Google Play Music is finally shutting down by December 2020. Per Google’s announcement today access to the nine year old music streaming service will end in October for most users (in September for New Zealand and South Africa users).
As long known Play Music is being replaced with YouTube Music — Google continues to roll major consumer media services under the iconic YouTube brand.
Existing users you haven’t yet started, be sure to follow Google’s guidelines for transferring your playlists, albums, purchased content, recommendations and pretty much everything currently in your app.
From Google’s announcement on the YouTube Blog:
Starting in September 2020 in New Zealand and South Africa — and in October for all other global markets — users will no longer be able to stream from or use the Google Play Music app. But don’t worry, we will be holding onto things like your playlists, uploads, purchases, likes and more until December 2020 to make your transfer to YouTube Music easier. Users who wish to transfer their music libraries from Google Play Music to YouTube Music, can do so through December 2020, after which their Google Play Music libraries will no longer be available.
Source: YouTube Blog
Per The Verge new Android 10 devices will now come pre-loaded with YouTube Music in place of Google Play Music.
Hello Spotify
In the early days I was a staunch Play Music fan. Finally, though, last year I sampled the Kool Aid that is Spotify thanks to a 30-day trial. There was no looking back. Spotify’s interface, playlists and, especially, its ability to surface recommended tracks and new music is, in my experience, unparalleled. Add to that the ability to easily stream to Amazon Echo devices and groups and there’s just no comparison. The superb Spotify Apple Watch app is icing on the cake.
Google and Android die-hards, on the other hand, should appreciate the continued integration of apps into YouTube.