We are definitely a Spotify family. And by family, I mean I do not tend to publish my playlists because they range from “Every version of every Frozen song ever” to “Every Gummy Bear song sung in every language ever.” Okay, I do have a few 80’s playlists in there somewhere. But boy, the kids have certainly coopted my account. So I actually made an audible “whoo!” sound when Spotify informed us of Spotify Family this morning, which is made just for families like mine.
The gist is that instead of sharing your Premium ad-free account, meaning only one of you can use it at a time on one device, if you have a music-loving brood you can add up to four additional accounts, each at half-price. So you plus a partner/spouse or a kid would run you $14.99 a month instead of the $9.99 you pay now for a premium account; or add up to four more people for a total of $29.99 a month.
To be clear, the first account is still $9.99 but the additional accounts will each be 50% off. Pretty nice.
The benefits are that you can each have your own playlists–also meaning your kids can’t “accidentally” add some Wiggles song to your cocktail party playlist that you only discover when you have your boss over for drinks. You also get your own recommendations based on your preferences, and if you’ve ever inadvertently watched Orange is the New Black on your kids’ Netflix profile, well then you know how important that can be. (Netflix keeps recommending Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead to my seven-year-old. Sigh.) But best of all, you can all listen to your own thing on your own devices at the same time, wherever you are.
This seems a smart move in light of Apple’s new Family Sharing service, which was just announced for iOS 8. The difference is however, is that Apple is not charging you extra for each account; you can share your music with up to six people. That said, you do have to have purchased the music or media you’re sharing in the first place–which is where a streaming service like Spotify can actually be a lot more cost effective. At least if you’re not committed to owning the music you listen to.
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This is an idea that Rdio has put to use for a while now, and it seems like Spotify has been considering family plans for at least two or three years so…thanks, finally, on behalf of a lot of families.
Of course you will have to wait a bit longer–the launch date is only specified as “soon.”
Download Spotify free for Android, Windows, iOS, PC and Mac, or upgrade to the Premium ad-free service starting at $9.99/month for one account, with discounts for additional family members launching soon.
[top photo: ed yourdon via compfight cc]
