Since Play Music has been superseded by YouTube Music, can YouTube Music do everything that Play Music used to do?

[Dark Penguin]

Specifically, can YouTube Music be used to play any .mp3 or .mid file on my device, regardless of where it is located or where I downloaded or ripped it from?

Here's a concrete example: I used to play ragtime piano and I'm still interested in the genre. So I have a sizeable collection of midi files that I downloaded from the premier ragtime piano site on the web, run by a great musician who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. I should point out that the downloads are legal. Several years and several devices ago, I organized these files into folders by composer, and carried these files from one SD card to the next each time I upgraded my Android device. If I wanted to hear all the tunes in the Scott Joplin folder, say, Play Music could do that; simply playing all the music it found there. Or, I could set up my own playlists and play those. The music didn't have to be downloaded from YouTube, but could be copied, downloaded, or ripped from anywhere. Now YT Music is great and all, and I have the monthly subscription and use it every single day. But it's disappointing that I can't seem to find a way to play pre-existing music on my phone.

Is there a way to do this? If so, where is the "file explorer" in YT Music? Or if YT Music has the ability to identify all music files on my device and add them to my music library, then how do I activate it?

At this point, all I can do is to use the My Files app to search for the midi files and play them one by one. I can't get any app to play the entire folder.

 

[B. Diddy]

Yes, YouTube Music can do that. On the main screen, tap Library at the lower right. Then, at the upper left, tap the word Library (with the dropdown arrow), after which you'll see options at the bottom for Library, Downloads, Uploads, and Device Files.

 

[WirkKarl]

Specifically, can YouTube Music be used to play any .mp3 or .mid file on my device, regardless of where it is located or where I downloaded or ripped it from?

Here's a concrete example: I used to play ragtime piano and I'm still interested in the genre. So I have a sizeable collection of midi files that I downloaded from the premier ragtime piano site on the web, run by a great musician who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. I should point out that the downloads are legal. Several years and several devices ago, I organized these files into folders by composer, and carried these files from one SD card to the next each time I upgraded my Android device. If I wanted to hear all the tunes in the Scott Joplin folder, say, Play Music could do that; simply playing all the music it found there. Or, I could set up my own playlists and play those. The music didn't have to be downloaded from YouTube, but could be copied, downloaded, or ripped from anywhere. Now YT Music is great and all, and I have the monthly subscription and use it every single day. But it's disappointing that I can't seem to find a way to play pre-existing music on my phone.

Is there a way to do this? If so, where is the "file explorer" in YT Music? Or if YT Music has the ability to identify all music files on my device and add them to my music library, then how do I activate it?

At this point, all I can do is to use the My Files app to search for the midi files and play them one by one. I can't get any app to play the entire folder.

I feel your frustration—I’ve run into the same issue since switching from Play Music to YouTube Music. Unfortunately, YT Music isn’t designed to handle locally stored files the same way Play Music did. It doesn’t have a built-in file explorer or automatic library sync for files stored on your device, and it doesn’t support .mid playback at all, as far as I know.


For local playback, I’ve been using a separate app like VLC or Poweramp. They both let you browse by folder, create playlists from local files, and support a wide range of formats. It’s not ideal having to use two apps, but it’s the best workaround I’ve found. I really wish Google had kept the local file support in YT Music.

 

[B. Diddy]

YouTube Music will scan for any compatible music file in any directory, but won't show them in a folder structure.

 

[Dark Penguin]

YouTube Music will scan for any compatible music file in any directory, but won't show them in a folder structure.

So I would still need to build one or more playlists, but I can manage that.

The real question's whether it'll work on midi files as well as mp3.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[B. Diddy]

So I would still need to build one or more playlists, but I can manage that.

The real question's whether it'll work on midi files as well as mp3.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I just tested a sample .MID file, and YouTube Music played it locally without issues.