For many music fans, Youtube is their first stop when they want to check out the latest from their favorite artists or discover new music. After all, it’s probably the easiest streaming source to use — just type in an artist name or song title, search, and tap on the video to start playing it instantly. However, that experience might become a little less convenient soon, as Youtube global head of music Lyor Cohen recently announced that the number of ads that preroll before videos play will increase once Youtube’s new streaming service comes online, per Android Headlines’ coverage of his recent panel at SXSW.
The new service, which has been in the works for some time and is intended to compete with rival services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal, will supposedly combine the best aspects of Youtube Red, the subscription service provided by the video streaming site, and parent company Google’s Google Play, a marketplace and music player much like Apple’s Apple Music store, only less popular. According to Cohen, users who stream a lot of music will not “be happy,” as now ads will likely play at the end of videos as well, but the ultimate goal is to push those users to subscribe to the new service, which Cohen and Google say will benefit them with exclusive content, playlists, and an ad-free experience.
The move is aimed at improving Google’s relations with record labels who have often had their profits undercut by the presence of fan-uploaded songs that violate Youtube’s terms of service, but often fly under the radar long enough to divert plays from the revenue-generating official versions.
Youtube has not yet announced the name or launch date of its new service but given Youtube’s ubiquity, if Cohen’s plan works as well as he hopes, there will be a tremendous well of potential subscribers to help Google compete with its streaming rivals.
