YouTube announced the release of YouTube Red, a new subscription service that allows members to access more exclusive content, on Oct. 21, 2015. Along with this new subscription service, YouTube is giving members access to their own unlimited music streaming service: YouTube Music.
YouTube Music will allow members to access and discover music ad-free. The service will allow members to save music and listen offline, as well as play music videos in the background. The $9.99 a month service is paired with Google Play Music, which means that subscription to one service gives users access to the other. An official YouTube Music app will be available soon for supported smartphone devices. The service will cost $13 if purchased through Apple’s iTunes App store. However, the cost will remain $9.99 if bought on the Google Play store or on the web.
The service focuses on music discovery; selecting one song on YouTube will lead to the discovery of another, similar song. Additionally, users will be able to “heart” a song and save it for later.
With streaming services on the rise in recent years, it is hard to tell how YouTube Music will stand out in the streaming niche market. Subscription-based services like Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, Apple Music, and Rdio are tough competition for the service. For instance, on Oct. 19, 2015, Apple announced that their subscription service, Apple Music, had acquired nearly 6.5 million paying subscribers—only three months after the service’s release on June 30, 2015.
As of Oct. 28, 2015—the service’s launch date—YouTube Music is only available to residents of the U.S. However, YouTube representatives have said that the company is working on releasing the service to more countries in the future.