A few days ago, we saw Spotify enter the Indian market. Though they appeared to be a tad late to the party with formidable opponents to go up against, the company saw it as a wise move. Well, they’re about to face more competition. Why? Because Google recently announced that YouTube Music, YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium would all launch in India.
Google played a very smart move with YouTube
In case you didn’t already know, India already consumes a hefty chunk of music on YouTube. This was further proven in a report by Nielson. The report showcased that YouTube is India’s number one source for streaming music.
If you missed it, PewDiePie, the most subscribed YouTuber was dethroned by T-Series, which is a music label in India three ties, before T-Series dropped back to second place. T-Series still has over 60 Billion views across all of its videos.
Why YouTube Music and YouTube Premium make sense for India
India has a plethora of low-cost smartphones. In addition, they also have extremely low data rates. Put these two together and you have a recipe to generate a massive amount of streaming potential. But just because YouTube Music is in India, that doesn’t mean that people will automatically drop everything they’re doing and switch to that.
If you recall, with Spotify launching in India, the platform was expected to face tough competition. With YouTube Music, the same can be said as well. For starters, there’s Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Music and now Spotify. Then there’s JioSaavn and Gaana that would definitely be a thorn in the side of Spotify and might do the same for YouTube Music as well.
How will YouTube Music operate in India?
YouTube Music will be free to use in India. It’s just that there will be ads when using it. YouTube Music Premium, on the other hand will cost 99 Indian rupees per month (around $1.42). YouTube Premium, the most expensive service will cost 129 Indian rupees (around $1.85). In reality though, these are the cheapest rates globally. Having said that, they are also more or less on par with what other streaming services charge in India.
In comparison to YouTube Music and YouTube Music Premium, YouTube Premium users get the ability to play videos in the background while running other apps. In addition, you also get offline downloads, access to YouTube Originals, and YouTube Music Premium bundled in.
Will Sri Lanka get YouTube Premium?
Well, that again is a sad question to ask. Like we said a few days ago, people have resorted to use illegal and questionable methods to use apps like Spotify in Sri Lanka. Features of YouTube Premium are also available for people who root their devices and use Magisk modules.
But then again, we wouldn’t recommend going through the process of rooting your phone just to get this feature unless you’re absolutely sure you want it. We also don’t recommend doing it unless you know what you’re doing.
Do you think Sri Lanka will get YouTube Premium? Leave a comment below.