Google Play Music Shutting Down, Subscriptions Migrating To YouTube Music
A merger between corporate-sibling streaming services Google Play Music and YouTube Music has been in the works for several years, and as Billboard reports, it’s coming to fruition soon. That spells the end for Google Play, which will be phased out starting in August with subscribers moved over to YouTube Music.
According to a statement from the company, “For Google Play listeners that have not yet started the transfer process over to YouTube Music, now’s the time.” They launched a transfer tool in May to assist with the transition.
Just as Google Play Music was part of a larger package of Google Play services including Books, Games, Devices, and Movies & TV, YouTube Music is available as part of YouTube Premium, which costs $11.99/month and provides access to YouTube videos, YouTube Music, and YouTube Originals “ad-free, offline, and in the background.” New features announced for the service today reportedly include “collaborative playlists; a redesigned user interface and Explore tab; and integration with Android TV, Google Maps and the smart speaker Google Assistant.” YouTube Premium reported 20 million subscribers earlier this year; by comparison, Spotify has 138 million and Apple Music has 60 million.