YouTube's new paid music streaming service could launch in March

Google does many things well, but one thing it struggles with is coming up with a paid streaming music service that can keep up with Spotify and Apple Music. 

It's already got Google Play Music, YouTube Red and YouTube Music, but in March it's going to try its luck again with a new service for YouTube that's tentatively called "Remix," according to a report from Bloomberg. The news confirms a rumor we heard in July.

Unsurprisingly, the goal of Remix is simplification. The new service would reportedly combine the audio-only aspect of Google Play Music and the ad-free video-focused content of YouTube Red into one hopefully appealing package. 

Of course, its existence depends on getting the three major music publishers to play along, which may be a problem has they've long criticized YouTube for its fairly indifferent attitude to policing copyrighted content and its poor payouts to both artists and labels. Considering that more than a billion people watch YouTube videos every month, it's not hard to see why they'd like to get more money out of the service.

Keep watching

As for the music publishers, Warner Music Group has reportedly already signed on for the new project, but Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group remain in talks, along with Merlin, a group that represents independent labels. 

These talks have reportedly been going on for more than a year. For that matter, YouTube also needs to negotiate with Vevo, which holds the rights to many music videos.

That's a lot to achieve before March. It's a big gamble, and its rivals in the race already have significant leads. Spotify now boasts 50 million paid users (out of a total user base of around 150 million), while Billboard reported that Apple Music isn't far behind with 30 million paid users. Google, though, has never released official subscriber numbers for Google Play Music, and last year The Verge reported that YouTube Red had only 1.5 million subscribers.

TOPICS
Latest in Streaming
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve dressed regally and on horseback in The Wheel of Time season 3
'There's a reason why we do it': The Wheel of Time showrunner responds to fans who are still upset over the Prime Video show's plot alterations
Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari single-seater F1 car during the Scuderia Ferrari HP Drivers' Presentation in Milan, in March 2025
How to use a VPN to watch Formula 1
Susan holding her baby in Toxic Town.
Netflix's #3 show has a flawless 100% on Rotten Tomatoes – here are 3 more powerful dramas to watch after Toxic Town
Latest in News
Google Gemini Robotics
Gemini just got physical and you should prepare for a robot revolution
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'