The music streaming landscape is about to get a whole lot pricier for UK customers, with Apple Music leading the charge in a wave of price hikes sweeping across Europe and beyond. The Cupertino-based giant has bumped up its monthly subscription costs by as much as £9 - yes, you read that right - citing rising licensing fees as the reason behind the sudden shift.
So, what does this mean for Apple Music subscribers? Well, for individuals, it's a whopping £1 increase from £10.99 to £11.99 per month, while households will be feeling the pinch even more with a £3 hike from £16.99 to £19.99 monthly. And if you're a student, get ready to dig deeper into your pocket as Apple Music's discounted plan has also seen an increase - but we'll get to that in a bit.
It's not just Apple Music feeling the pinch, mind. Spotify, its arch-rival, raised its individual premium subscriptions by £1 last year, marking its third price hike in three years. This trend of increasing costs is a worrying sign for fans and artists alike, as it hints at a broader shift in pricing strategies across the music streaming sector.
But Apple Music's not just focused on milking the wallet - it's also taking steps to address the growing AI crisis rocking the industry. Remember that 2025 study finding nearly all listeners struggled to spot human-made from AI-generated tunes? Yeah, that one. Well, Apple Music has listened and is implementing new features requiring labels and distributors to flag up content created using AI when uploading new tracks.
It's not just Apple Music, either - other platforms are also grappling with the AI conundrum. Deezer reported in September 2025 that AI-generated tunes made up a quarter of its content, prompting it to demonetise 85 per cent of these tracks using an AI-detection tool. And Bandcamp? It's taking a zero-tolerance approach, banning all AI-created music from its platform and vowing to remove any suspicious content.