Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
YouTube Music Premium early adopters will soon have to say goodbye to their discount (Update)
- Early adopters of YouTube Music Premium are being notified that they will soon have to pay the same price as everyone else.
- Google is giving these customers a grace period of “at least 3 more months” before the changes go into effect.
Update: November 8, 2024 (4:20 PM ET): A Google spokesperson has told Android Authority that several markets, not including the US, will see the price change after the three-month grace period:
We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium for new and current subscribers in Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Uruguay, and Turkey. Members who signed up originally via Google Play Music and received early adopter pricing will get three additional months at their current price.
Original article: November 8, 2024 (3:27 PM ET): Were you one of the first people to jump on YouTube’s “Music Key” streaming subscription back in 2014? If you were, then you’ve probably been enjoying YouTube Music Premium at a discount. Unfortunately, that discount is about to come to an end in the next few months.
First spotted by 9to5Google, users are reporting that they have received a new notification from YouTube Music. The notification warns that early adopters of Premium in Europe will soon have to pay more for their subscription. According to the notification, these users will have to start paying €10.99 a month, bringing the price in line with what everyone else pays for the service.
Back when YouTube launched the Music Key beta, subscribers were charged $7.99, with international prices being similar. Google allowed those subscribers to stay at the same rate after it left the beta period and also when YouTube Music relaunched in 2018. The pricing has stayed the same, but that won’t be the case anymore it appears.
At the very least, Google isn’t imposing the price increase right away. The note mentions that these members will have “at least 3 more months” before the price is raised. It also states that you won’t see the change in your billing before March.
At the moment, it’s unclear if anyone in the US has received one of these notifications. We have reached out to Google for clarification.