YouTube Music – Not Another Music Streaming App
Think of what you usually use your phone for on a normal day. Read the news, check out the latest updates and maybe head over to the Vegas Palms for a quick spin on your favorite pokies. Besides, one of the most popular uses for smartphones is listening to music, most often through a music streaming app like Spotify or Deezer. And, from now on, through YouTube as well.
Google has recently launched its new music streaming app based on their popular video sharing service YouTube. As music videos were among the most popular content on the portal, and similar functionality has already been introduced to it, it could be expected for such a service to be launched. YouTube music is similar in some aspects to the existing YouTube apps, aside from its focus on music videos of course – but it also comes with an audio-only option as well.
After you download the app and log on with your Google account, YouTube Music will greet you with a personalized home page. This is one of the perks of working with loads of data – you have most likely watched music videos on YouTube in the past, and maybe even subscribed to some channels, so pinpointing your favorites is not a hard task for the company. But aside from your favorites, you'll also have access to generic content – like "The Daily 40", which is a human-created list of the most popular content showing you what's hot on YouTube at the moment.
Sometimes the YouTube Music service feels like a beefed up version of the AutoPlay option available on the website. Listening to any music video will take you on a journey into the entrails of the video sharing portal's music content, triggering an endless stream of tunes. But fear not, it will not take you into undiscovered territories – unless you want it to. You will have the option of either staying within some strict parameters when it comes to performers or genres, or explore deeper and discover entirely new content for a change.
The YouTube Music service comes in two flavors: free and paid. The paid version, integrated with the recently launched YouTube Red subscription, will be the only one to allow you to play your clips or music in the background. The free version will show you ads, too, and will not allow you to listen to your favorite music offline – these features will also be included into the YouTube Red version of the service.
Overall, the YouTube Music experience is not entirely different from what YouTube offers you on other platforms. Unfortunately all the perks that would make it an instant fan favorite – like the offline mode or the background play – are only available in the paid version of the service.
– Guest Post
