Battle of the services
The territory for streaming services just got tighter and more crowded, because YouTube will now be launching a beta version of their new app Music Key next week, as a trial for its power users who listen to a lot of music. The full ad-free service will debut in 2015 at a $10 price point, and will make it easier to use for album streaming by eliminating covers and lyric videos from the mix. You will also be able to play anything on the app simultaneously while other apps are running on your mobile device, unlike the current option that does not allow it.
This move directly competes with other platforms out there, which include Spotify and Beats Music, who have had more of a foot in the game than YouTube in the past few years. The only difference might be the fact YouTube has more power in the overall scope, since Google backs them.
The current video site will not change except for the fact there’s a new “Music” tab, but considering they have over 2 billion subscribers, it will be interesting to see how that shifts over to Music Key. Offline use and no ads might sway folks from other services. Users who get an invite for Beta will get a chance to test it out for the six months. Early beta users that want to get a jump on it will get it for $7.99, before the full service rolls out for $9.99 next year.