You love listening to music. Your family loves listening to music. You‘re all Apple users. Subscribing to individual Apple Music accounts would cost a decent chunk of change every month – but what about the Apple Music Family Plan?
That‘s what we‘ll explore today. I‘ll give you an in-depth overview of how Apple‘s family sharing option works, how it compares to rival music services, the pros and cons, and most importantly – whether it‘s worthwhile for your household.
Let‘s get to the sweet sounds of music discovery!
A Quick Primer: Key Features of Apple Music
Before we dig into family plan specifics, as an avid music listener, you‘ll want to know what core features Apple Music delivers across their subscription plans:
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85+ Million Song Catalog: Huge library spanning all your favorite artists and genres. For comparison, Spotify has "just" 70 million tracks.
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Personalized Libraries & Playlists: The software generates special playlists tailored just for your tastes which update dynamically based on the songs and genres you’re listening to. There‘s also expertly crafted playlists across activities, genres, decades, and moods so you always have the perfect soundtrack.
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Lyrics Search & Views: You can pull up lyrics as you listen to songs to easily sing along karaoke-style. No more garbled mumbling of words you sort-of know.
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Innovative Audio Formats: Support for immersive Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio and Lossless formats. These provide next-level sound quality for compatible devices.
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Human-Curated Playlists & Stations: While algorithms power personalization, Apple Music also relies on human music editors and experts to craft fantastic playlists covering new music, favorites, genres, activities, and much more. There are also stellar curated radio stations for when you want to lean back and have someone DJ for you.
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Music Videos & Concerts: Go beyond just audio with a deep library of music videos, concert films, and documentaries covering iconic musicians.
Those are just a few of the highlights available to all Apple Music subscribers. Let‘s see how the Family Plan specifically unlocks unlimited music for families.
Apple Music Family Plan Pricing & Account Details
The Apple Music Family Plan allows up to 6 people to access the full Apple Music catalog under one account for just $16.99 per month. Each family member gets their own personalized Apple Music account with expert recommendations tailored to their individual tastes.
- For a family of four, that comes out to just $4.25 per person – over 60% savings compared to individual subscriptions.
- For a family of six, it works out to less than $3 per person.
The primary account holder handles management like subscribing, cancelling, or changing the plan. But every other family member gets a complete Apple Music experience including:
✅ Unlimited song listens
✅ 100,000 song downloads for offline play
✅ Personal recommendations & playlists
✅ Access across all devices – iPhone, Android, Web, Speakers
✅ Spatial Audio & Lossless music support
✅ Lyrics search
✅ Music videos, concerts, and more
It‘s full Apple Music access and personalization for every member of the family at tremendous savings compared to individual signups.
How Does Apple Music Family Plan Compare to Top Competitors?
So how does Apple Music stack up against other major music services? Here‘s a full breakdown across key categories:
While Apple Music sits on the higher end for family plan pricing, you get added benefits like:
👍 Larger Catalog Size: 85+ million tracks to Spotify‘s 70 million means more choice
👍 Spatial Audio Support: Immersive Dolby sound
👍 Lyrics Views: Read lyrics real-time like karaoke
👍 Original Content: Apple invests in exclusives, concerts, documentaries and more for subscribers
So by paying that small premium over the competition, you unlock extra features and musical breadth tailored specifically for Apple device owners.
Pros & Cons of Choosing the Apple Music Family Plan
Key Advantages
- Saves 60% or more compared to individual accounts
- Get full access to Apple‘s massive 85+ million song catalog
- Each family member gets customized playlists and stations
- Download songs to phones/tablets for offline listening
- Family Setup options for controlling kids accounts
- Lyrics views, Dolby Atmos support, and expert recommendations
Potential Downsides
- Primary account holder manages subscriptons
- Must share same mailing address
- Slightly more expensive vs. Pandora, Deezer Family plans
- Less seamless experience on Android devices
Overall, the Family Plan brings exceptional musical choice, customization, and family sharing value. As long as you don‘t mind a few account management restrictions, families save big.
Is Apple‘s Family Music Plan the Right Choice? Key Questions to Consider
As you weigh Apple Music‘s family sharing option against competitors, ask yourself:
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Do we have Apple devices? The Apple Music experience shines brightest on platforms like iPhones, iPads and the HomePod. Support for Spatial Audio and Lyrics views leads here too.
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How many family members want access? The more people that will share a subscription, the more value you‘ll receive.
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Do we value musical choice? With 85+ million songs and constantly updated playlists, Apple Music makes discovering new artists effortless.
If you answered yes to those questions, then the Family Plan could be a fantastic fit, unlocking a shared music utopia tailored for Apple lovers.
Bottom Line
- For just $16.99/month, Apple Music Family Plan allows up to 6 users to have their own full Apple Music accounts
- Each family member gets custom playlists and 100K song downloads for less than $3/month
- Great perks like Lyrics views, Spatial Audio, and a catalog twice the size of Spotify
- Some account management limits but overall tremendous value
While I‘ve thrown a lot of facts and figures your way, my goal was to provide a comprehensive perspective – from pricing, to features, competitors, pros and cons – to help determine if Apple Music family sharing suits your family‘s listening lifestyle.
If so, gather the troop, subscribe together, and let the savings and musical exploration commence! Does this breakdown help or still leave you with questions? Let me know in the comments.
