YouTube has officially announced the launch of YouTube Music, or rather the relaunch of a revamped version of YouTube Music. We have actually been hearing rumors that a new YouTube music streaming service was in the works and now it looks like it is finally here. For those confused, YouTube launched YouTube Music back in 2015 and what we’re looking at is basically a brand new version of the service that YouTube is hoping will make it a competitive offering.
According to YouTube, this will combine the “magic” of YouTube with music, and will do away with the need for users to switch back and forth between music and video apps. “Whether you want to listen, watch or discover, it’s all here. YouTube Music is a new music streaming service made for music: official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio plus YouTube’s tremendous catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos that you can’t find anywhere else – all simply organized and personalized.”
YouTube Music will be offered in free and paid tiers, with the free version being similar to Spotify’s free offering where users can listen to music for free but will have to put up with ads. There will also be YouTube Music Premium which at $9.99 a month will offer users an ad-free experience. The good news is that if you’re already a subscriber to Google Play Music, a YouTube Music Premium subscription will be included in your current subscription so you won’t have to pay double.
YouTube also notes that if you are a Google Play Music user, nothing will change which puts an end to the rumors that Google Play Music could be killed off in favor of this new service. More details about YouTube Music can be found on its website which lists it as coming soon.