Where did Google music go?
Google has offered various music services over the years, beginning with Google Music in 2011. This allowed users to store up to 20,000 songs for free in the cloud and stream them to devices (1). In 2013, Google Play Music launched, combining features of the original Google Music with access to Google’s music store and streaming service (2). Play Music provided the ability to listen to millions of songs, create playlists, and upload up to 50,000 personal tracks (3).
In 2015, Google introduced YouTube Music, packaged together with YouTube Red (now Premium) subscription. This aimed to merge the music library of YouTube with the features of Play Music (2). After operating both services in parallel for several years, Google announced in 2018 that YouTube Music would eventually replace Google Play Music (1).
Launch of Google Play Music
Google Play Music was officially launched on November 16, 2011 as a music streaming and media player service developed by Google. Some key features at launch included:
- Store music purchased through the Google Play Music store in the cloud, with up to 20,000 uploaded songs for free
- Stream any track from the Google Play Music catalog on-demand without limits
- Create and share playlists
- Listen to curated radio stations based on a song, artist or genre
- Access music across devices including Android, iOS and the web
According to the Wikipedia article on Google Play Music, the service launched first in beta in May 2011 and then publicly on November 16, 2011. The launch announcement was titled “These Go to Eleven” in reference to the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.
Transition to YouTube Music
In May 2018, Google announced that YouTube Music would eventually replace Google Play Music as its primary music streaming service. This kicked off a multi-year transition period as Google worked to bring over Play Music features and content to the new YouTube Music platform.
The rationale behind merging the two services was to combine Google’s music offerings under one brand and platform – YouTube. With YouTube’s massive user base and cultural significance, Google likely saw an opportunity to quickly scale up YouTube Music by connecting it to the main YouTube app. According to Google, the goal was to “deliver the best of Google Play Music’s context server and playlists to YouTube Music” (source).
In October 2020, Google announced that YouTube Music would officially replace Play Music by December 2020. Play Music was finally shut down that month after over a decade of operations. While Google tried to make the transition as seamless as possible by transferring playlists, uploads, and recommendations – many users still experienced a bumpy switch to the new service.
User Reactions
The announcement of Google Play Music’s shutdown was met with significant backlash and concern from users across various platforms. Many loyal Google Play Music fans voiced their frustration on social media sites like Reddit and Twitter, using hashtags like #googleplaymusic and #dontkillgoogleplaymusic to protest the decision.
A major pain point highlighted by users was the potential loss of painstakingly curated playlists and personal music libraries they had built up over years of using Google Play Music. As one Reddit user wrote, “I have over 50 days worth of playlists that I’ve dumped hours into organizing and curating. And now I have to move it over to a far inferior music service.” Others complained about losing features like song uploads and noted that transferring playlists to YouTube Music can be tedious and imperfect.
There was also frustration that users felt forced into migrating to YouTube Music rather than being given the option to easily export their full Google Play Music libraries. Overall, many users felt Google was eliminating a superior music service in favor of pushing them onto YouTube Music, which they saw as a downgrade.
Transferring Playlists
When Google announced it was shutting down Google Play Music in favor of YouTube Music, it provided tools for users to transfer their playlists and library to the new service. The transfer process involved a few steps:
First, users had to export their Play Music playlists and upload their library to Google Takeout to download the data. Then in the YouTube Music app, users could access the “Transfer from Google Play Music” option to import playlists. This initiated the transfer of playlist titles, songs, albums, and artists to YouTube Music.
However, the transfer process did not preserve the original order of playlists from Google Play Music. As noted on the YouTube Music support forums, “When transferring playlists from Google play music, it just seems to have dumped them in any random order.” This was a source of frustration for many users who had curated their Play Music playlists into a specific sequence.
Overall, while it was beneficial to have the option to transfer playlists and music libraries, the process faced challenges in accurately reflecting the Play Music setup. Users had to redo their playlist ordering and reconfigure other settings in YouTube Music to try to replicate their Google Play Music experience.
Uploading Personal Music
One of the key features of Google Play Music was the ability for users to upload their own personal music libraries to the cloud. This allowed access to songs and albums that weren’t available through Google’s music store. When YouTube Music launched, it also included the ability to upload up to 100,000 personal tracks for free (https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/9716522?hl=en).
To upload music, users can visit music.youtube.com and click on their profile picture. There will be an option that says “Upload music”. Drag and drop files or select files to upload. The uploaded songs and albums will appear in the library under “Uploads” (https://9to5google.com/2022/07/11/how-to-upload-your-own-music-to-youtube-music/). This makes the user’s personal collection accessible across devices logged into their YouTube Music account.
While the ability to store personal music is still included with YouTube Music, there are some limitations. Only audio files are supported, unlike Google Play Music which allowed video file uploads. There is also a limit of 100,000 uploads, while Google Play Music had a 500,000 song cap. However, the inclusion of personal music libraries was seen as an important feature to retain during the transition.
Feature Differences
There are some key differences in features between Google Play Music and YouTube Music (YouTube Music or Google Play Music …, Google Play Music vs. YouTube Music: Everything you …). Some of the main differences include:
Play Music offered playlist creation directly from song radio stations – YouTube Music does not have this feature. Play Music also let you upload up to 50,000 of your own songs to stream alongside tracks in Google’s catalog. YouTube Music currently only allows for uploads of up to 5,000 songs.
YouTube Music leverages YouTube’s massive video library in addition to official album/single audio. This provides more “long tail” content than Play Music. However, Play Music provided a cleaner all-audio experience.
Play Music enabled downloading music for offline listening. YouTube Music also offers this feature, but it is more limited – downloads expire after 30 days and there is a 100 offline playlist limit.
Overall, Play Music provided superior tools for uploading and managing users’ personal music libraries. But YouTube Music opens up access to a broader catalog of official music and related video content.
Benefits of Transition
For Google, migrating Play Music to YouTube Music made strategic sense for a few key reasons. First, YouTube already had an established massive user base, with over 2 billion monthly active users. By transitioning Play Music users to YouTube Music, Google leveraged YouTube’s popularity to grow its music streaming service much faster (Source). Additionally, housing music streaming under the YouTube brand allowed Google to consolidate and focus its resources on one platform. Given YouTube’s global recognition compared to the more niche Play Music, it was logical for Google to focus on scaling YouTube Music.
Moreover, transitioning to YouTube Music allowed Google to take better advantage of YouTube’s trove of music content, including live performances, covers, and remixes. Play Music did not have native integration with this YouTube content. Bringing the services together unlocked new possibilities, like personalized playlists generated from a user’s YouTube music listening history. Overall, from Google’s perspective, unifying music streaming under its core YouTube brand made long-term strategic sense.
The Future
With the transition from Google Play Music to YouTube Music now complete, the focus shifts to the future of music streaming at Google. YouTube Music vice president Petra Hansson will play a key role in shaping the product’s development and strategy going forward.
As a veteran of the music streaming industry, Hansson brings valuable experience from her previous roles at companies like Spotify. She understands the importance of offering a seamless user experience, robust library of content, and personalization features. Her leadership will be critical as YouTube Music aims to grow its subscriber base and better compete with rivals.
One area of focus will likely be enhancing YouTube Music’s recommendation engine to serve users with customized playlists and stations tailored to their tastes. Hansson also recognizes the need to appeal to audiophiles by providing high-quality audio and gapless playback. Integrating new social components for sharing and discussing music is another potential growth opportunity.
With Hansson at the helm, the future looks promising for YouTube Music to evolve into a top choice for music streaming. Her experience in product design and ability to deliver what users want will shape the service’s direction. Though an uphill battle remains to catch established players like Spotify, Hansson’s guidance puts YouTube Music on the path to realizing its potential.
According to music industry analyst Petra Hansson in an interview with Moon Children Films, her top priority is building an intuitive and feauture-rich product that delights users. With a user-centric vision and breadth of expertise, Hansson is positioned to lead the next generation of music streaming at Google.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Google’s decision to retire Google Play Music in favor of YouTube Music was met with mixed reactions from users. While many welcomed the integration with YouTube and the new features like customized recommendations, others were frustrated by losing features like uploading personal music libraries. The transition process posed challenges for transferring playlists and uploads, but Google tried to make it as seamless as possible. Overall, the move appears to be part of Google’s larger strategy to consolidate its media offerings under one roof. While YouTube Music still has room for improvement, it offers a fresh take on streaming with the potential to eventually replace Google Play Music. Only time will tell whether it can live up to user expectations and establish itself as the new hub for Google’s music services.
As we have seen, the shutdown of Google Play Music marked the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new one under YouTube Music. Google tried to make the transition as smooth as possible for users, but some challenges inevitably arose. The move reflects Google’s shift towards integrating its products and services together under the YouTube banner. While it remains to be seen whether YouTube Music will reach the same level of popularity and acclaim as its predecessor, Google is betting big on its future. For now, Play Music lives on in users’ collections, playlists and memories.