Video-sharing giant YouTube has launched the beta version of their music streaming service, YouTube Music Key. The ad-free service allows users to listen to tunes outside of the YouTube app and subscribers can cache their videos for off-line use later. YouTube Music Key beta is a monthly subscription service starting at $7.99 per month (cheaper than the regular $9.99 per month), that includes a subscription to Google Play Music.
To check if you’ve got access to the beta, open the YouTube app and, if it’s there, it’ll walk you through the specifics of Music Key. Attach a payment method, join a six month free trial, and there you have it. The beta is only available to select users, with those who utilize YouTube frequently, and those subscribed to Google Play Music All Access, getting preference.
Recently, YouTube reached an agreement with Merlin, an agency that represents more than 120,000 independent labels, and millions of songs. The deal was a big step for YouTube, who is looking to monetize the millions of viewers using the site for free. Whether or not consumers will be willing to pay YouTube Music Key, rather than utilizing other, cheaper ways to stream music, is yet to be seen.
We’re interested to see what YouTube can bring to the table. As mass consumers of music, a solid portion of which comes from streaming services, the dance music scene should be all for more competition from music streaming services. Let us know if you think YouTube could be a competitor to Pandora, Spotify, etc. and how interested you’d be in trying them out as your main source of music streaming. Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!
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