YouTube Announces 'YouTube Music Key' Subscription Streaming Service for $7.99 Per Month

YouTube today announced a new subscription streaming service, YouTube Music Key, which is currently in beta. The service offers up ad-free music on YouTube, along with background play and offline viewing.

Priced at $7.99 (discounted from $9.99), YouTube Music Key also includes a subscription to Google's Spotify competitor, Google Play Music (formerly Google Play All Access), which includes more than 30 million songs and will feature the ability to watch official YouTube videos directly within the app.


Some streaming music services, like Spotify, offer a limited number of music videos, but ad-free access to high-quality popular videos is a feature that will be unique to YouTube Music Key and its sister service, Google Play Music.

Alongside YouTube Music Key, the YouTube apps for iOS and Android and YouTube.com have been updated with a new section dedicated to music videos, which provides recommended mood-based playlists and features trending music. The new focus on music will also highlight full-length albums and artist pages.

YouTube Music Key is currently in beta, with access going to the company's "biggest music fans" first before seeing a wider worldwide launch. YouTube users who receive an invite to the Music Key beta will receive six months of access for free. Customers who sign up for Google Play Music will get immediate access to the YouTube Music Key beta.

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
M4 MacBook Pros Thumb

M4 MacBook Pro Uses Quantum Dot Display Technology

Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results. Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
AirPods Crackling Feature

Apple Customers Sue Over Unfixed AirPods Pro Crackling Issue

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds. A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
google gemini

Google Releases Standalone Gemini AI App for iPhone

Thursday November 14, 2024 2:54 am PST by
Google has launched its dedicated Gemini artificial intelligence app for iPhone users, expanding beyond the previous limited integration within the main Google app. The standalone app offers enhanced functionality, including support for Gemini Live and iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration. The new app allows iPhone users to interact with Google's AI through text or voice...
maxresdefault

M4 Max MacBook Pro: Real-World Usage Tests

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests. We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...
iphone passcode green

iOS 18 Security Feature Causes iPhone to Reboot After Three Days of Inactivity

Thursday November 14, 2024 2:19 pm PST by
With iOS 18, Apple introduced a feature that causes the iPhone to reboot every three days, security researchers have confirmed (via TechCrunch). In a demo video, security researcher Jiska Classen proved that an iPhone left untouched for 72 hours will automatically restart, and Graykey manufacturer also Magnet Forensics wrote a blog post about the feature. After a reboot, an iPhone is more...

Top Rated Comments

penajmz Avatar
131 months ago
I don't see any reason why I would be paying for this.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J. Jizzle Avatar
131 months ago
Another music streaming service that you have to pay for? Really? How many of these do we need? This seems pointless.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cheesyappleuser Avatar
131 months ago
$7.99 for the ability to listen to low-quality music files?
lol
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eddy Munn Avatar
131 months ago
What does the 'key' mean?

If the app still doesn't play music in the background or when you sleep your phone then... lame.
Their website boldly states 'Background listening' as a key feature.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
logicstudiouser Avatar
131 months ago
Why would I spend $8 per month when it is so easy to use adblock and download youtube content already? This is a bad move by Google.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rwilliams Avatar
131 months ago
I haven't had the desire to watch music videos since the late 90s. I don't see myself paying to do so in 2014.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)