Google will completely shut down Play Music in December

[Humza]

What just happened? Google has shared a four-month timeline for shutting down its Play Music platform. The streaming service was bound to be axed sooner or later in favor of YouTube Music, and will now gradually lose access to features, starting with end of support for purchases and pre-orders later this month. Music streaming will be turned off in September and October, while users would have until December to transfer their content (purchases, playlists, uploads) and shift to YouTube Music.

Google's replacement for Play Music had been on the cards for a while now, but it wasn't known when the company would be officially retiring its long-running music streaming service. In a recent blog post, the tech giant shared a detailed timeline on the platform's closure and informed users of the necessary steps they need to take for transitioning to YouTube Music.

Later this month, Google will drop support for music upload/download on Play Music through its Music Manager desktop app and will also disable purchases and pre-orders. Streaming will be turned off for users in New Zealand and South Africa in September, followed by a global shutdown in October.

Users looking forward to YouTube Music can use Google's recently released transfer tool for migrating their data from Play Music or use Google Takeout for exporting relevant content. While the Play Music app and website will be taken offline in October, the company notes that users' playlists, uploads, purchases, likes, and other data will be preserved through December for transferring to YouTube Music, after which it will no longer be available.

Users who decide not to migrate their content to YouTube Music will have their subscriptions canceled. Google also says that it will notify such users in advance and also inform them before they lose access to their Play Music content.

While such transitions aren't always comfortable, Google's intentions with Play Music had been pretty clear for some time now. Last year, the company began pushing Android phone makers to preload YouTube Music on all new Android 10 devices and now looks forward to competing against the likes of Apple Music and Spotify with a single, focused offering.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/86249-google-completely-shut-down-play-music-december.html

 

[fireworksordie]

It's just a lot of small quirks that bother me... YTM on web doesn't respond to hardware media controls, no longer does the menu button on each song have 'go to artist', the 'cast' button isn't on every screen like it is on GPM, and track numbers don't show up on my media unit in my vehicle. I like the GPM 'Recents' tab instead of the YTM home screen... oh well, life must go on

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Makes sense. I see no reason for Google Music or Video to exist when that's YOUTUBE'S function.

 

[GreenArrow]

Makes sense. I see no reason for Google Music or Video to exist when that's YOUTUBE'S function.

Have you used Youtube Music it sucks. half way through the day you are listing to a literal Youtube video. Google Music on the other hand is actually a Music app.

 

[TheBigT42]

I have a Plex Server with Plex pass. I can stream all the music (I own) I want to my devices with PlexAmp.

 

[Nobina]

I like to put music I like locally. I guess I have "old" ways. That's the only thing that fills up space on my phone aside from pictures and videos. For music on YouTube I use NewPipe which has background play and can create playlists.

 

[TheFootPerson]

I like to put music I like locally. I guess I have "old" ways. That's the only thing that fills up space on my phone aside from pictures and videos. For music on YouTube I use NewPipe which has background play and can create playlists.

Newpipe is great, but I found when it doesn't work, a great alternative is using easy YouTube video downloader express Firefox plugin. As a free user you can download videos at 360p. If you like podcasts that are on YouTube exclusively than that firefox plugin with the musicolet app is a good idea because it has a video listen option.

 

[Reehahs]

Would Youtube Music spam adds when I am listening to music that I own?