YouTube Music and Premium have reached 150 million subscribers globally, highlighting the platform’s growing role in music streaming. Here’s what the latest Q3 figures mean for independent artists and labels.

YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have surpassed 150 million subscribers worldwide, marking another milestone for the platform’s growing subscription business.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced the figure in the company’s Q3 2026 earnings report on October 28. The combined total includes free trials, with YouTube not revealing how many subscribers use Music independently or pay for Premium.

The announcement offers another indication of YouTube’s growing prominence within music streaming, particularly as platforms compete for listeners and revenue.

YouTube Music and Premium add 25 million subscribers

The latest milestone represents an increase of 25 million subscribers since YouTube reported 125 million in March 2025. That’s roughly 1.3 million new subscribers per month over that period. 

While that’s still impressive, it’s slower than the two million monthly additions recorded between February 2024 and March 2025.

Compare that to Spotify, who reported 306 million Premium subscribers at the end of Q3 2026, following six million additions during the quarter. That puts Spotify significantly ahead of YouTube’s combined Music and Premium subscriber total.

While Spotify remains ahead in paid subscriptions, YouTube offers something different from traditional music streaming services. YouTube Premium offers ad-free video playback, background listening, offline downloads and full access to YouTube Music, appealing to listeners who want more than just music.

Meanwhile, Alphabet reported that YouTube’s advertising revenue reached $11.21 billion in Q3, up 9.2% year-on-year. Its subscription business is growing faster than advertising, according to Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler.

Speaking during the earnings call, Schindler said subscriptions help fund the creator ecosystem and drive the platform forward.

What does YouTube’s growth mean for independent artists?

YouTube’s expanding subscription business is encouraging news for the wider music industry.

As more listeners subscribe to YouTube Music and Premium, the platform gains more revenue beyond advertising. This could support the wider music ecosystem and create further opportunities for artists to reach wider audiences.

However, subscriber growth doesn’t automatically translate into higher royalties for every artist. Earnings still depend on factors such as listening activity, audience engagement and how music is monetised.

For independent musicians and labels, the takeaway is to make sure their releases are available wherever their audiences listen.

You can distribute your music to YouTube Music and other major streaming platforms worldwide for free with RouteNote.

RouteNote also supports eligible releases through YouTube Content ID, helping artists and labels monetise their music when it’s used in other people’s videos.

Get started with RouteNote for free and release your music to YouTube Music and more.