Looks like Google may ask you to PAY for YouTube music - report

Google appears to be readying YouTube for a music subscription service, after intriguing references were spotted in the app by the Android Police blog. It posted a series of strings detailed in the 5.3 version of the YouTube app, which tantalisingly mentions a number of juicy terms, including "Music Pass", "Offline playback …

[Anonymous Coward]

Pay !

Ha ha.

[Anonymous Coward]

If the cost isn't stupid then I can see people signing up for this.

Should it really surprise us that Google are doing this?

[phil dude]

surprise ?

that strange thing is that youtube is video media. So if they start charging for the video part, that means the music is free....?

I'm not so surprised, but I have a feeling if they charge for it , other services may get a boost....

P.

[Anonymous Coward]

And where will all this money go ?

To the people who actually CREATE all the content ?

Naaaaahhhh.... probably just CEO's and shareholders...

[BrownishMonstr]

Re: And where will all this money go ?

To be fair, with the exception of VEVO, most of the other music videos are from 'fans' with the obligatory 'I DO NOT OWN THIS. COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO X' admission-of-guilt written somewhere near the video.

I suspect it's an opt-in for users like VEVO---or something like that.

BOOM, because, I like b-bombs.

[Jusme]

I'd pay...

If the price was reasonable and IF it really did mean no ads (unlike a certain subscription TV service...).

(yes it would be nice if the original artists got a cut, but that's probably not going to happen. They did sign their rights away when they sold out to The Man. Maybe the next generation will sell directly to their fans and cut out the leeches.)

[arrbee]

Re: I'd pay...

Hmm, picks a CD from the shelf...

"The phonographic copyright in these performances is operated by <company> on behalf of the artists, with whom it resides."

I guess you gotta pick the right Man.

[xyz]

Google translate....

"We’re always working on new and better ways for people to enjoy YouTube content across all screens, and on giving partners more opportunities to reach their fans."

AKA Punters, get yer teets out, you're gonna get milked.

Oi, whilst we're at it, can El Reg get rid of those MS Dynamics ads...they are bloody annoying.

[sabroni]

Re: can El Reg get rid of those MS Dynamics ads...they are bloody annoying.

Try noscript, you still see ads but their ability to be annoying is severely reduced!

[Moeluk]

Re: Google translate....

try running your business on it....far more annoying than the ads

really hoping 2013 fixes our issues

[Tom 35]

Like the rest?

US only.

Later available in other places where you get 10% of the content for the same price (or more).

Lots of places only ever get "not available in your region" messages.

[Necronomnomnomicon]

This is either an intra-Google linkup, or a mistake to be rectified in future

Google already have a for-pay streaming music service, Music All Google Play Access. Why would they set up exactly the same thing plus video they already have? If they're doing it (and if they're expecting users to pay twice) then they're dooming this to failure.

BUT if they set it up so they're the same subscription, the sound is loaded from Access Play All Music Google into Youtube, and the two are tied in (probably tying into Google+ somewhere as well) then it might be a bit more reasonable for the average user, get more buy-in to G+, and earn Not Duplicating Every Gosh-darned Thing points into the mix.

[Anonymous Coward]

They'd have to up the quality. You tube video sound is very crude most of the time.

[Rick Leeming]

Nokia Music?

I dumped my Spotify sub when I got a Lumia (cue Windows Phone is Crap rants). I found as product as good, with less hassle as I only use it on my phone anyway.

Paying for YouTube kind of defeats the purpose. Also if you don't want to see adverts install AdBlock+. I've not seen an anvert using YouTube in years.

[Arachnoid]

Why?

As most of youtube content is either homemade videos or business advertising why would one pay for such a service?

[Necronomnomnomicon]

Re: Why?

You're forgetting all the official music videos that are on there. I'd imagine being able to play them without adverts (assuming you don't know about adblock) would be valuable to VJs in clubs, if nobody else.

[Tommy Pock]

Hang on, I've got a Pre 3

Download for offline viewing, no ads.. I get all that already.

[Arachnoid]

You're forgetting all the official music videos

No Im not forgetting the poor quality audio and video they provide and its licensed for home use not business.

As for selling on someone elses content......well Im sure that wont go down well

[Mentalfloss-1966]

I use AdBlock in my browser and never see an ad on Youtube.

[Anonymous Coward]

I fail to understand the credulous surety with which people seem to assume that a string being present in some binary indicates forthcoming corporate policy. I can guarantee that anyone trying to discern my corporate strategy by digging strings out of our binaries is going to be comprehensively misled at best!

[JimmyPage]

I would pay ...

if when I search for a song, I don't get 100 videos of kids in their bedrooms "interpreting" it for me.

[Anonymous Coward]

"We’re always working on new and better ways...

...to make money.

I suppose that is not so unreasonable for a commercial entity. What I hate is the "we do all this for you" crap.