YouTube’s entry into the world of music streaming has finally arrived in the Middle East. And it’s coming pre-loaded with loads of nifty tricks.
Smart Search, for example, lets you search for music based upon just a few words you may remember from the chorus.
YouTube Music also has a few more tricks up its sleeve, that give it a foot up on other streaming services. As YouTube will always be rooted as a video website, it offers with its music selection music videos to go with them. This video accompaniment can be switched off as you go to ‘audio-only’ mode, but it’s still a nice addition that Spotify for example lacks.
The service also comes with an intuitive song discovery system and offers up to 100 offline downloads of your favourite tunes.
T.Jay Fowler, Director of Product Management, Music Products, at YouTube said:
“We’re proud that the Middle East’s rich musical heritage has a home on YouTube and we’re excited about bringing it closer to our users with YouTube Music. We built YouTube Music to help people find and enjoy the music they love whether it’s through official releases or iconic music videos, bringing artists closer to their fans. YouTube Music will help people expand their musical world and tastes because it’s a smart service that also helps you discover new music and artists they are sure to love.”
YouTube Music’s Arab release also means that an immense amount of Arabic musical content is now just a few taps away.
YouTube highlights Arab stars like Nancy Ajram and Rashid Al-Majid or singles from Hussain Al Jassmi or Nawal Al Kuwaitia, or maybe you want to discover indie playlists with rising talents like Cairokee and Flipperachi.
Also released is YouTube Premium, an upgrade to your YouTube app and a good companion to the new music streaming app.
Premium allows you to enjoy all YouTube videos without any adds, it also allows you to directly download videos from YouTube and also have them play in the background even if you exit the app. YouTube Premium also comes with a free monthly Music subscription.
Starting from 23.99 AED (5.99 USD), you will get a monthly YouTube Premium subscription that also includes YouTube Music. YouTube Music will also be available as a standalone app for 19.99 AED (4.99 USD) a month, and will also have a free ad-supported version. Introduced to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Oman.
The services are available for download from the iOS and Google Play stores as of September 10. Samsung Galaxy users in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Oman can enjoy up to 4 months free Premium on sign-up.
