YouTube Music

Last updated

YouTube Music
YT Music.svg
Developer YouTube
Key people
  • Neal Mohan (YouTube CEO)
  • T. Jay Fowler (Director of Product Management)
  • Lyor Cohen (Global Head of YouTube & Music)
TypeMusic and Video Streaming
Launch dateNovember 12, 2015;8 years ago (2015-11-12)
Platform(s)
Members100 million paid subscribers (including YouTube Premium; as of January 2024) [1]
Availability104 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]

Contents

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.

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 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 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]

The free tier's audio quality supports up to 128 kbit/s, in AAC and OPUS audio formats, while 256 kbit/s AAC is only available to premium tier subscribers. [26] In July 2024, YouTube rolled out an additional high quality option, 256 kbit/s OPUS, to premium tier subscribers. [27]

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.

Subscription tiersAdsSkipping and scrubbing Offline modeBackground playbackAudio quality
FreeYesUnlimitedPodcast onlyPodcast only32, 48, 64, 128 kbit/s OPUS
32, 48 kbit/s HE-AAC, 128 kbit/s AAC [26]
Music PremiumNoneUnlimitedAvailableAvailableAll free tier qualities, including 256 kbit/s AAC & OPUS [27]
PremiumNoneUnlimitedAvailableAvailableAll free tier qualities, including 256 kbit/s AAC & OPUS [27]

Geographic availability

Countries in which YouTube Music is available (in red) Availability of Youtube Music in the World.svg
Countries in which YouTube Music is available (in red)

The service is available in 122 countries & territories, such as: [28] [29] [30] [31] [5] [32]

  1. Algeria
  2. American Samoa
  3. Argentina
  4. Aruba
  5. Australia
  6. Austria
  7. Azerbaijan
  8. Bahrain
  9. Bangladesh
  10. Belarus
  11. Belgium
  12. Bermuda
  13. Bolivia
  14. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  15. Brazil
  16. British Virgin Islands
  17. Bulgaria
  18. Cambodia
  19. Canada
  20. Cayman Islands
  21. Chile
  22. Colombia
  23. Costa Rica
  24. Croatia
  25. Cyprus
  26. Czech Republic
  27. Denmark
  28. Dominican Republic
  29. Ecuador
  30. Egypt
  31. El Salvador
  32. Estonia
  33. Finland
  34. France
  35. French Guiana
  36. French Polynesia
  37. Germany
  38. Georgia
  39. Ghana
  40. Greece
  41. Guadeloupe
  42. Guam
  43. Guatemala
  44. Honduras
  45. Hong Kong
  46. Hungary
  47. Iceland
  48. India
  49. Indonesia
  50. Iraq
  51. Ireland
  52. Israel
  53. Italy
  54. Jamaica
  55. Japan
  56. Jordan
  57. Kazakhstan
  58. Kenya
  59. Kuwait
  60. Laos
  61. Latvia
  62. Lebanon
  63. Libya
  64. Liechtenstein
  65. Lithuania
  66. Luxembourg
  67. Malaysia
  68. Malta
  69. Mexico
  70. Morocco
  71. Netherlands
  72. New Zealand
  73. Nicaragua
  74. Nigeria
  75. North Macedonia
  76. Nepal
  77. Northern Mariana Islands
  78. Norway
  79. Oman
  80. Pakistan
  81. Panama
  82. Papua New Guinea
  83. Paraguay
  84. Peru
  85. Philippines
  86. Poland
  87. Portugal
  88. Puerto Rico
  89. Qatar
  90. Réunion
  91. Romania
  92. Russia (suspended)
  93. Samoa
  94. Saudi Arabia
  95. Senegal
  96. Serbia
  97. Singapore
  98. Slovakia
  99. Slovenia
  100. South Africa
  101. South Korea (paid only)
  102. Spain
  103. Sri Lanka
  104. Sweden
  105. Switzerland
  106. Taiwan
  107. Tanzania
  108. Thailand
  109. Tunisia
  110. Turkey
  111. Turks and Caicos Islands
  112. Uganda
  113. Ukraine
  114. United Arab Emirates
  115. United Kingdom
  116. United States
  117. United States Virgin Islands
  118. Uruguay
  119. Venezuela
  120. Vietnam
  121. Yemen
  122. Zimbabwe

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Smith, Adam (February 1, 2024). "Crossing 100 million YouTube Music and Premium subscribers, thanks to you". YouTube Official Blog. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ Deahl, Dani (June 18, 2018). "YouTube Music and YouTube Premium officially launch in US, Canada, UK, and other countries". The Verge . Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ Gao, Richard (June 18, 2018). "YouTube Premium and Music launch today in 17 countries, including Canada and 11 European countries". Android Police. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Paid memberships available locations – YouTube Help". support.google.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Michail (June 10, 2020). "YouTube Premium and Music now available in 14 more countries". GSMArena. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Malik, Aisha (April 27, 2023). "YouTube Music officially rolls out podcasts for listeners in the US". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Exclusive: An inside look at the new ad-free YouTube Red". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "YouTube Music isn't perfect, but it's still heaven for music nerds". Engadget. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  9. ↑ "New YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99 monthly, add $2 to get all Red perks". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Google announces YouTube Music and YouTube Premium". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  11. ↑ Spangler, Todd (August 22, 2018). "YouTube Music Signs American Music Awards Two-Year Title Sponsorship Deal". Variety. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  12. ↑ Hayes, Dade (November 13, 2018). "YouTube Music And Dick Clark Productions Extend Partnership For 'New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest'". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ "YouTube Music is now free with ads on Google Home devices". TechCrunch. April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Info about the Google Play Music phase-out". Google. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  15. ↑ "YouTube Music will eventually get Google Play Music's best features, including user uploads". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Amadeo, Ron (August 4, 2020). "Google Music shutdown starts this month, music deleted in December". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Amadeo, Ron (June 24, 2020). "With YouTube Music, Google is holding my speakers for ransom". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  18. ↑ Welch, Chris (September 27, 2019). "YouTube Music will now come preinstalled on Android devices". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  19. ↑ "YouTube Music will be preinstalled on Android 10 and new Android 9 devices". TechCrunch. September 27, 2019. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  20. ↑ Welch, Chris (May 12, 2020). "YouTube Music can finally import your library and uploads from Google Play Music". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  21. ↑ Al-Heeti, Abrar. "YouTube Music now lets you pre-save albums". CNET. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  22. ↑ "YouTube Music will let you make your own custom radio stations / You". The Verge. February 21, 2023. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  23. ↑ "With 'Radio Builder', create your own custom station on YouTube Music: All you need to know". Hindustan Times . February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  24. ↑ "YouTube Music launches 'Radio Builder' feature, allowing users to create custom stations based on favorite artists". Business Insider. February 22, 2023. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  25. ↑ Chan, J. Clara (February 25, 2023). "YouTube's Podcast Play Comes Into Focus Amid Skepticism From Creators". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Youtube Format IDs". GitHub.
  27. 1 2 3 "Youtube Format IDs". GitHub.
  28. ↑ Keverenge, Hillary (December 6, 2023). "YouTube Premium lands in Kenya for Kshs 499 per month". Android Kenya. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  29. ↑ "System requirements & availability". Google Support. Google Inc. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  30. ↑ Ivan (November 14, 2018). "YouTube Premium and Music Premium expand to seven new countries". GSMArena. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  31. ↑ "YouTube Premium and Music expand to 8 new countries in the Middle East". Android Central. September 11, 2019. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  32. ↑ "YouTube Premium now available in 10 more countries".
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