Google unveils YouTube Music Key subscription service to compete with Apple's Beats

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited November 2014
Search giant Google on Wednesday announced YouTube Music Key, a subscription service that will allow users to stream music from the popular video sharing site without ads, play music in the background, and access playlists offline.




Music Key --?launching today in beta for $7.99 per month --?will bring these additional features to the YouTube app. Following the introductory promotion period, the cost will rise to $9.99 per month, though subscribers will also gain access to Google Play Music.

Google also introduced a number of other music-focused updates, including a new dedicated music section. The new section will let users browse playlist and quickly find previously-played songs while following their favorite artists.



In addition, users will soon be able to access music videos for entire albums at once as YouTube moves to bring more organization to its music options.

The service would appear to compete with Apple's Beats Music, which charges $9.99 per month for streaming and offline access to its catalog as well as curated playlists. Apple is believed to be in the midst of negotiations with music labels that would see that price cut to $5 per month amidst a broader re-architecting of the offering.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 47

    Google unveils new music streaming service to compete with Google's old music streaming service.

  • Reply 2 of 47
    Taylor Swift isn't going to like this....
  • Reply 3 of 47
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Brings a whole new meaning to the term 'music tracks' ...
  • Reply 4 of 47
    shsfshsf Posts: 302member

    very inventive of them, wow they 've turned the world on it's head again with their innovation. 

  • Reply 5 of 47
    As a google play music subscriber I am excited. Looks like they are adding more value to a popular service. By itself this service is a non starter.
  • Reply 6 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    justp1ayin wrote: »
    Google unveils new music streaming service to compete with Google's old music streaming service.

    Not to compete with but to add value to Google Music. For $8 a month for all-you-can-consume I don't think there's any other music service that comes close in either catalog or features at the moment. You get professionally curated playlists (a'la Beats) based on activity and time of day, ability to specify track or artist or album selections similar to Spotify, music video tracks via Youtube and their licensed content partners, zero ads...

    Other than it being a Google-provided service which makes it a non-starter for a small but vocal group I think it's a darn compelling value for music lovers.
  • Reply 7 of 47
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    gatorguy wrote: »
    Not to compete with but to add value to Google Music. For $8 a month for all-you-can-consume I don't think there's any other music service that comes close in either catalog or features at the moment. You get professionally curated playlists (a'la Beats) based on activity and time of day, ability to specify track or artist or album selections similar to Spotify, music video tracks via Youtube and their licensed content partners, zero ads...

    Other than it being a Google-provided service which makes it a non-starter for a small but vocal group I think it's a darn compelling value for music lovers.

    You for got the end of advertisement for Google tag ....
  • Reply 8 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    You for got the end of advertisement for Google tag ....
    Heck the AI article was advertising for Google's music service. I'm sure they appreciate the promotion no matter where it comes from.
  • Reply 9 of 47
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    gatorguy wrote: »
    Heck the AI article was advertising for Google's music service.

    AI was just setting up the joke ... you know, playing the straight guy, for all of us actual Apple folks here to mock.
  • Reply 10 of 47

    Is there really that much money to be made in streaming music services? I guess they will be able to cull yet more personal information out of the people who pay for this, but come on.

  • Reply 11 of 47
    shsfshsf Posts: 302member

    Sorry to hijack this thread but while we are on google, anyone in the know on what this is:

     

    http://googleprojectzero.blogspot.gr/2014/07/announcing-project-zero.html

     

    It's a security research project, and apparently on launch in July they claimed  they were hiring.  Then in the unmoderated replies, a handful or so people asked, well tell us how we can apply, but this repeated question went without answer.

     

    Of course, after no reply from "the employers" at google, in October the thread degraded to this: 

    Quote:

     

    The forum posting is a unique and interesting job!



     

    One report they have on Apple in October, gets a similar high level, "whatever" response.

     

    Quote:
     

    Apple was widely criticized when it originally launched a very buggy and unstable version of safari for windows 8


     

    Of course Safari's latest windows version was in 2012, but if you don't actually reply to people you invite to employment in your project, you get moronic shit like that as replies. 

     

    Anyone well versed in security can put this in perspective? Not in terms of what exactly they are smoking at google, but on whether this site/project has gained any traction in the security IT world. 

  • Reply 12 of 47
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    shsf wrote: »
    Sorry to hijack this thread but while we are on google, anyone in the know on what this is:

    http://googleprojectzero.blogspot.gr/2014/07/announcing-project-zero.html

    It's a security research project, and apparently on launch in July they claimed  they were hiring.  Then in the unmoderated replies, a handful or so people asked, well tell us how we can apply, but this repeated question went without answer.
    Anyone well versed in security can put this in perspective? Not in terms of what exactly they are smoking at google, but on whether this site/project has gained any traction in the security IT world. 
    http://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/
    It's from the link you already looked at. I'll assume you're a security researcher?

    Anyway to get back on track do you have any opinion to add on the value or lack thereof of Youtube Music Key?
  • Reply 13 of 47
    I wish I could pay Google to leave me alone and not track me.
  • Reply 14 of 47
    People won't pay a monthly subscription for music. Some people might for a little while, because of the novelty, but long term they won't. The subscription thing is crazy out of control. monthly for phone, monthly for music, monthly for storage, monthly for sofware 1, monthly for software 2, monthly for tv, monthly for blah, blah, blah. NOT VIABLE.
  • Reply 15 of 47
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post



    I wish I could pay Google to leave me alone and not track me.



    It's called not using any of their services

  • Reply 16 of 47
    shsfshsf Posts: 302member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    http://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/

    It's from the link you already looked at. I'll assume you're a security researcher?



    Anyway to get back on track do you have any opinion to add on the value or lack thereof of Youtube Music Key?



    That's my hobby, my main line of work is bs detector. As for youtube music key, I expect it to be off. 

  • Reply 17 of 47
    I wish I could pay Google to leave me alone and not track me.


    It's called not using any of their services

    I know this doesn't really apply, but I'm reminded of that old saying where the person is repeatedly hitting themselves with a hammer.

    "Why are you hitting yourself with a hammer?"

    "Because it feels so good when I stop."
  • Reply 18 of 47
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post



    I wish I could pay Google to leave me alone and not track me.



    "DuckDuckGo" is our friend.

  • Reply 19 of 47
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    davidc wrote: »
    People won't pay a monthly subscription for music. Some people might for a little while, because of the novelty, but long term they won't. The subscription thing is crazy out of control. monthly for phone, monthly for music, monthly for storage, monthly for sofware 1, monthly for software 2, monthly for tv, monthly for blah, blah, blah. NOT VIABLE.

    What do you suggest?
  • Reply 20 of 47

    "DuckDuckGo" is our friend.

    I use DDG, but Vimeo is not a replacement for YouTube yet.
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