Google has a new way for families to listen to music and watch YouTube videos. The Alphabet-owned tech giant will add family plan pricing to its Play Music subscription service. And that pricing will include access to ad-free videos on YouTube Red.
Google explained in a company blog post how its new family plan will allow up to six different users (like other family members or friends) to stream music simultaneously from the same subscription account. The new family plan will also keep each users’ playlists and preferences separate for a more customized listening experience. But the most important aspect of Google’s family plan option for Play Music is that it includes access to YouTube Red for all U.S. subscribers. YouTube Red and Google Play have been priced and sold together for $9.99 per month since the video subscription service’s launch in October 2015. It’s a synergistic tactic for Google to group its owned-and-operated properties into one plan to increase adoption for all, but the combination has benefits beyond giving the end-user access to programming and music. To stymie the myth YouTube wouldn’t be able to pay creators during Red’s 30-day free trial, YouTube used subscription revenue from Play Music as an interim payment for these creators.
Google said the Play Music/YouTube Red family plan will cost $14.99 per month (as opposed to the regular aforementioned $9.99 per month subscription for a single user). The family plan will arrive in the next few days for subscribers in the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Australia.
