Spotify Platinum

An aerial shot of Cape Town, South Africa. Photo Credit: Tobias Reich

Spotify is stepping up its monetization game in emerging markets including India and South Africa, where a new three-account “Platinum” tier has replaced the six-user Family plan.

This and other Premium changes just recently hit Spotify in India, Indonesia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Amid the company’s well-documented plans to generate more revenue from developing music spaces – and spearhead superfan buildouts – the pilot could well expand if successful here.

For now, the DSP is zeroing in on the listed nations, all having received Premium price boost announcements in August. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that the increases were disclosed with a broader strategy front of mind.

Furthermore, today’s adjustments include several additional bumps. To name a couple examples, India’s Student plan, previously ₹69 ($0.78) per month, currently costs ₹99 ($1.12); in Saudi Arabia, Student’s price has risen from SAR 12.99 ($3.46) to SAR 15.99 ($4.26).

However, the initially mentioned Platinum represents the most conspicuous and significant of the recalibrations. As many know, Family’s comparative monetization weakness (even in established markets) has been the subject of industry criticism for a while.

At least with regard to the five above-noted countries, the pushback should cease: Spotify has shelved Duo and Family alike, rendering the newly launched Platinum the only multi-user option for local customers.

Platinum encompasses three Premium accounts, offline downloads, lossless audio, AI features including DJ, and more. But in India, it’ll set one back ₹299 ($3.37) per month as compared to ₹229 ($2.58) for the now-nixed Family.

Similar shifts are live in the other pilot markets, where Individual has apparently become Lite. Pricing is the same across both plans, but Lite specifically offers ad-free listening and “[h]igh audio quality (up to ~160kbps).”

Spotify United Arab Emirates Price Changes and Plan Updates – November 2025

New and axed plans are emboldened.

Student: AED 12.99 ($3.54) to AED 15.99 ($4.35)

Individual/Lite: AED 23.99/$6.53 (no change)

Standard: AED 31.99 ($8.71)

Duo: Originally AED 32.99 ($8.98), no longer offered

Family: Originally AED 39.99 ($10.89), no longer offered

Platinum: AED 59.99 ($16.33)

Meanwhile, a middle-ground Standard plan costs ₹199 ($2.24) per month in India and includes offline downloads as well as up to 320 kbps audio quality, but not AI features.

In short, then, the pilot should shed light on how much (or how little) users care about audio fidelity and AI. And though every market has unique characteristics, the takeaways could factor into Spotify’s wider “Supremium” template.