UPDATED 03:24 EDT / DECEMBER 10 2015

NEWS

Google Play Music family plan launches with a $14.99 price tag

We have known for the last two months that it was on its way and now it is officially here. Google is launching its family plan for Google Play Music. You and five additional family members can sign up for the family plan with Google matching Apple Music’s family plan price tag of $14.99 per month.

Family members will have access to their own libraries, recommendations, playlists and listening history. The family plan also provides access to 35 million songs on demand; if there are songs that are not in the Play Music library then you are also able to upload up to 50,000 songs to the cloud. Family members can all stream the music they enjoy on their own devices simultaneously and will continue to enjoy ad-free playback.

To make the family plan more appealing, Google is offering a bonus to family plan subscribers in the form of YouTube Red in the U.S., with each family member benefiting from ad-free YouTube.

Spotify, the leading streaming music service, will be feeling the pressure from both Google Play Music and Apple Music as the company currently charges more for its family plan. For two family members, Spotify charges $14.99 per month, with families required to pay $5 for each additional member they add. This is quite hefty compared to the flat $14.99 rate offered by both Google and Apple for up to six people. When Apple Music launched, Spotify said they would roll out competitive pricing in the near future. With Google Play Music matching the $14.99 monthly rate though it may be a change that happens sooner rather than later.

You and your family can sign up for the family plan “in the coming days,” according to Google’s blog post. It will be available on Android devices in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany, with Google Play Music family plan expected to launch in more countries soon. At this stage, the family plan will only be available on Android, but you will be able to listen on iOS and the web as well.

Image credit: FirmBee; Pixabay

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