Spotify's Premium prices in India changed three times in about nine months. Listeners noticed. Artists should too, because subscription money is part of what pays royalties.
The timeline
August 2025: a price hike. India Today reported and Business Today confirmed that Spotify raised Premium prices in India. Individual went from ₹119 to ₹139 a month. Duo, Family and Student plans also went up.
Late 2025: new tiers. The Indian Express reported that Spotify launched three Premium tiers in India: Lite, Standard and Platinum, priced at ₹139, ₹199 and ₹299.
May 2026: Lite dropped. Business Today and Music Business Worldwide reported that Spotify discontinued Premium Lite in India and some other markets, and cut the Standard price.
Prices may change again, so check the Spotify app for the current numbers.
Why artists should care about pricing
A free listener and a paid listener do not bring the same money. Platforms pay royalties out of the revenue they collect, and subscription income is a big part of that. When more people pay, and pay a sensible amount, the pool grows.
India has a lot of listeners but relatively few paid subscribers. Pricing experiments like these are how platforms try to find a price that more Indians will accept.
The bigger trend
This fits with what industry research is saying. The EY and IMI report released in July 2026 estimated that India had about 14 million paid music subscriptions in 2025, and could reach 28-30 million by 2028. Bundles and tiered plans are expected to drive that.
What you can do as an artist
You cannot set Spotify's prices. You can make sure you are earning from every kind of listener:
- Be on free and paid platforms. YouTube, JioSaavn, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music each have different listeners.
- Get callertunes active. For many Bhojpuri, Haryanvi and devotional artists, this is a separate income stream.
- Turn on Content ID. Earn when others use your song in YouTube videos.
- Build listeners who save your songs. Saved songs keep playing every month.
Spread your music wide
RMX Music distributes to 95+ platforms, delivers callertunes on Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL, and offers YouTube Content ID and Visual Claims. Releases usually go live in 24-48 hours. You keep 100% ownership and 95% of royalties, paid monthly.
Whatever a Spotify subscription costs next year, your songs should be there. Sign up with RMX Music.