It’s safe to say that Spotify has taken over the music streaming world. It boasts more than 50 million paying users and more than 75 million total users. But if you’re part of a family or don’t want to pay Spotify’s $9.99 monthly fee, you can get an account with Family, its version of Family Sharing that lets up to six people stream music from one premium account for $14.99 per month.
How much does it cost?
Spotify family plans range from $14.99 to $29.99 depending on which package you choose and how many people you want to include in your family account. The Spotify family membership includes access to all of the same content offered in a Premium account, as well as unlimited family-friendly content that adheres to Spotify’s kid and teen guidelines.
The family plan costs $14.99/month, with each additional family member costing $4.99 a month. To access family-friendly content, you’ll need to select a premium account option (either Premium or Premium for Family). In most countries, premium plans cost $9.99/month but are discounted by 50% for families (so they cost $4.99 per person). Prices vary in some countries, depending on sales tax and local currency exchange rates (prices are shown in your local currency in checkout).
What do I get if I’m part of a family plan?
Spotify’s Family plan makes sense for families with shared music tastes. Once you’ve upgraded to a family plan, each member of your family gets his or her own individual account. But that doesn’t mean it won’t sync and share playlists with the others! The only difference is that your account will have been upgraded to a 6-month family membership.
Moreover, if you use Spotify at work and share your account with colleagues, this upgrade allows them to share access to playlists as well. Or if you have children away at college (or in some other dorm) and want them on a shared family plan too, now they can be.
So what are my options?
The easiest way to sign up for a family plan is by logging into your account and selecting the Spotify Premium for family in your settings. The only difference between an individual and a family plan are that you’ll need to provide more personal information about each person (including full name, date of birth, email address, and phone number) in order to share a premium account. A family account also requires that everyone be present when setting up payments via credit card or PayPal.
What if I already have an individual plan? If you have an individual account but would like to switch over to Spotify’s Family Plan, all you have to do is cancel your current subscription.
But what if I’m too young to have my own account? Or my parents won’t let me join?
Spotify offers a family plan that will let you subscribe to their premium service with up to 6 people. But what if you’re too young to have your own account? Or maybe your parents won’t let you join because they’re nervous about how much streaming music can cost? If this sounds like your situation, then you’ll be happy to know that not all hope is lost. The good news is that in most cases, under 18-year-olds can sign up for their own accounts without needing parental consent. And if you don’t want to create an account because of the costs associated with subscription services, don’t worry–Spotify also offers a free tier!
Does this mean you can add someone without their permission?
There are a lot of reasons why a family member would want to be added to your account: you want them to enjoy the songs you love, they want to use the service too or maybe you just can’t remember passwords any more.
While it may be tempting to add someone without their permission, it could lead to conflict in your family. For instance, when two people have different tastes in music, it might be frustrating if one person changes that person’s listening habits and automatically queues them up for playlists that aren’t necessarily suited for their taste.
Can non-Spotify members access my library?
Family members can play any song in their family member’s library as often as they want. If you are not a family member, you can only play songs three times, but don’t worry–each time you find something that you like and try to replay it, it will let you know that because you’re not a family member, you can only play this song three times. But all hope is not lost! Anyone who isn’t part of your family plan or doesn’t have an account with them has access to 3 months’ worth of unlimited music to try out the service without creating an account. After those 3 months are up, though, they’ll have to start paying if they want continued access.