CPI taken from https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
I fudged the CPI calculation a bit because I didn't do the compounding monthly, but I ensured that based on the CPI calculator, the starting value of $11.99 -> $16.43 from January 2013 -> December 2024.
To be fair, I think CPI is somewhat bullshit, but it was the easiest .gov source for inflation data that I knew about.
Data:
| Year | Basic | Standard with Ads | Standard | Premium | Premium Following CPI | CPI Inflation % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $7.99 | - | - | – | - | - |
| 2012 | $7.99 | - | - | – | - | - |
| 2013 | $7.99 | - | $9.99 | $11.99 | $11.99 | 1.58% |
| 2014 | $7.99 | - | $10.99 | $13.99 | $12.19 | -0.89% |
| 2015 | $7.99 | - | $11.99 | $14.99 | $12.09 | 1.37% |
| 2016 | $7.99 | - | $11.99 | $14.99 | $12.26 | 2.50% |
| 2017 | $7.99 | - | $12.99 | $15.99 | $12.57 | 2.07% |
| 2018 | $7.99 | - | $12.99 | $15.99 | $12.84 | 1.55% |
| 2019 | $8.99 | - | $13.99 | $16.99 | $13.05 | 2.49% |
| 2020 | $8.99 | - | $14.99 | $18.99 | $13.38 | 1.40% |
| 2021 | $8.99 | - | $14.99 | $18.99 | $13.58 | 7.48% |
| 2022 | $9.99 | - | $15.49 | $19.99 | $14.60 | 6.41% |
| 2023 | Phased Out | $6.99 | $15.49 | $19.99 | $15.55 | 3.09% |
| 2024 | – | $6.99 | $15.49 | $22.99 | $16.04 | 2.33% |
| 2025 | – | $7.99 | $17.99 | $24.99 | $16.43 | - |
edit: fixed a calculation mistake (accidentally was using 2012->2025 inflation not 2013->2025) edit 2: zeroed y axis
Lol all good and fair points.
I just focused on premium because that's what I had prior to cancelling. So totally just focused on what directly impacted me. I should have included both and called out the removal of 'basic' and forcing users to either pay more for standard or accept ads
Frankly, across the board it's just standard enshitification.
I think my other thought is I don't think you should have to be rich to be able to stream a higher bitrate. Sure maybe it costs more storage / bandwidth but I don't think it should be something only rich people can afford.
Ah I get you now. Yeah, I probably would have cancelled it as well in this case:-).