Spotify Ambitions

After recent increases in Spotify subs for their premium service across all regions barring North America the company announced a price hike for NA consumers in the first quarter of 2026. It's currently $11.99 a month....an increase of $1 would add c$500 million to Spotify annually. Its not clear how much of that would be distributed to the artists who supply all of Spotifys catalogue....

With two new co-presidents in situ after Daniel Ek stepped down the ambitions are nothing less than world domination. Co-President Alex Norstrom thinks there is no reason why 10-15% of the entire planet could be paying for premium....

Spotify has been under increasing pressure as major artists remove their back catalogues (Massive Attack, Neil Diamond...)  after it became known Daniel Ek is investing in military defence AI. Coupled with the pitiful payouts for artists and the emergence of Spotify's own AI created music it's a wonder why people continue to support the platform.

Spotify does not have the best interests of music or artists at the forefront of their strategy. Satisfying the markets and their shareholders is the priority...

So if you've had enough of Spotify and want to try something else we've put together a list of Spotify alternatives. Some better than others but alternatives nonetheless.

Corporate:

Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music

Independent / Semi-Corporate

SoundCloud, BandCamp, Pandora, Qobuz

Credit: EDM.com - https://edm.com/industry/spotify-raising-us-prices-2026-as/