Spotify has reported that it fell short on sales for its third-quarter earnings reports and as a result, the company is looking into ways to bolster future results.
One of those ways is increasing the costs of subscription plans across the world. By raising prices it could improve revenue overall, but this needs to be carefully managed to ensure that users still see value in their monthly subscriptions.
Spotify has been attempting to add value for users in recent months with the addition of "enhanced content" - including original and exclusive podcasts. The app now has 1.9 million podcasts with around 58 Spotify originals.
It's that sort of content which the company hopes will be enough to justify a price hike without causing people to unsubscribe. The company has already been testing price increases in some areas - with the likes of Scandinanivan regions and Australia seeing small increases to the Family Plan recently. Belgium, Switzerland, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia have also had price rises.
Spotify is, however, aware of the potential issues around the timing. 2020 is a tough year for many and it makes little business sense to raise prices during a recession where people are losing their jobs or looking to cut costs.