YouTube Crosses 50 Million Music and Premium Subscribers

YouTube Premium and Music have combined crossed 50 million subscriber base, the company announced in a blog post. Launched as YouTube Red in 2015 and later rebranded to YouTube Premium in 2018, the service offers music streaming, YouTube video downloads, and most importantly, an ad-free experience. With the premium subscription, users can also listen to videos in a podcast-like format when the phone is locked, meaning the YouTube app does not need to play videos in the background. The Alphabet-owned company says it is focused on “creating experiences at the intersection of watching, listening, and engaging that are only possible because of YouTube’s diversity of voices.”

One of the key features of YouTube Music subscription is that users can listen to ad-free songs that are even fans create. As long as the artist does not violate copyright policies, they can publish tweaked versions like ‘slowed’ and ‘reverb’ that many streaming platforms do not offer. Members also have access to exclusive streams like Originals and other videos. For instance, Tim McGraw hosted an afterparty exclusively for Premium members immediately following the release of his new music video. Similarly, some features also land on premium first, such as YouTube’s TikTok-inspired Shorts. In a blog post, the company states it is investing in new features and exclusive benefits for members.

“The unique offerings of YouTube Music and Premium are resonating in established and emerging music markets alike. We’re seeing impressive growth in countries like Korea, India, Japan, Russia & Brazil where music is a top passion,” Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube said in the post. YouTube Premium also promises ad-free and offline play in the YouTube Kids app. Its price in India is set at 169 per month. Customers can also go for the sole YouTube Music subscription that costs Rs 99 per month.

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