According to the spokesperson, “It was never our plan to launch at the festival.” It was initially expected that YouTube would launch the new service this month. This was further corroborated by how YouTube’s global head of music Lyor Cohen would be speaking at SXSW where he would talk about the “seismic changes he’s witnessed and the importance of embracing the future.”
Speculation suggested that Cohen might unveil the new service then, but we guess if this comment is anything to go by, that was never YouTube’s intention to begin with. However there has been evidence that a new service could be in the works. Last month an APK teardown revealed a logo for a “Premiere” service, which some speculated could be related to this new music streaming service.
However if there are no plans to announce it during SXSW, it’s anyone’s guess as to when it might be. Then again Google I/O is expected to take place in the next couple of months, so perhaps we’ll find out more then.