Spotify listeners might want to sit down, preferably not while checking their bank statements. The streaming giant is gearing up for yet another price increase in the U.S., expected to hit sometime in Q1 of 2026. It would be Spotify’s first U.S. hike since July 2024, but globally the company has been quietly nudging prices upward across Europe, Africa, and Asia throughout the year.
While there have not been any clear indications of how much Spotify will be raising prices this time around, projections from JP Morgan analysts suggest that tacking on just one extra dollar per month could net the company an additional $500 million annually. That’s half a billion dollars from listeners who already watched their bills jump last year, when the Individual plan went from $10.99 to $11.99, Duo jumped to $16.99, and the Family plan shot up to $19.99.
Meanwhile, Spotify finally rolled out lossless audio after years of teasing it, but even that wasn’t accompanied by the long-promised “Supremium” tier. So users are paying more… without getting much more.
Meanwhile, Spotify’s leadership is doing just fine. In fact, CEO Daniel Ek is busy spending all this extra money in much more creative ways.
Earlier this year, Ek’s venture capital firm Prima Materia led a massive €600 million ($694 million) funding round for Helsing, a European defense tech startup that specializes in AI-driven battlefield analytics and military drones. Ek isn’t just writing checks; he’s also Helsing’s chairman.
While Spotify subscribers are preparing to pay more for their music, Helsing is using Ek’s investment to expand its AI weapons technology, producing the HX-2 drone line and intensifying Europe’s move toward “technological sovereignty.” In plain English: they’re making smarter war machines, and investors are very excited about it.
Defense tech has become a hotbed for VC cash, especially amid ongoing conflicts from Ukraine to Gaza. Following the funding round in June, Helsing is now valued at $12 billion.
So on one side, Spotify is telling customers it needs more money. On the other, its CEO is helping raise nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars for artificial intelligence built for war.
Source: Financial Times.