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| YouTube Music (Image Source: Yugatech/YouTube) |
Celebrities, online influencers, media and business personalities, tech
enthusiasts and an intriguing variety of spectators have gathered inside the
Twelve Monkeys Bar in Ortigas, Pasig City on the night of November 14, 2019
(Thursday) to grace and witness the launch of YouTube Music, the official YouTube
service built for music experience, in the Philippines.
Launched and released globally on November 5th, YouTube Music has been
downloaded more than 100 million times with a fairly positive response from
users. It is currently rated in the Google Play store at an average of 3.9
stars and features a Web player with the official songs, albums and playlists.
The platform also has a library of live performances, song covers and music
videos exclusive to YouTube. The service will have a free and paid version with
the ladder offering ad-free usage, background play and offline download for
content.
YouTube Music is expected to address the need for a dedicated app among
YouTube users who usually access their favorite songs and music videos at the
site. Considering the library size of YouTube, the service is also expected to
replace or compete with other music streaming services such as Spotify. In the app's
home screen, the recommendation algorithm will observe historical usage and
even the activities of the listener. One of the highlights during the launch is
the service's accurate voice recognition for Smart Search. Similar to how
Shazam operates, users can search the song by simply singing the lyrics that
they know and the song that matches the lyrics will pop up.
For Google Philippines marketing head Gabby Roxas, the launch of
YouTube Music in the Philippines gives Filipinos a new way of enjoying their
music they love and more, introducing them to exclusive covers and originals
that can't be found elsewhere. TJ Fowler, YouTube's director of product
management from music products, expressed his excitement of bringing the
Philippines' rich musical heritage and talents to its users via YouTube Music
which offers a richer, smarter and more immersive music listening experience to
users around the world.
Download and install the
YouTube Music app on your smartphone for free from Google Play and Apple App Store and sign
up for a 30-day free trial of YouTube Music Premium which is priced at Php129 a
month for Android users and Php169 for iOS users.
