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# Spotify Cracks Down On Family Plan Abuse
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/spotify-cracks-down-on-family-plan-abuse/
- Published: 2018-09-28T08:27:13.000Z
- Updated: 2018-09-28T08:27:13.000Z
- Description: Spotify is cracking down on abuse of its Premium For Family subscriptions.The streamer sent email to many Family subscribers in the U.S. demanding that they confirm their home address by. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2018/09/spotify-cracks-down-on-family-plan-abuse.html]
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: Music Business, Music Tech, Streaming, music, musician, musicians, Spotify, Spotify Family Plan, streaming, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:00

[![Family_same_address](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2022ad36e940b200c-200wi "Family_same_address")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2022ad36e940b200c-popup?ref=hypebot.com)Spotify is cracking down on abuse of its Premium For Family subscriptions.The streamer sent email to many Family subscribers in the U.S. demanding that they confirm their home address by clicking on a links that will verify the link using online GPS data.

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> [@Spotify](https://twitter.com/Spotify?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com) Why do you need my GPS location to continue offering me a "Premium discount"? I pay for the family plan and it should not matter where my family lives. Will you cancel my account if my family gets too far from each other? [#wtf](https://twitter.com/hashtag/wtf?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com) [#fail](https://twitter.com/hashtag/fail?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com) [pic.twitter.com/HauQtHXSUA](https://t.co/HauQtHXSUA?ref=hypebot.com)  
>  
> — suck (@unaligned) [September 18, 2018](https://twitter.com/unaligned/status/1041875669704237057?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com)

Spotify has been sending emails to many of its Premium for Family subscribers in the US requiring them to confirm their home address through GPS data. “If you don’t confirm, you may lose access to the plan,” the email stated.Premium for Family cost $14.99 a month in the U.S. and allow the subscriber and and up to 5 others to to each have a Spotify Premium account. 

> Dear [@Spotify](https://twitter.com/Spotify?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com):   
>  
> I‘m a user of the Family-subscription and can’t understand why you want to track the location via GPS? ???? Some families don’t live together, but they still are family. May they work abroad or like to travel. So rethink this. Please[#familybybloodbutnotbylocation](https://twitter.com/hashtag/familybybloodbutnotbylocation?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com)  
>  
> — caesar salad (@FlorianKadrija) [September 20, 2018](https://twitter.com/FlorianKadrija/status/1042924750702608384?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=hypebot.com)

According to Spotify's Premium for Family Terms And Conditions, "all account holders must reside at the same address to be eligible for the Premium for Family Plan." But many Family subscriptions have reportedly been used by groups of friends. That practice has cost Spotify and thus artists and labels significant revenue. [*Billboard*](https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8472053/streaming-family-plans-sharing-average-revenue-per-user?ref=hypebot.com) reports that almost half of global streaming subscribers use of family plans across all services.Many modern families do not live at the same address, some Spotify users complain. Others suggest that Spotify will keep the accounts active if at least two of the users are at the same address. Many indie labels use "Family" accounts to maintain multiple public playlists.H/T [Quartz](https://qz.com/quartzy/1405477/spotify-is-demanding-family-plan-users-hand-over-gps-data/?ref=hypebot.com)