music.youtube.com
So, obviously, YouTube is a streaming service that is really needed no introduction. It is, by far, the largest video streaming platform in the world, with billions of active users and countless video uploads. YouTube just keeps growing by the day (by the minute even!), which makes it one of the most popular sites on the internet. In some ways, you could probably say that YouTube is the original video streaming site.
The opening of YouTube's streaming platform has allowed other video streaming sites to take hold and be more popular than ever before. In terms of actually creating and distributing videos, YouTube was not the first site to do so, but they were the first site to make it a mainstream phenomenon.
Following the release of video streaming technology, YouTube became accessible to a much wider audience than just those who could afford expensive hardware. This accessibility was something that helped make the platform popular, as well as fostering creativity by giving people a way to share their videos with others easily. However, these days YouTube is not only popular for its original programming but for its ability to expand into other digital spaces such as music streaming and cord-cutting
Since YouTube is by far the most popular site for accessing music videos, it makes sense that more often than not, people watch new music videos on YouTube when they are released.
Although music videos for artists do not have the same cache that they did in the 80s, 90s, and early aughts, they are still an integral part of musicians' album rollouts and promotion. And YouTube has been central in providing a platform for these music videos to be seen.
Outside of official music videos, I have also been navigating my browser to YouTube for over a decade now when I want to hear music that I cannot find on any of the other standard music streaming services. This is because people (read: YouTube users) will often rip and upload audio content as YouTube videos, making it possible for anyone to access it - be it a leak, an exclusive release, or anything else.
YouTube has been a reliable source of listening to music from lesser-known artists, as many of them, regardless of how independent or underground they may be, have their own YouTube channels from which you can access their music when Spotify or Apple Music may fail you.
It makes a lot of sense for YouTube to capitalize on the fact that they have been used as a sort of de facto music streaming service for years by making their own official music streaming service in the form of YouTube Music. But how does YouTube's streaming service stack up to their competitors like Spotify or Tidal? Well, let's take a look and see, shall we?
History
In October of 2015, YouTube announced the YouTube Music app. The app officially launched in November along with its much-promoted streaming service, YouTube Red. Although YouTube Music has been criticized for being too similar to the already existent Google Play Music service, it was meant for people like me who have been taking advantage of YouTube specifically for most of their music listening needs. So, imagine Google Play but with the branding and iconic layout of YouTube instead.
In May of 2018, YouTube announced that they are expanding their YouTube Music service to include a desktop media player site as well as their existing YouTube Music app. The update resulted in a new and improved user interface, which incorporates an updated algorithm to more accurately recommend music based on user listening habits.
The new algorithm uses artificial intelligence to allow YouTube music users to search for songs based on lyrics and descriptions. This revitalized way of suggesting music to listeners is a totally new experience, and YouTube Music has positioned itself as a solo music streaming service in direct competition with services like Spotify and Apple Music. YouTube Music still exists as a portion of YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) and is also available as part of Google Play All-Access.
Design
Many people find YouTube Music to be a sleek, user-friendly service with easy to use app layout and easy on the eyes design. Complaints, however, range from the site being too cluttered to a lack of intuitive app layout.
YouTube Music, however, does not seem to suffer from any of these problems. Searching and browsing songs is simple, as it should be, and the site looks very good. In fact, it looks as if YouTube Music has taken quite a bit of their inspiration from Spotify for the design. So, if you are familiar with Spotify (or Tidal, even), chances are you will have no issues with the way that YouTube Music functions or looks. Even if you have never used a music streaming service in your life other than this one, you will be able to use YouTube Music like a pro almost immediately, thanks to the streamlined and intuitive design.
Content
This is one of the reasons I think YouTube Music is better than Spotify. Not only do they have about the same amount of songs (30 million+) but also YouTube Music is integrated with your YouTube views so it learns as you use it and provides access to all the official music videos on YouTube.
YouTube Music is a great music streaming service with many playlists put together by experts and algorithms. Plus, depending on your subscription package, you can also download and listen to music offline and fully integrate YouTube Music with Google Play and Google Home devices.
I am thrilled by the new search capabilities in the music app. This is an amazing step forward and allows users to explore music in a much more detailed way.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
I absolutely love the design of YouTube Music. It looks great, the whole experience is streamlined with your Google Play and traditional YouTube usage, and the desktop player is flawless and easy to use. So you can be assured that the desktop (and mobile web browser) version of the site is excellent.
Despite being released in early 2018, the YouTube Music app has already amassed a large following and critical acclaim from Apple App Store reviewers. Out of 239,000 ratings, the app averages 4.7 stars, with many users citing its fantastic features and user-friendly interface.
Pricing and Plans
There are three subscription options for YouTube Music. The service is technically a freemium service, which means that you can utilize the service without paying a dime. However, if you go that route, you can expect to contend with ads, limited offline listening options, and the inability to play in the background (meaning that, like the frustrating nature of the original YouTube app, when you close the app to do something else, the music will pause).
YouTube Music Premium provides an excellent quality of sound, with no ads. It costs $9.99 per month.
To sign up for YouTube Premium, you will need to purchase a $11.99 month-long subscription. This will give you access to everything that YouTube Music has to offer, including the ability to bypass ads and have background play uninterrupted.
Suggestions that I have for YouTube Music
: I would like to see YouTube Music expand their horizons in regards to allowing music from lesser-known, up and coming artists to be streamed on their app.
In the future, I would like YouTube Music to expand their horizons when it comes to what music is allowed to be streamed on their app. In my opinion, if an artist has music videos on YouTube that include music, those songs should be easily accessible as audio files. This could, of course, be a cumbersome process, but it would benefit lesser-known artists who are just starting out. Conclusions: I would like YouTube Music to widen their horizons in this regard so that more music from lesser-known artists can be streamed on their app.
YouTube Music truly is a game-changer, with its smart search and AI algorithms inspiring their competitors to step it up as far as tech is concerned in the years to come. And for the price, you really can't go wrong.
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