In 2006, Google gained a controlling interest in YouTube. It was a huge moment in the histories of both companies that solidified their places in the browsing history of internet users for nearly the past decade. In the time since, both services have grown to encapsulate different verticals, wherein businesses and marketers cater to the needs of a specific group of people within an industry. For Google, this meant expanding their search engine platform to include Drive, Calendar, Google Play, and more. For YouTube, the expansion was slower, with YouTube Gaming only rolling out just this past August.
Today, YouTube unveils its latest vertical designed to cater specifically to fans of music, YouTube Music.
The app is standalone, and can be used in an ad-supported format if you wish. But the service becomes even more powerful when you pair it with YouTube Red, YouTube’s new subscription service for $10 a month. With a subscription, you’re able to store offline playlists that emphasize the portability of the app; and probably more to the point, the ads go away.
YouTube Music and Google Play existing in the same space might be confusing to some, but T. Jay Fowler, who heads up the development of music products at YouTube, was focused on creating a service that was uniquely YouTube.
“I didn’t want to add in features so we could check a box just because another service has that feature,” said Fowler.
For instance, you cannot create playlists on YouTube Music like you might on Google Play. Instead, daily playlists are curated for you. Additionally, Music’s prediction algorithms are set to provide you with an accurate idea of what you might listen to next. In the case of YouTube’s vast library, this includes more than just audio: videos of live performances, music videos, and sometimes even text-only karaoke-style videos are at your fingertips. This is something that no other music streaming service has been able to offer.
For a detailed analysis of what YouTube Music can offer, read the review from The Verge here, and watch the video below.
via The Verge