From PC World: A new mega streaming music service may be coming to your phone. In a panel discussion at the New Music Seminar conference in New York, a YouTube exec has confirmed what we all hoped would happen one day: YouTube Red and Google Play Music are planning to merge.
As first reported by The Verge, hip-hop guru and YouTube’s global music chief Lyor Cohen plainly stated, “The important thing is combining YouTube Red and Google Play Music, and having one offering,” in response to a question about YouTube Red’s waning popularity. That would come as welcome news to users who struggle to navigate between the two services.
Ever since its inception in 2015, a YouTube Red subscription has come with a free subscription to Google Play Music, and vice versa. However, you need to operate two apps to enjoy both services, and many subscribers might not even realize they have a subscription to the other. The only reference to the perk on either site is in the FAQ section, which, let’s face it, most people don’t read.
Cohen’s comments aren’t a complete surprise, but they do represent the first confirmation that the two services are indeed moving on a path toward consolidation. Back in February, Google combined the YouTube and Google Play music teams into a single unit, but was characteristically coy about whether the two services would ever merge, saying, "Music is very important to Google and we’re evaluating how to bring together our music offerings to deliver the best possible product for our users, music partners and artists."
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