How to Use YouTube Music

An overview of the music streaming platform

What to Know

  • YouTube Music is free. Premium includes ad-free and offline playback.
  • To get a 30-day free trial of Premium, go to youtube.com/musicpremium > Try it Free > select payment > Buy.
  • YouTube Music Premium is included with a YouTube Premium subscription.

This article explains how to sign up for YouTube Music Premium, rate songs, and download tracks, and includes an overview of the benefits.

How to Sign up for YouTube Music Premium

YouTube Music Premium, and gives you ad-free viewing, downloads, and background play with regular YouTube videos, and it has a 30-day free trial. It's best to sign up via the YouTube Music website.

  1. Open your preferred web browser and go to the YouTube Music website.

    YouTube Music website.
  2. Click Try it Free.

    Click or save money with a family or student plan to see other options. Eligible students can get a discount. Family plans allow users to share their account with up to five others.

  3. Enter your YouTube username or email address and choose Next. If you're already logged in, jump to Step 6.

    YouTube Music website.

    If you don't have a YouTube account yet, click Create account.

  4. Enter your password and click Next.

    YouTube Music website.

    If you have phone login enabled, you will be prompted to open the Gmail app on your phone instead.

  5. You should now be logged in and taken back to the main page. Click Try it Free once again.

    YouTube Music website.
  6. Select your preferred payment method and click Buy.

    YouTube Music website Premium sign up.

    This will begin a 30-day free trial of YouTube Music Premium. You will be charged for the first time on the date displayed in the upper-left corner under Monthly charge.

Can I Write a YouTube Music Review?

Unlike regular YouTube videos on the main YouTube app, it’s not possible to leave comments or reviews on YouTube Music. You can, however, give music videos and songs a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down which can help Google curate more songs closer to your personal tastes.

Music videos that you give a Thumbs Up will be added to your Liked playlist on both the YouTube Music and YouTube app.

  1. Start playing a song on the YouTube Music app as per usual.

  2. Tap the screen lightly to reveal a menu.

    If the menu doesn’t appear, this means that only the audio version is available.

  3. Tap Video if you want to view the music video.

  4. Tap the left or right thumb icons to up-vote or down-vote the music video or song.

    YouTube Music like dislike

How To Download Songs on YouTube Music

Both YouTube songs and music videos can be downloaded for offline consuming for anyone with an active YouTube Music Premium subscription.

Those using a YouTube Music free account will be unable to download songs and music videos.

  1. Start listing to a song as you usually would.

  2. Tap the ellipsis to the right of the song title.

  3. Choose Download. Your download should immediately begin.

    YouTube Music download
  4. To access your downloaded song, return to the main screen.

    Downloaded songs and music videos are all accessible within the same location. 

  5. Tap your avatar.

  6. Tap Downloads > Downloaded Songs.

    YouTube Music downloaded songs

What's Included With YouTube Music?

YouTube Music is a Google-owned music streaming service that launched on the web, iOS, and Android in November 2015. The service is a combination of music-related videos from the main YouTube library and a variety of tracks, albums, and performances ranging from relaxing piano music to traditional Christmas songs and even musical parodies from popular YouTube creators.

Playlists and Recommendations

YouTube Music offers dynamic My Mix playlists, which are updated daily. They include a mix of old and new songs, based in part on your listening history. There's also a SuperMix playlist that pulls from all your musical tastes. Finally, you can also choose playlists based on your mood or activity preference, like workout and relax.

Is YouTube Music Free?

Much like YouTube, YouTube Music is also completely free to use, but there are a few restrictions for those not using the paid version, such as:

  • Video and audio ads will occasionally play between songs.
  • Songs can’t be downloaded for offline listening.
  • Playback will stop when the app is minimized or the device goes to sleep.

To turn off ads, allow for playback when the app is minimized, and enable the ability to download YouTube songs and videos, you’ll need to sign up for the YouTube Music Premium monthly subscription service.

How Much is YouTube Music Premium?

YouTube Music Premium is $9.99 a month and will unlock the following benefits:

  • Ad-free listening.
  • Audio and video downloads.
  • Background listening.
FAQ
  • How do you cancel YouTube Music?

    On Android, open the YouTube Music app and go to your profile picture > Paid memberships. Choose which membership you want to cancel and select Continue > Next > Yes, cancel. On iOS, open the app and go to your profile picture > Paid memberships, choose the membership you want to cancel, and select Manage Apple Subscriptions.

  • How do you upload your music to YouTube?

    There are two methods you can use to upload songs to YouTube Music. One, drag the music files to any surface of music.youtube.com. Or, two, go to music.youtube.com and select your profile picture > Upload music.

  • How do you add music to a YouTube video?

    From a computer, sign into YouTube Studio and select Content. Select the video you want to edit, then choose Editor > Add a track. Choose the song you want and select Add.

  • How many seconds of copyrighted music can you use on YouTube?

    None. Using copyrighted music on YouTube runs the risk of getting a copyright strike on your account. Get three strikes in 90 days and your account will be terminated. Use copyright free music instead.

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