YouTube to launch new music platform in spring

YouTube is planning to launch a new online music platform called Remix in March 2018. The platform should be a combination of YouTube Red and Google Play Music. Remix will enable users to listen to music and watch videos. This way, the biggest music platform in the world is looking to simplify the confusing series of streaming products that have been rebranded and relaunched in the past years.

The launch of the new music platform depends on the termination of contracts with two of the three big YouTube music publishers – Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. The third big YouTube publisher, Warner Music Group, has allegedly already signed a contract featuring new business terms.

The music industry has been criticizing YouTube for years because of insufficient compensations it pays to artists and a lax attitude towards copyright.

Google has attempted to create a music service that could compete with Apple and Spotify, but failed to attract enough users. YouTube has launched a number of products, from music services Google Play Music and YouTube Music Key to the video-oriented YouTube Red.

In the meantime, Spotify reached the number of 140 million users a month, with 50 million subscribers, whereas Apple Music has 30 million followers.

YouTube LLC San Bruno

Google Inc. United States

Sony Music Entertainment New York

UMG USA

Warner Media, LLC

Apple Cupertino, USA

YouTube

Remix

YouTube Red

Google Play Music

music platform

Sony Music Entertainment

Universal Music Group

Warner Music Group

Apple

Spotify