Spotify Price Hikes Expand Again—What It Could Mean for Emerging Artists

Spotify has raised subscription pricing in additional markets (per recent reporting), reinforcing that the streaming business is still in "ARPU optimization mode."

In the near term, that can mean more pressure on platforms to prove value—potentially boosting features that drive tickets, merch, and higher-intent fan behavior.

For indie artists, the silver lining is that higher subscription fees could eventually translate to slightly improved per-stream rates—though the timeline remains uncertain.