YouTube Music versus YouTube Premium – are they the same thing?
Image Credit: YouTube
What’s the difference between YouTube Music and YouTube Premium?
YouTube is the world’s favourite video platform for everything from vlogs to memes to educational videos to films. YouTube launched YouTube Music, a dedicated music streaming service including music content on YouTube, in 2015. Since then YouTube Music has gained over 100 million users.
YouTube and YouTube Music are available for free, with adverts that interrupt the experience. But YouTube also offers paid subscriptions for ad-free YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium – which is where it gets a little confusing. Let’s run through exactly what’s on offer.
Does YouTube Music Premium come with YouTube Premium?
YouTube Music Premium only allows access to YouTube Music with premium benefits such as ad-free listening and offline listening. YouTube Premium subscriptions provide users with access to YouTube Music Premium as well.
YouTube Premium subscribers can enjoy all the benefits of YouTube Music Premium without additional cost. The subscription to YouTube Premium includes access to the YouTube Music app without advertisements, offline streaming, background play, and audio-only mode.
Subscribers simply need to log in to YouTube Music with the same Google account with which they subscribed to YouTube Premium to gain access to Music Premium features.
What can you do with YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium?
YouTube Music is YouTube’s music streaming platform, which gives you access to a catalogue of music with some restrictions. YouTube Music Premium is the ad-free option, offering unlimited streaming at a cost of $10.99 a month.
YouTube Music Premium offers several benefits, including access to the YouTube Music app without advertisements, the ability to stream music and videos offline by downloading them to your mobile device, background play to keep your music playing while using other apps, and the option to activate audio-only mode to listen to music without loading videos.
With YouTube Premium you can watch videos on YouTube without being interrupted by adverts and you can stream music on YouTube Music ad-free. You also get YouTube Kids, which offers a restricted browsing experience with parental controls. YouTube Premium costs $13.99 a month.
On both subscriptions you also get background play, which lets you leave the YouTube app to browse elsewhere whilst the video or music continues to play on your device. The monthly cost also buys you offline listening, allowing you to download videos and music to access later.
Which is better: YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium?
So, should you choose YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium? It depends where you plan on spending most of your time, how much you want to spend – and where adverts annoy you the most.
Say you stream a lot of music but don’t watch enough YouTube videos for the adverts to get on your nerves. YouTube Music Premium might be the best fit for you.
But if you watch a lot of YouTube and can afford the $2 extra a month, YouTube Premium is the cost-effective choice – you get a Music Premium subscription for a fraction of the normal cost and access all the benefits of YouTube Premium.
You can get YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium for free before you commit to a subscription, with a month’s trial available for either subscription. If you get a YouTube Premium trial then you can experience background play, offline listening and ad-free playback on both YouTube and YouTube Music – and see which you’re enjoying the most.
What happens if I forget to cancel my YouTube Premium free trial?
If you happen to forget to cancel your YouTube Premium free trial before it ends, it’s essential to be aware that you will be charged the regular individual rate of $13.99 per month. To avoid any unwelcome charges, it is highly recommended to set a reminder and mark your calendars accordingly.
How has the price of YouTube Premium changed recently?
The price of YouTube Premium has experienced a recent increase due to the introduction of new pricing by almost all streaming services in 2023. Last July both of YouTube’s Premium services increased their prices as follows:
- YouTube Music
- $9.99/month – $10.99/month
- $99.99/year – $109.99/year
- YouTube Premium
- $11.99/month – $13.99/month
- $119.99/year – $139.99/year
Can I experience new features before free users with YouTube Premium?
Yes, as a YouTube Premium user, you have the advantage of experiencing new features before free users. These features are easily accessible on the YouTube website, as well as within the Android and iOS apps.
Whenever new features become available, you will receive a notification informing you of their availability. This gives you the option to try them out and make the most of your YouTube Premium subscription.
Are you a musician or producer? Monetize your music on YouTube with RouteNote, for free. YouTube Content ID protects your songs on YouTube and YouTube Shorts so you’re properly credited and earn money whenever your music is used in a video. We can also upload songs to YouTube Music so everyone can stream your tracks.