YouTube Music To Roll Service To New Markets
YouTube is surely expanding! The video sharing platform recently took the jump to music and released its music streaming service via its independent music streaming service app. The service just got expanded to 12 new countries today and the premium music video version of the service across the full 17 markets.
Back in February, YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki discussed the company’s expansion plans, also mentioning that the company would now be expanding to as many as 100 countries. The first focus and targeted countries were the U.S, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and also South Korea.
The new countries that are being added are Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
YouTube attempts to take on Spotify and Apple Music with its new music subscription app called YouTube Music. The app is pretty much the way the other music streaming apps have been designed. There is a monthly subscription fee, and there is an ad version too if one is not ready to pay a monthly fee.
Changes
The YouTube Music app will be taking over the Google Play Music. Another change that is coming is the revamp of the YouTube Red service which will now be called as YouTube Premium, and it will be used for music with video streaming.
But Google does not seem to want to stop till there. There is also a new web player which will now include features like dynamic custom recommendations and expansive search options which allows users to tap into the huge database that YouTube has to provide.
All this points the way for Google to attempt and take the music industry by storm. Right now, the top music streaming services are Spotify and Apple Music, and Google wants to tackle them with the price too. YouTube Premium includes a full video service which will cost $11.99 a month. At the moment, the service is handing out a promotion offer that offers the service free for the first three months.
Loyalty Pays
YouTube Premium gives access to YouTube original shows and movies other than just background listening, playing and downloads across all platforms. But does this mean that current subscribers to YouTube Red and Google Play Music would be sidetracked? No.
Current subscribers of YouTube Red and Google Play Music would automatically receive access to YouTube Premium, and here is the good part, at their current price.
That also applies to subscribers to Google Play Music. They would be upgraded to YouTube Music at the current price they pay for Google Play Music. When they get upgraded to YouTube Music, their purchased music, uploads and playlists also migrate with them. Now that sounds like an offer that someone just can’t miss.
Google desperately wants to get ahead in the streaming trend. And by seeing the sudden growth in both audio and video streaming, it seems obvious for Google to do so. But how would Google fare in doing so, well that is something that we would have to wait and see.
