Is there a free version of YouTube Music?
YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube that offers access to official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio stations, live performances, covers, and remixes. YouTube Music has a subscription model, with YouTube Music Premium providing an ad-free experience, offline downloads, and background listening for $9.99 per month (YouTube Music Overview, Wikipedia).
However, some users wonder if YouTube Music has a free, ad-supported version similar to the regular YouTube app and website. This article will examine if there is a way to access YouTube Music for free.
YouTube Music Premium
YouTube Music Premium is a paid subscription service that provides an enhanced music listening experience. It offers several features and benefits over the free, ad-supported version of YouTube Music, including:
– Ad-free listening across YouTube Music. Users can enjoy millions of official songs, albums, playlists and artist radio stations without interruptions from ads (source).
– Background playback. Music continues to play when switching apps or locking the phone screen (source).
– Offline downloads. Users can download songs, albums, playlists and music videos to their mobile device to listen offline when internet access is limited (source).
– Audio-only mode to conserve data usage. Videos can be switched to audio-only playback.
– No song skip limits. Listeners can play any song on-demand and are not restricted by skip limits.
– Enhanced recommendations based on listening history and preferences.
The paid subscription removes ads, unlocks advanced features, and provides an optimized listening experience for music fans.
Limited Free Access
YouTube Music offers limited access to non-paying users. The free version allows users to search for and play music through the YouTube Music app or website, but with significant restrictions.
The main limitation is the presence of advertisements. Free users will encounter audio and video ads periodically while listening to music. There is no way to completely avoid ads without upgrading to a paid subscription.
In addition to ads, free users are unable to download music for offline listening or listen to songs in the background while using other apps. There is also no option to play high-quality audio. Free users are essentially limited to on-demand streaming through the YouTube Music app with interruptions for ads.
While it is possible to access YouTube’s catalog of music for free, the free experience is designed to encourage users to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium for an uninterrupted, ad-free listening experience with additional features like offline downloads.
YouTube App
The main YouTube app provides free access to music, in addition to all the other video content on the platform. This is different from the dedicated YouTube Music app and service. On the YouTube app, users can search for and listen to music videos and songs for free with advertising.
However, the YouTube Music app and service are optimized specifically for music discovery and streaming. YouTube Music provides official songs, albums, playlists, and radio stations not available on the main YouTube app. It also offers advanced music recommendations and the ability to play audio in the background. So while the YouTube app offers free access to some music, the overall music experience is more limited than YouTube Music.
Advertiser-Supported
YouTube does offer a limited free, ad-supported version of YouTube Music. This allows users to stream music and listen to playlists with periodic ad interruptions. The free version has limited functionality compared to the paid YouTube Music Premium, but it does provide basic on-demand music streaming without a subscription.
This is similar to Spotify’s model, which also offers a free ad-supported tier as well as a paid premium version without ads. The key difference is that YouTube Music’s free tier has more limited features beyond just ads. Spotify’s free access allows on-demand playback, offline listening, and unlimited skips. YouTube Music’s free version only allows on-demand playback of curated playlists and stations, not full albums or artist catalogs. Offline and background listening require a paid YouTube Music Premium subscription.
So YouTube Music does have a free ad-supported option, but it provides more basic functionality compared to competitors. The free tier is limited mostly to curated streams, while full on-demand catalogs require the paid Premium version. This differs from Spotify which grants full catalog access for free, with Premium offering an enhanced ad-free experience.
Promotions
YouTube Music offers several promotions that allow users to try the premium service for free for a limited time. The main promotion is a free 1-month trial for new users signing up for YouTube Music Premium (https://www.youtube.com/premium). This allows new subscribers to test out the ad-free, offline, and background playback features before committing to a paid subscription.
YouTube Music also occasionally offers extended 3-month free trial promotions, but these are only available for limited periods. For example, in the past YouTube has offered new users a free 3-month trial of YouTube Music Premium instead of the standard 1-month trial (https://www.youtube.com/yt/terms/google-one/).
Other than limited-time promotions, the main free trial option remains the standard 1-month trial for new users. This gives a decent amount of time to experience the premium features before deciding whether to pay for an ongoing subscription.
Workarounds
Although risky, some users resort to alternative methods to access YouTube Music Premium features for free. The most common workaround is using a modded or cracked version of the YouTube Music app, sometimes referred to as a “YouTube Music APK”. This modified app may allow features like unlimited skips, downloads, and ad-free listening without a paid subscription.
While it may seem tempting, using an unofficial YouTube Music APK comes with considerable risks. These apps are not endorsed by Google or YouTube and violate the platform’s terms of service. There is no guarantee the app is safe, as it could contain malware, privacy-violating trackers, or other vulnerabilities. Downloading copyrighted material through unauthorized apps may also constitute digital piracy.
Some also use browser extensions like AdBlock to remove YouTube Music ads on the web player. However, this does not unlock premium-only features and reduces revenue for creators. Proceed with caution if attempting any unauthorized methods to access premium features for free.
Premium Perks
A YouTube Music Premium subscription unlocks various extra features and benefits beyond the free version of YouTube Music. Some of the key perks include:
- Ad-free listening – Enjoy music without any audio or visual ads interrupting your listening experience. This applies across YouTube Music on all devices.
- Background/offline playback – YouTube Music Premium allows you to play music in the background, with the screen locked or when using other apps. You can also download songs, albums, playlists for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection.
- Audio-only mode – Listen to music with the screen turned off to save battery life.
- Uninterrupted playback – Songs continuously play one after the other without abrupt stops.
Other benefits include the ability to play any song on-demand instead of only being limited to shuffle mode for certain albums or playlists. There is also access to YouTube Originals shows and movies if you have a full YouTube Premium subscription.
Overall, for music lovers, the ad-free experience, background listening and offline downloads make YouTube Music Premium a worthwhile upgrade over the free tier.
User Sentiment
There are mixed opinions among users on whether YouTube Music should offer a free ad-supported tier. Some users argue that YouTube Music should be free with ads, especially on Android devices, similar to the standard YouTube app. One Reddit user commented, “YouTube music should be free on android. Google drive should be free on android” (Source). The rationale is that Google already offers free ad-supported services on Android, so YouTube Music should follow suit.
However, other users note the premium features and licensing costs associated with YouTube Music, which justify the paid subscription model. An Apple Insider review stated, “YouTube Music should be free. Audio doesn’t get loud or bass-heavy, but it is surprisingly crisp. It’s ideal for gently waking up or falling asleep to” (Source). While some users believe ad-supported free access would benefit consumers, especially Android users, others recognize the costs and effort involved in licensing and delivering a robust music streaming service.
Conclusion
At this time, YouTube does not offer a completely free, ad-free version of YouTube Music. The main YouTube Music service requires a paid subscription, while the basic YouTube app provides limited music playback with advertising.
Many users have been requesting that YouTube add an official free tier to YouTube Music, without ads or other restrictions. While YouTube has made no announcements yet regarding a future free option, it remains a possibility given YouTube’s interest in growing its music ecosystem.