Spotify announced today that it has partnered with Google to give out the voice assistant to account owners on its family plan. Now it may seem like a nice holiday giveaway for Family plan users. 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 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.
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 for free from Spotify be ready to sign up tomorrow.