Spotify is launching a new Basic plan in the United States just weeks after the platform launched its second price increase in less than a year.
The tier returns the previous price of $10.99 per month and you will receive the same benefits as the Premium plan, except 15 hours of audiobook listening per month. That benefit is not available in Basic, but access to music or podcasts will not be restricted.
The interesting thing is that this option is only available to “eligible” customers, according to the announcement. You can't sign up for the service by going to the Spotify subscription plan webpage because it's not there. All you will see are the Premium plans.
A company representative told us that you can see the options if you are already a current subscriber and “are logged into your account on a desktop computer” and on Android phones. Basically, it serves as a downgrade for users who don't want the benefit of the audiobook.
iPhone owners will have it a little more difficult. Due to App Store policies, the same representative told us that iOS users cannot downgrade their Premium plan to Basic. They will have to do this on a desktop browser or a mobile browser.
Basic Family Plan
9To5Google, in its coverage, found that “there is also a new 'Basic Family' plan,” which costs $16.99. This second tier offers most of the same benefits as a Premium Family subscription. You'll get access to Spotify Kids, parents will be able to “control content marked as explicit,” and you can cancel at any time. There are some differences.
Users will not receive up to six Premium or Kids accounts, as all will be considered Basic. And like the individual Basic plan, families will not have hours of listening to audiobooks. The same representative as before confirmed that the Basic Family Plan exists as an option. Beyond that, everything else remains the same as the other Spotify Premium plans, and we won't see any changes or a third price increase.
Global expansion
Earlier this month, a Spotify Basic Individual option appeared in the UK for a short time before being removed. Spotify complied, as the company representative informed us that the option is available in the United Kingdom and Australia. They also offer a Basic Duo plan to complement their Premium version, but they didn't give us the price of other additions.
Nothing is known regarding the long-awaited HiFi level, although we suspect that more news will appear soon. On June 11, a leak appeared online from Bloomberg revealing what the platform could do with the HiFi tier. It is possible that it will be released as an add-on to Spotify Premium and will not exist as a standalone service.
We asked if the company could provide us with updates on upcoming service, but they didn't tell us much, stating that they “have nothing to share at this time.”
Be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best music streaming services for 2024.
