YouTube was reportedly launching a paid music service back in March, and after background audio was found hidden in the Android app, the rumor resurfaced.
According to Billboard, the video site will launch a paid music service later this year, and will be incorporating video. Unlike Google Play Music All Access, there will be a free plan.
Premium paying customers will get access to offline listening, and there will be no ads.
As far as securing licensing, Google already made it happen back in May for All Access, its Spotify and Pandora competitor.
“One big added feature could be the ability to stream full albums. Currently, not all songs in an album are available on YouTube because artists generally select one or two tracks from any single album to feature in a music video. A second potential premium feature would be offline cacheing of songs and videos so users can listen on their mobile devices even when they’re not connected or when they’re trying to save on bandwidth costs or battery consumption.”
While the idea of YouTube’s own music service sounds plausible, it really doesn’t make sense.
Google already has a solid music service in place, and it currently offers features Billboard mentioned. Plus, when you click on a specific song and select “Share YouTube video,” it pulls up relevant videos.
However, the one feature All Access doesn’t offer is a free plan. You can upload your own music to Play Music and stream it for free, but not music you don’t own.
With YouTube offering a free tier to its music service, that immediately alienates All Access.
Since the launch of Google+ in June 2011, Google has focused on unifying its brand, and simplifying its offering.
The addition of another music service would only further complicate things, the opposite of what it’s been trying to do.
Of course, anything is possible, and if YouTube is to launch its own music service, will you be onboard?
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