YouTube Unveils New Music App
YouTube on Thursday entered the crowded field of music streaming with YouTube Music, a platform that will offer songs both with and without video, and users will be able to switch instantly to an audio-only mode. YouTube's new music-streaming service launchesless than a month after rolling out YouTube Red, a $9.99 per month service that provides ads-free access to all YouTube services.
The YouTube app is free for all users but only YouTube Red accounts can access its full range of options.
Red users can turn music videos into audio-only streams and listen to audio of all videos with the background mode function. They can also download songs to an in-app playlist that runs on or offline. No adds will be displayed to them.
With or without Red, users can see stations personalized according to songs, genres, artists and titles. They can find an artist's complete album collection and see related items ranging from live performances to amateur covers.
Google said that YouTube artists will get a percentage of YouTube Red subscriptions, without providing further details.
You can download YouTube Music starting today in the U.S. on the Google Play store or the App Store. Google is offering the app for free for 14 days.