If I'm not mistaken an Xbox live account is different to an Xbox live subscription, being that with an Xbox live account, you can access the service (XBL) but be limited to certain aspects of the entire system based off of your account. XBL GOLD lets you do everything from play multiplayer shyt to accessing selected content while having XBL Silver (A.K.A. ain't paying for shyt) lets you play single player games and buy content and interact with friends on your list although I don't think you can voice/party chat, not too sure since I renew my XBL membership before it dies.
But
@PS4 been on Speedrunners for a bit and that's multiplayer if I'm not mistaken, so he should have XBL gold.