If accurate, the new YouTube-based service will be called YouTube Music Key, and Google will rebrand its awfully named Google Play Music All Access to Google Play Music Key to avoid brand confusion.
YouTube Music Key will offer ad-free music through the video site, as well as background/screen-off listening and offline caching and playback. Background listening is a huge, huge deal, since mobile users can save their battery now if they don't necessarily care for the video itself and just want the music (or other audio).
The service will be free for the first month, and then cost $9.99 per month and subscribers will get both YouTube Music Key and Google Play Music Key. Google Play Music All Access currently offers a Spotify-esque catalog of tracks for unlimited listening on desktops or mobile devices.
Making YouTube Music Key a great complement to audio-only streaming services, is the fact that you get ad-free access to officialy concert footage, remixes and covers.
It remains unclear when the services will launch, as Google still needs to negotiate new licensing deals with the major record labels and major indies as well as some popular individuals.
Source:
Android Police
Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Aug 2014 22:44
