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Spotify is giving family account owners a free Google Home Mini

Spotify is giving family account owners a free Google Home Mini

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Spotify says the free Google Home Mini is a limited offer

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

If you’re the account owner on a Spotify Premium Family plan in the US, you can get a free Google Home Mini from the streaming service through the end of the year beginning on November 1st, Spotify announced today. Spotify has partnered with Google to give out the voice assistant to account owners on its family plan who sign up through the link here on November 1st. 

On the surface, it may seem like a nice holiday giveaway for Family plan users (and it is in some respects). But with the growth of Amazon Music largely on the back of the Echo and the rise of smart speakers, which may be in 50 percent of US homes before the end of the year, it’s also a strategic move for Spotify. YouTube Music and Google Play Music are still far from serious competition for Spotify, but Amazon’s rapid growth in the music sector combined with the success of the Google Home makes this an easy and quick way to get people listening to Spotify on smart speakers before they get hooked by Amazon’s easy-to-use ecosystem.

Google Home Mini
Google Home Mini
Photo: Dan Seifart / The Verge

(For Spotify, it’s better your kids take that Google Home to college than pick up an Echo and an Amazon Music account. Amazon has been making inroads in every part of the home, from your alarm clock to your microwave. For kids who grow up with Alexa, it’s only logical to use the music service that works best with it.)

According to a report from the market research firm MusicWatch, music listeners who pay for services like Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music are 240 percent more likely to use a smart speaker or personal assistant device than those who don’t pay for music. With Spotify already partnering with Samsung for its devices including the Galaxy Home and now pushing the Google Home Mini, it’s clear Spotify wants to lock in the casual listener who may be in a Premium user’s house, but not committed to a streaming service yet.

Spotify says the free Google Home Mini is a limited offer, so if you want one sign up tomorrow.

Update October 31st, 9:00AM ET: Spotify says the sign up period will begin on November 1st, not October 31st. The post has been updated to reflect this.