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YouTube Music is a strong music streaming service made by Google that works with a wide range of devices, including iOS, Android, and desktop computers. Individuals who mostly use the YouTube app for streaming music but want to listen to music without being interrupted by annoying ads will connect with this site the most. YouTube Music combines the best parts of the original YouTube app and the old Google Play Music service in a way that works well together. It works hard to provide a huge collection of songs and also stores a lot of music videos and audio tracks.
Google doesn’t give out an exact count of the music it has, but it may be hard to make numeric comparisons because there is so much content in YouTube Music. This material includes more than just music videos and songs; it also includes live performances and concert footage.
Many tools, such as free YouTube to MP3 converters and free YouTube downloaders, are easily accessible for people who want to take audio directly from videos on this site. With these tools, users can save their best music so they can listen to it when they’re not online. YouTube Music adds a new layer to your music journey by giving you a world of sound exploration with music that you can listen to without interruptions or ads.
YouTube Music Specifications
The music streaming service known as YouTube Music is very well-liked because of its extensive song catalog and the many different functions it offers. Users who wish to stream music in both audio and video formats will find this to be a useful choice. Note, however, that the audio quality on the free tier is not nearly as excellent as it is on other sites; this is a crucial point to keep in mind.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Audio quality | Streams music at three quality levels: Low (48kbps AAC), Normal (128kbps AAC), and High (256kbps AAC). Premium subscribers can stream at High quality on both Wi-Fi and mobile networks. |
Ad-free listening | Premium subscribers can listen to music without ads. |
Background playback | Premium subscribers can continue listening to music even when the app is closed or the screen is locked. |
Offline listening | Premium subscribers can download songs and albums for offline listening. |
Music library | Users can create and manage their own music library, which includes their liked songs, albums, and playlists. |
Personalized recommendations | YouTube Music uses machine learning to recommend music to users based on their listening history and preferences. |
Radio stations | Users can create and listen to personalized radio stations based on their favorite artists, songs, and genres. |
Lyrics | Users can view song lyrics while listening to music. |
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What Is YouTube Music?
![YouTube Music review](https://www.compsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/qw-555.jpg)
There is a good chance that you use the standard YouTube site to listen to music and watch music videos in addition to keeping up with your favorite YouTube creators. If this is the case, you might be wondering: what exactly is YouTube Music? It all began with Google Play Music when the search engine giant decided it wanted to compete with Apple Music and Spotify by offering a music streaming service.
At some point in the future, in the year 2020, Google Play Music will be replaced by YouTube Music, which, at the time this article was written, is rapidly becoming one of the most popular destinations online where millions of people go to listen to their favorite songs.
In layman’s terms, YouTube Music is the place where one can listen to official singles, new albums, top songs, the most recent music videos, and tailored music mixes created specifically for them. In addition, what differentiates YouTube Music from other music streaming services is that users have the ability to watch music videos that accompany the songs they listen to.
YouTube Music review: Cost
You are only able to use YouTube music if you have a paid subscription or are participating in a free trial of the service. Unlike other music streaming services, such as Spotify, there is no free version of YouTube music that is supported by advertisements. It costs $9.99/£9.99/AU$11.99 a month to subscribe to YouTube Music, which is the same price as the majority of other music streaming services, such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer.
Before deciding whether or not to commit, you are given the opportunity to test it out for free for one month, and you are able to cancel your subscription at any time with minimal difficulty. If you subscribe to YouTube Premium, which costs $11.99/£11.99/AU$14.99 per month, you also get access to the YouTube Music streaming service. If you currently have a subscription to Google Play Music, you’ll find that YouTube Music is included at no additional cost to you. Downloading the app is all that is required, followed by signing in with the same Google Play Music account.
YouTube Music review: Music library
The number of songs that can be streamed or downloaded from YouTube Music has officially reached 100 million. At one time, that may have seemed amazing; however, the majority of the main music streaming services today tout a library of 100 million songs. These services include Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Spotify, Qobuz, and Tidal, among others. Nevertheless, that is an overwhelming amount of music, and it ought to be just right for the vast majority of individuals.
“those watching podcasts on the main app can continue listening to them on YouTube Music,” as it’s meant more as a complement to YouTube’s primary video podcasts. Additionally, YouTube Music has lately began steadily adding podcasts to its portfolio as of. YouTube has suggested that content creators who publish podcasts that are only available in audio format create a video that includes a still image.
YouTube Music review: Audio quality
You have the option to choose between three distinct audio tiers on YouTube Music based on how much data you are willing to use up. These tiers also determine the amount of audio that will be downloaded into your device as well as the size of the files that will be downloaded:
- Low: This sets the bit rate at 48kbps AAC.
- Normal: This sets the bit rate at 128kbps AAC.
- High: This sets the bit rate at 256kbps AAC.
Simply navigate to the settings page for YouTube Music at any moment to make the switch between these at your convenience. You will receive standard audio files if you want to download content for offline listening. YouTube Music does not give the capability to listen to or download high-resolution audio files. This is one area in which features such as Apple’s high-resolution audio options and Tidal, among others, are able to go way beyond what YouTube Music is capable of. If the audio quality offered by a service is your primary concern when subscribing to one, then YouTube Music is not the ideal option for you; but, if you are more concerned with the reliability of the streaming service, then it is a highly competitive option.
YouTube Music review: Platform compatibility
![YouTube Music review](https://www.compsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/qw-554.jpg)
You can access YouTube Music using a web browser that is compatible with the browser of your choice, which is a useful alternative if you are using a desktop or laptop computer. On the other hand, you can access the service independently by downloading the YouTube Music app from Google Play or the Apple App Store. It is available on Android, Google/Android TV, and ChromeOS, of course, but in addition to that, it can be used on iOS and WearOS for the Apple Watch. If you want to watch a music video or something else, you may effortlessly cast it using Chromecast to any screen that’s compatible with it.
Final Words
YouTube Music Premium provides unique features. It may not have premium streaming quality like some of its competitors, and its interface may remind you of an overloaded thrift store, but this uniqueness makes YouTube Music Premium appealing. YouTube Music Premium has a huge catalog of exclusive music. Its selection is unmatched by other streaming providers. However, the streaming industry’s background is crucial. Consider that YouTube pays artists and rights holders the lowest per-stream fees in the streaming economy.
I’ve found that YouTube Music Premium’s quirky interface is refreshing compared to its competitors’. Its enormous inventory of rare tracks and special content has kept me entertained for hours. However, I am aware of the music industry’s artist compensation controversy, and the platform’s lower per-stream rates are concerning.
YouTube Music review: The Good and Bad
YouTube was originally known under its original name, ‘Youtube Music Key.’ It was envisioned that this would function in conjunction with the previously established Google Play Music by bundling the music and video streaming capabilities of both of these platforms. The fact that the project was plagued with some sort of controversy and never actually got off the ground is something that has disappointed people all around the world who were looking forward to it.
The Good
- Many music discovery tools
- Cool location- and time-based playlists
- Can search for songs by lyrics
- Collaborative playlists
- Family and student plans
- Podcast support
The Bad
- Lacks hi-res audio
- Real-time lyrics not available for every song
Questions and Answers
Audio of normal quality strikes a healthy balance between the quantity of data required and the quality of the sound. music of lower quality consumes less data but may not sound as well as higher-quality music. Even if the “High-quality” setting on YouTube Music offers a decent listening experience, it is possible that it cannot compete with the likes of Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, or Amazon Music Unlimited, which all offer superior sound quality.
In a purely technical sense, the sound quality on Spotify is superior than that of YouTube Music. YouTube Music’s free tier offers a maximum streaming quality of 128 kbps, whereas Spotify’s free tier offers a maximum streaming quality of 160 kbps (however using the web player reduces this to 128 kbps).