Music lovers are in for an audiovisual treat as a new streaming service was announced on Tuesday.
YouTube Music is a new music streaming app that offers videos, official albums, remixes, live performances, covers and hard-to-find music you can only get on YouTube.
The head of communications and public affairs at Google South Africa Mich Atagana described the app as a pleasurable experience for listeners.
“YouTube Music takes all the intelligence and all the culture of music that is embodied within the YouTube service itself and brings that into one space for the user to truly enjoy and discover new music,” said Atagana.
YouTube fans will be pleased to know that this app allows for background play to occur.
This means that you are able to close the app and do other things on your device while the music continues to play without interruption.
The streaming service has promised to be set apart from its competitors while promoting a personalised music experience for the listener.
“You have to download this as a separate app because it is better curated for you. It is about understanding who you are. Because you have been listening to music on YouTube and watching videos, once you download the app you will see that there is a lot of familiarity. This app creates shelves of a really personalised experience,” said Atagana.
Have you ever had a song in your head but forgotten the name of the song?
That will be no longer be a problem. YouTube Music has a smart search feature that allows you to find any song, even if you cannot remember what the title of the song is.
You can search for descriptions, lyrics and even emojis to find the tracks you want to listen to.
“The Smart Search is available in most languages, including indigenous South African languages such as Xhosa and Zulu. Music lovers will not miss out on their favourite tracks simply because they forgot the titles.” said Google SA head of marketing Asha Patel.
Your data bundles will be in safe hands as YouTube Music allows you to enjoy music and music videos offline. Your Offline Mixtape automatically downloads (over WiFi) songs and videos you love just in case you forget to, so that you can enjoy them at a later stage. You will have full control as to how many songs you want to save.
An audio video top off feature will allow you to choose between listening to the song or watching its video.
Once you have chosen between the two, the app will select and play separately either the audio or the video.
The YouTube Music app is available to download for free from the Google Play Store and the Apple App store.
Google Play Music subscribers will automatically receive access to YouTube music premium at their current price.
For a limited time, music fans can get three months of YouTube Premium and pay R59.99 per month after, or R89.99 per month for a family plan.
Check out the web player at music.youtube.com and sign up for YouTube Premium at youtube.com/premium..