The launch of YouTube’s new premium music service, “Remix,” will spell the end for Google Play Music All Access, according to a new report out of Droid Life which in turn credits an unnamed “reliable source” for the information. No specifics on the changeover from one service to the other were provided other than the suggestion Google will look to have migrated all of its Play Music users to Remix by the end of 2018.
Although Remix is the name that has now been attributed to the service, it still remains unclear whether that is actually the official name the service will launch with. As it was simply said to be the name being used internally when the first reports on the new music streaming service came to light – towards the end of last year. What does seem to be clear though is this is a music streaming service, and one that has very close associations with YouTube. Which had led to the assumptions that in addition to its catalog of audio files, one of the main selling points will be the access it offers to additional music-related content, such as music videos. In fact, a company exec recently expanded — a little — on the service suggesting how it will effectively combine the best of both worlds, Google Play Music and YouTube.
Of course, this is not that different to what YouTube has now done with its live TV service, YouTube TV. As this also combines access to premium/live TV content with YouTube’s own premium in-house movies and shows, as well as some integration with the standard YouTube catalog. So while the details are still light on what the new service will be like, it would seem plausible it will look to emulate the experience on offer with YouTube TV to some degree. In either case, it is also likely to lessen the confusion surrounding Google’s various apps and services with all the company’s paid-for media-related services (add-free, music, movies) all falling directly under the YouTube umbrella. As for Google Play Music, it is unclear how much it will be reduced by with the launch of Remix. For example, it is still unclear whether the details in this latest report are specifically related to All Access (paid) users only, and whether the base Google Play Music experience will remain in effect, or whether the entire Google Play Music ecosystem will give way to Remix. As the latter scenario will also need to account for the storage of songs owned by those who use Play Music and have uploaded their library for easier on-the-go access.
