YouTube red and google music to merge

[Premium1]

Interesting...

The merge was confirmed during a panel session at the New Music Seminar conference in New York, by YouTube's head of music, Lyor Cohen. He explained that Google needs to merge the services to help bring in new subscribers, saying "The important thing is combining YouTube Red and Google Play Music, and having one offering." Google later provided a statement to The Verge, which stated that the company is still evaluating options and would notify users before any changes.

Google's music ecosystem is a bit complicated, but I'm not sure if a merge would solve that. Google Play Music is a more typical music streaming service, while YouTube Music focuses on music videos/concert footage (and doesn't have ads if you pay for YouTube Red). YouTube Red is more or less an entirely different product, focusing on removing ads from videos and offering original content. On top of all that, Google Play Music comes with a YouTube Red subscription, and vice-versa.

Cohen did not explicitly mention if the YouTube/YouTube Music and Google Play Music apps would also merge, but it seems unlikely. I expect this is more of a re-branding of the subscription services, like something akin to Amazon Prime, but we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Doug Moffat]

Don't see the point of it. I use both and the separate apps is less confusing.

 

[Damngeeky]

Don't know why. Like youtube red best.

 

[LeoRex]

Oh, I totally see the point here... the current environment is needlessly complicated... I don't see this as an aim to merge the apps (though Youtube Music is almost comically redundant), but more a way to help show that the two arms are part of the same service. Is it Youtube Red with Google Play Music Premium included? Or Google Play Music Premium with Youtube Red included?

I'm sure there are a significant percentage of subscribers on either side that have no clue about the other benefits... People who have the GPM side have no idea why they stopped seeing ads in Youtube... and people with YTR that might have little clue that the premium music service comes with it...

 

[Doug Moffat]

Oh, I totally see the point here... the current environment is needlessly complicated... I don't see this as an aim to merge the apps (though Youtube Music is almost comically redundant), but more a way to help show that the two arms are part of the same service. Is it Youtube Red with Google Play Music Premium included? Or Google Play Music Premium with Youtube Red included?

I'm sure there are a significant percentage of subscribers on either side that have no clue about the other benefits... People who have the GPM side have no idea why they stopped seeing ads in Youtube... and people with YTR that might have little clue that the premium music service comes with it...

I go to Play Music for certain things and You Tube Red for others. It's not complicated. .

 

[LeoRex]

I go to Play Music for certain things and You Tube Red for others. It's not complicated. .

The apps aren't getting merged, they are just futzing around with the branding/layout of the service. Not sure if there will be a new name, or what, but the apps won't go away.