Google announces YouTube Music and YouTube Premium
Google has announced its new music streaming service YouTube Music. There will be a free version with advertisements and a Premium version that costs ten dollars per month. Google also comes with YouTube Premium, the replacement for YouTube Red.
YouTube Music Premium has no ads, offers the possibility to download music and to listen to the app in the background. The free version does not have those functions. According to Google the service makes it easy to listen to music and to discover and gives the app a more personalized selection. The service includes single tracks, albums, playlists, artist radio, remixes, live recordings and music videos.
A new mobile app will be released for YouTube Music and the interface will also be adapted to desktops. For the time being, Google Play Music will continue to exist. Google says nothing will change for users of that streaming service. People who now pay for the Play Music subscription will also have access to YouTube Music Premium.
YouTube Music will be available in the United States from 22 May and will become available in more countries in the weeks thereafter. Google mentions a number of other European countries where the service will soon be available.
Google also comes with YouTube Premium which will be the replacement of YouTube Red. The YouTube Premium subscription costs twelve dollars per month and includes all the functionality of the music service, but also gives access to all YouTube Originals. These are series and films produced by YouTube. In addition, YouTube Premium users will not see ads and can download content from YouTube to watch offline.
Existing YouTube Red users will continue to pay the current price. Whether and when YouTube Premium becomes available in the Benelux is not yet clear. First, the service comes out in the US and later European countries follow.