YouTube Music

Short description: Music streaming service by YouTube

YouTube Music

Screenshot of the YouTube Music web player as of December 2023.

Developer| YouTube
Key People|

* Neal Mohan (YouTube CEO)
* T. Jay Fowler (Director of Product Management)
* Lyor Cohen (YouTube Global Head of Music)

Type| Music and Video Streaming
Launch date| November 12, 2015; 8 years ago (2015-11-12)
Platform(s)|

* Android
* iOS
* ChromeOS
* Wear OS
* Google Home
* Sonos
* Android TV
* Android Auto
* Web

WatchOS
Members| 80 million paid subscribers ((As of September 2022))[1]
Availability| 104 countries; mostly in the Americas, Europe and Oceania, and in parts of Africa and Asia (see full list)[2][3][4][5]
Website| music.youtube.com

YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by the American video platform YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The service is designed with a user interface that allows users to explore songs and music videos on YouTube based on genres, playlists, and recommendations. In April 2023, the service expanded its offerings to include support for podcasts.[6]

YouTube Music also features a premium tier that provides several benefits to subscribers. These include ad-free playback, the ability to play audio in the background, and the option to download songs for offline listening. These benefits are also available to subscribers of YouTube Premium. On December 1, 2020, YouTube Music replaced Google Play Music as Google’s primary brand for music streaming.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Features
* 2.1 Subscriptions
* 3 Geographic availability
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## History

The YouTube Music app was unveiled in October 2015 and released the following month; its release came alongside the unveiling of YouTube Premium (originally called YouTube Red), a larger subscription service that covers the entirety of the YouTube platform, including the Music app. Although redundant to Google's existing Google Play Music All Access subscription service, the app was designed for users who primarily consume music through YouTube.[7][8]

On May 17, 2018, YouTube announced a new version of the YouTube Music service, including a web-based desktop player and redesigned mobile app, more dynamic recommendations based on various factors, and the use of Google artificial intelligence technology to search songs based on lyrics and descriptions. In addition, YouTube Music became a separate subscription service (positioned as a more direct competitor to Apple Music and Spotify), offering ad-free and background/audio-only streaming, and downloading for offline playback, for music content on YouTube. The service's benefits will continue to be available as part of the existing YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) service and to Google Play Music All Access subscribers. The YouTube Music subscription is priced in line with its competitors at US$9.99 per-month; the price of YouTube Premium was concurrently increased to $11.99 for new subscribers.[9][10]

In 2018, YouTube Music reached multiple sponsorship agreements with Dick Clark Productions to serve as a partner for its television specials Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the American Music Awards.[11][12]

YouTube Music became available on Google Assistant smart speakers (including Google Nest smart speakers) on April 18, 2019, with feature-limited ad-supported playback available for non-subscribers in only a limited number of countries.[13]

## Features

The availability of music includes many of the releases from mainstream artists and extends to any video categorized as music on the YouTube service.

YouTube Music initially operated parallel with Google Play Music, but the latter was shut down in December 2020.[14] Product manager Elias Roman stated in 2018 that they aimed to reach feature parity with Google Play Music before migrating users to it, but as of 2024 this has not been achieved.[15][16][17]

In September 2019, YouTube Music replaced Google Play Music in the core Google Mobile Services bundle distributed on new Android devices.[18][19] In May 2020, an update was released to allow imports from Google Play Music, including purchased music, playlists, cloud libraries, and recommendations.[20] The service still contains regressions over Google Play Music, including no online music store functionality (cannot purchase songs), and a YouTube Music Premium subscription being required to cast cloud library speakers to Google Nest smart speakers. Google stated that they planned to address this and other "gaps" in features between the services before Play Music is shut down. However, at the time of the shutdown, most feature gaps had not been addressed.[16][17]

A "pre-save" feature for upcoming releases was added in May 2020.[21]

In February 2023, YouTube Music launched Radio Builder, a free and from anywhere accessible web service for both paying subscribers and free users with iOS or Android devices. It allows users to create a custom radio station, selecting up to 30 artists with an option to hear only their songs or from comparable musicians.[22][23][24]

In April 2023, podcasts were added to the service, initially for users in the US only with a worldwide rollout planned later in 2023.[6][25]

### Subscriptions

The free tier plays songs in its music video version where applicable. The premium tier plays official tracks of the album unless the user searches for the music video version. YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium subscribers can switch to an audio-only mode that can play in the background while the application is not in use. The free tier does not allow audio-only mode with background playback as it displays video advertisements.[8]

Subscription  | Ads  | Skipping and Scrubbing | Offline Mode  | Background playback  | Audio quality

|
|
|
|
|

Free  | Ad-Supported  | Unlimited  | Podcast Only  | Podcast Only  | 32, 48, 64, 128 kbit/s OPUS
32, 48 kbit/s HE-AAC, 128 kbit/s AAC[26]
YouTube Music Premium  | None  | Unlimited  | Available  | Available  | All free tier qualities, including 256 kbit/s AAC
YouTube Premium  | None  | Unlimited  | Available  | Available  | All free tier qualities, including 256 kbit/s AAC

YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium plans are available in individual and family variants. A family plan allows up to six family members from the same household to access plan features. Eligible students can obtain a discount on an individual plan.

## Geographic availability

Countries in which YouTube Music is available (in red)

The service is available in 109 countries: Algeria, American Samoa, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia (Temporarily Suspended), Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea (Paid only), Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.[27][28][29][30][5]

## See also

* Comparison of music streaming services

## References

1. ↑ Aswad, Jem (November 9, 2022). "YouTube Music and Premium Soar to 80 Million-Plus Paid Subscribers (EXCLUSIVE)". https://variety.com/2022/music/news/youtube-music-premium-80-million-paying-subscribers-1235427016/.
2. ↑ Deahl, Dani (June 18, 2018). "YouTube Music and YouTube Premium officially launch in US, Canada, UK, and other countries". https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/18/17475122/youtube-music-premium-launch-us-canada-uk.
3. ↑ Gao, Richard (June 18, 2018). "YouTube Premium and Music launch today in 17 countries, including Canada and 11 European countries". https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/06/18/youtube-premium-music-launch-today-17-countries-including-canada-11-european-countries/.
4. ↑ "Paid memberships available locations – YouTube Help". https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313540.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Michail (June 10, 2020). "YouTube Premium and Music now available in 14 more countries". https://www.gsmarena.com/youtube_premium_and_music_now_available_in_14_more_countries_-news-43692.php.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Malik, Aisha (2023-04-27). "YouTube Music officially rolls out podcasts for listeners in the US" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/27/youtube-music-officially-launches-podcasts-for-listeners-in-the-us/.
7. ↑ "Exclusive: An inside look at the new ad-free YouTube Red" (in en-US). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2015/10/21/9566973/youtube-red-ad-free-offline-paid-subscription-service.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "YouTube Music isn't perfect, but it's still heaven for music nerds". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2015/11/12/youtube-music-app-hands-on/.
9. ↑ "New YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99 monthly, add $2 to get all Red perks" (in en-us). Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/youtubes-revamped-music-subscription-service-launches-on-may-22/.
10. ↑ "Google announces YouTube Music and YouTube Premium". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/17/17364056/youtube-music-premium-google-launch.
11. ↑ Spangler, Todd (August 22, 2018). "YouTube Music Signs American Music Awards Two-Year Title Sponsorship Deal" (in en-US). Variety. https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/youtube-music-american-music-awards-amas-sponsorship-1202913542/.
12. ↑ Hayes, Dade (November 13, 2018). "YouTube Music And Dick Clark Productions Extend Partnership For 'New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest'" (in en-US). Deadline. https://deadline.com/2018/11/youtube-music-dick-clark-productions-extend-partnership-for-new-years-rockin-eve-with-ryan-seacrest-1202500921/.
13. ↑ "YouTube Music is now free with ads on Google Home devices" (in en-US). April 18, 2019. https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/18/youtube-music-is-now-free-with-ads-on-google-home-devices/.
14. ↑ "Info about the Google Play Music phase-out". https://support.google.com/googleplaymusic/answer/9973710?hl=en-GB&ref_topic=6230811.
15. ↑ "YouTube Music will eventually get Google Play Music's best features, including user uploads". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/23/17386752/youtube-music-uploads-feature-google-play-music.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Amadeo, Ron (August 4, 2020). "Google Music shutdown starts this month, music deleted in December" (in en-us). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/08/google-music-shutdown-starts-this-month-music-deleted-in-december/.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Amadeo, Ron (June 24, 2020). "With YouTube Music, Google is holding my speakers for ransom" (in en-us). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/06/youtube-music-library-transfers-your-purchased-music-is-not-welcome-here/.
18. ↑ Welch, Chris (September 27, 2019). "YouTube Music will now come preinstalled on Android devices" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/27/20886952/youtube-music-app-preinstalled-android-10.
19. ↑ "YouTube Music will be preinstalled on Android 10 and new Android 9 devices" (in en-US). September 27, 2019. http://social.techcrunch.com/2019/09/27/youtube-music-will-be-preinstalled-on-android-10-and-new-android-9-devices/.
20. ↑ Welch, Chris (May 12, 2020). "YouTube Music can finally import your library and uploads from Google Play Music" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/12/21254378/youtube-music-google-play-library-transfer-announced.
21. ↑ Al-Heeti, Abrar. "YouTube Music now lets you pre-save albums" (in en). https://www.cnet.com/news/youtube-music-now-lets-you-pre-save-albums/.
22. ↑ "YouTube Music will let you make your own custom radio stations / You". The Verge. February 21, 2023. https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/21/23609228/youtube-music-radio-builder-custom-stations.
23. ↑ "With 'Radio Builder', create your own custom station on YouTube Music: All you need to know". Hindustan Times. February 23, 2023. https://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/with-radio-builder-create-your-own-custom-station-on-youtube-music-all-you-need-to-know-101677124714221-amp.html.
24. ↑ "YouTube Music launches 'Radio Builder' feature, allowing users to create custom stations based on favorite artists". Business Insider. February 22, 2023. https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/youtube-music-launches-radio-builder-feature-allowing-users-to-create-custom-stations-based-on-favorite-artists/articleshow/98141666.cms.
25. ↑ Chan, J. Clara (February 25, 2023). "YouTube's Podcast Play Comes Into Focus Amid Skepticism From Creators". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-podcasts-1235332624/. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
26. ↑ "Youtube Format IDs · GitHub". https://gist.github.com/AgentOak/34d47c65b1d28829bb17c24c04a0096f.
27. ↑ Keverenge, Hillary (2023-12-06). "YouTube Premium lands in Kenya for Kshs 499 per month" (in en-US). https://androidkenya.com/2023/12/youtube-premium-lands-in-kenya-for-kshs-499-per-month/.
28. ↑ "System requirements & availability". Google Inc.. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6307365?hl=en.
29. ↑ Ivan (November 14, 2018). "YouTube Premium and Music Premium expand to seven new countries". GSMArena. https://www.gsmarena.com/youtube_premium_and_music_premium_expand_to_seven_new_countries-news-34221.php.
30. ↑ "YouTube Premium and Music expand to 8 new countries in the Middle East" (in en). September 11, 2019. https://www.androidcentral.com/youtube-premium-and-music-expand-8-new-countries-middle-east.

## External links

* Official web player

* v
* t
* e

Free and subscription music streaming services

* Comparison
* Streaming media

Free|

* AliMusic
* Anghami
* Baidu Music
* Boomplay Music
* Claro Música
* Deezer
* Gaana.com
* Google Play Music
* Jango
* JioSaavn
* Joox
* KakaoMusic
* KKBox
* KuGou
* Moov
* Mziiki
* NetEase Music
* Pandora
* Patari
* QQ Music
* Raaga.com
* Spotify
* YouTube Music
* Yandex Music

Subscription-only|

* Amazon Music
* Apple Music
* iHeartRadio
* Line Music
* Napster
* Qobuz
* SoundCloud Go
* Tidal
* Xite

Defunct|

* Beats Music
* Blinkbox Music
* Groove Music
* Guvera
* Songza

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