 US increase from $9.99 to $10.99, churn rates barely budged, and revenue climbed 13% year-over-year. For Spotify's CEO Daniel Ek, it's a calculated gamble - one that prioritizes predictable cash flow over flashy moonshots. In a post-earnings call earlier this year, he hinted at "evolving our pricing to reflect the value we deliver," code for: times are tough, and we're passing the buck.\u003C/p>\n\n\u003Cp>So here we are, another chapter in the endless scroll of subscription fatigue. As holiday lights twinkle and year-end wrapped summaries roll in, Spotify users might soon toast to their top tracks with a side of sticker shock. It's efficient, it's effective, and for now, it's the only lever left to pull. But one can't help but wonder: how many hikes until the music stops feeling quite so free?\u003C/p>","spotify-prepares-to-hike-prices-in-the-us-the-only-surefire-way-to-boost-revenue","2025-11-25T16:29:15.000000Z","2025-12-03T11:29:00.000000Z","03.12.2025",{"image":82,"thumb":83},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/jOabk7Lg5RUTGydsOvFvHiddh8y9uUQlFJENEjMa.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/jOabk7Lg5RUTGydsOvFvHiddh8y9uUQlFJENEjMa.jpg","small",null,1422,0,"en",{"id":69,"title":65,"slug":66,"meta_title":90,"meta_description":91,"meta_keywords":92,"deleted_at":85,"created_at":93,"updated_at":94,"lang":88},"Quasa Media - Growth Hacking in Business","Business is a battlefield. In QUASA MEDIA you will find all the most useful articles on how to do business and not screw up.","Business, earn money, business strategy, business process","2021-08-03T10:59:17.000000Z","2024-08-25T15:45:11.000000Z",[96,109,121,132,143],{"title":97,"description":98,"slug":99,"created_at":100,"publish_at":101,"formatted_created_at":102,"category":103,"links":104,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":107,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"Hollywood Is Shrinking — And the Real Villain Isn’t Strikes or Wildfires, It’s the Government","American film and television production is in serious decline, and last week a surprisingly candid hearing in Burbank made one thing crystal clear: the biggest problem isn’t greedy studios, lazy writers, or California wildfires.","hollywood-is-shrinking-and-the-real-villain-isn-t-strikes-or-wildfires-it-s-the-government","2026-03-25T18:29:29.000000Z","2026-04-08T03:21:00.000000Z","08.04.2026",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":105,"thumb":106},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/RZriu0EWvrhbleBD7g7RJnhk1QyPm4DDZeesC0bC.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/RZriu0EWvrhbleBD7g7RJnhk1QyPm4DDZeesC0bC.jpg",113,false,{"title":110,"description":111,"slug":112,"created_at":113,"publish_at":114,"formatted_created_at":115,"category":116,"links":117,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":120,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"YouTube Is Tightening the Screws: Unskippable Long Ads Are Coming — Even If You Don’t Like It","YouTube has officially decided to stop pretending.In a move that many saw coming but hoped would never actually happen, the platform is rolling out longer, unskippable ads — and they’re starting with the TV app.","youtube-is-tightening-the-screws-unskippable-long-ads-are-coming-even-if-you-don-t-like-it","2026-03-25T18:13:01.000000Z","2026-04-07T11:07:00.000000Z","07.04.2026",{"title":55,"slug":56},{"image":118,"thumb":119},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/jDkf2DFZ7806GqMWYw0QxMTPHUHpgImLFgi4BTPE.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/jDkf2DFZ7806GqMWYw0QxMTPHUHpgImLFgi4BTPE.jpg",797,{"title":122,"description":123,"slug":124,"created_at":125,"publish_at":126,"formatted_created_at":115,"category":127,"links":128,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":131,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"Stranger Things Is Heading to the Kitchen: Netflix Turns Overcooked into Its Next Big Franchise Play","Netflix is once again proving it will try literally anything to get you to open the Games tab.","stranger-things-is-heading-to-the-kitchen-netflix-turns-overcooked-into-its-next-big-franchise-play","2026-03-25T18:04:36.000000Z","2026-04-07T09:53:00.000000Z",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":129,"thumb":130},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/rOBSyjv4EZhVjNfbcHhgjnJKaY05XHB0FcOVRnXU.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/rOBSyjv4EZhVjNfbcHhgjnJKaY05XHB0FcOVRnXU.jpg",823,{"title":133,"description":134,"slug":135,"created_at":136,"publish_at":137,"formatted_created_at":115,"category":138,"links":139,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":142,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"Showmax Shutdown Leaves African Screen Industry in Crisis — Filmmakers Now Bet Everything on Mobile Micro-Dramas","The mood across Africa’s film and TV community is unusually somber. After months of losses, Canal+ has officially pulled the plug on Showmax, its once-ambitious pan-African streaming service. The closure marks another major retreat by global platforms from the continent, leaving local creators wondering who will fund and distribute African stories in the years ahead.","showmax-shutdown-leaves-african-screen-industry-in-crisis-filmmakers-now-bet-everything-on-mobile-micro-dramas","2026-03-25T17:50:16.000000Z","2026-04-07T06:44:00.000000Z",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":140,"thumb":141},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/VNyFXzXDGJLKejycWNbh1ePKPbsVpyFGX2iMvqJ3.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/VNyFXzXDGJLKejycWNbh1ePKPbsVpyFGX2iMvqJ3.jpg",897,{"title":144,"description":145,"slug":146,"created_at":147,"publish_at":148,"formatted_created_at":115,"category":149,"links":150,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":153,"likes":87,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Just Said What Every Other Executive Is Too Scared to Admit: AI Will Replace 70-80% of Human Work","While most corporate leaders are busy preaching the comforting gospel of “AI creates more jobs than it destroys” and “it’s a tool, not a replacement,” Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi just went full truth mode.","uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-just-said-what-every-other-executive-is-too-scared-to-admit-ai-will-replace-70-80-of-human-work","2026-03-25T17:43:14.000000Z","2026-04-07T03:33:00.000000Z",{"title":47,"slug":48},{"image":151,"thumb":152},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/BLwVnZEkWVH2PNnNbLCvRqYV5x4YsiJ0KUJIIbYo.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/BLwVnZEkWVH2PNnNbLCvRqYV5x4YsiJ0KUJIIbYo.jpg",1023,[155,168,182,194,207],{"title":156,"description":157,"slug":158,"created_at":159,"publish_at":160,"formatted_created_at":161,"category":162,"links":163,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":166,"likes":167,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur","Entrepreneur is a French word that means an enterpriser. Enterprisers are people who undertake a business or enterprise with the chance of earning profits or suffering from loss.","the-anatomy-of-an-entrepreneur","2021-08-04T15:18:21.000000Z","2025-12-14T06:09:00.000000Z","14.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":164,"thumb":165},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/mVsXPTMuHZuI7UXCsENgL1Qwp1uSOf7Rz3uVPMfm.webp",66905,2,{"title":169,"description":170,"slug":171,"created_at":172,"publish_at":173,"formatted_created_at":174,"category":175,"links":176,"view_type":179,"video_url":85,"views":180,"likes":181,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"Advertising on QUASA","QUASA MEDIA is read by more than 400 thousand people a month. We offer to place your article, add a link or order the writing of an article for publication.","advertising-on-quasa","2022-07-06T07:33:02.000000Z","2025-12-15T17:33:02.000000Z","15.12.2025",{"title":58,"slug":63},{"image":177,"thumb":178},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/45SvmdsTQbiyc3nxgbyHY1mpVbisYyub2BCHjqBL.jpg","large",66118,4,{"title":183,"description":184,"slug":185,"created_at":186,"publish_at":187,"formatted_created_at":188,"category":189,"links":190,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":193,"likes":181,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"What is a Startup?","A startup is not a new company, not a tech company, nor a new tech company. You can be a new tech company, if your goal is not to grow high and fast; then, you are not a startup. ","what-is-a-startup","2021-08-04T12:05:17.000000Z","2025-12-17T13:02:00.000000Z","17.12.2025",{"title":65,"slug":66},{"image":191,"thumb":192},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/EOsQhSW3VXyG7a6NPdE1oZd00xfJXe3bjY5aJGb7.webp",64749,{"title":195,"description":196,"slug":197,"created_at":198,"publish_at":199,"formatted_created_at":200,"category":201,"links":202,"view_type":84,"video_url":85,"views":205,"likes":167,"lang":88,"comments_count":206,"is_pinned":108},"Top 5 Tips to Make More Money as a Content Creator","Content creators are one of the most desired job titles right now. Who wouldn’t want to earn a living online?","top-5-tips-to-make-more-money-as-a-content-creator","2022-01-17T17:31:51.000000Z","2026-01-17T11:30:00.000000Z","17.01.2026",{"title":19,"slug":20},{"image":203,"thumb":204},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/gP8kiumBPpJmQv6SMieXiX1tDetx43VwFfO1P4Ca.jpg",39353,1,{"title":208,"description":209,"slug":210,"created_at":211,"publish_at":212,"formatted_created_at":213,"category":214,"links":215,"view_type":179,"video_url":85,"views":218,"likes":167,"lang":88,"comments_count":87,"is_pinned":108},"8 Logo Design Tips for Small Businesses","Your logo tells the story of your business and the values you stand for.","8-logo-design-tips-for-small-businesses","2021-12-04T21:59:52.000000Z","2025-05-05T03:30:00.000000Z","05.05.2025",{"title":15,"slug":16},{"image":216,"thumb":217},"https://quasa.io/storage/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg","https://api.quasa.io/thumbs/news-thumb/images/news/Wbx2NtS1CnTupgoQbpFMGspJ5jm4uob2hDOq33r0.jpg",38876,[220,221,222,223,224,225,226,227,228,229,230,231,232],{"title":23,"slug":24},{"title":47,"slug":48},{"title":55,"slug":56},{"title":43,"slug":44},{"title":51,"slug":52},{"title":31,"slug":32},{"title":35,"slug":36},{"title":27,"slug":28},{"title":19,"slug":20},{"title":15,"slug":16},{"title":58,"slug":63},{"title":11,"slug":12},{"title":65,"slug":66}]