Upcoming Event
Time: 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Place: Bell Harbor International Conference Center
Up To Speed: YouTube preps subscription music service, but is there anything really different? (Video)
Send this to a friend
- David A. Arnott
- Assistant News Editor
- Email | Google+ | Twitter | LinkedIn
YouTube is set to offer a music-subscription service, called YouTube Music Key, after striking a deal with smaller labels earlier this week. The New York Times reported that, for $8 per month, subscribers will receive extra features, including removal of advertisements. But the Times also added that the move may be seen as a reboot of its relationship with labels and artists, not just listeners, as the Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) unit has a reputation for paying very little in royalties. The service is expected to go through a limited "beta" release and then be available to the wider public next year, the report said.
The Washington Post explained that, in addition to YouTube music videos, subscribers will receive access to Google Play Music's subscription offerings, so it's not going to be in competition with its own corporate cousin. But that does raise the question of why a customer might choose the new service rather than Google's existing service, let alone Spotify, Pandora (NYSE: P), Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Radio, or another competitor. In the short term, the Post said, YouTube Music Key will cost less than the other services' subscription price points, but is expected to rise to $10 per month eventually, just like the others.
The economics of selling music online are yet to be worked out in a way such that both artists and listeners win, but it appears that major players are slowly shifting consumers' expectations away from free to paid. The Wall Street Journal reported that, at this point, even the freemium model employed by Spotify and others may be on its way out as labels prepare to bet that the convenience of listening to streaming on-demand music through a trusted service is worth paying for. -- New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal
David A. Arnott is assistant news editor with The Business Journals.
-
Sr. Named Account Manager Continuant | Tacoma, WA
-
Executive Director of Children’s Home Society & Trust Foundation Children’s Home Society & Trust Foundation | Seattle, WA
-
Senior Estimator PCL Construction | Bellevue, WA
-
Director of Development St. Joseph School | Seattle, WA
-
Work For: ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor | Seattle, WA
Most Popular
- Most popular
- Emailed
- Mobile
- Mars Hill Church lists $25M worth of property as bankruptcy rumors fly
- Paseo workers sue restaurant, allege discrimination, wage theft
- Two big Seattle real estate players are now 'Burien believers'
- Bob Craves, one of founding officers of Costco and major advoctae of
- Apple takes a bite out of Ballard. What's next?
- Paseo lawsuit illuminates wage theft issues in Washington, nationwide
- Popular sandwich restaurant Paseo abruptly closes both locations
- Columbia Center is about to be turned into a 76-story cell tower
- Houston company makes $120 million bet on Bellevue office complex
- From Pike Place Market to Bothell: IL Bistro owner expanding
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.