Google Play Music was Google’s music streaming service that allowed users to upload, store, and stream their personal music library, as well as access curated playlists and radio stations. It launched in 2011 as Google Music, and was later rebranded to Google Play Music in 2012. However, in May 2020 Google announced they would be shutting down Google Play Music by December 2020, and migrating all users and libraries over to their newer YouTube Music platform.
According to Consumer Reports, Google decided to consolidate its music services into one platform under YouTube to “allow for faster innovation and more features for their users” [1]. Existing Google Play Music users had until December 2020 to transfer their purchases, uploads, and playlists over to YouTube Music before the service shut down completely.
Music Library Migration
In May 2020, Google announced that Google Play Music would be shutting down and users’ libraries would be automatically migrated to YouTube Music (source). This migration includes all purchased music, uploads, and playlists from Google Play Music.
To start using your migrated music library on YouTube Music, simply log into your Google account on the YouTube Music app or website. Your entire Google Play Music library should now be available in YouTube Music.
The transfer process aims to make the migration seamless by matching your Google Play Music library to songs and albums on YouTube Music. So your playlists, favorites, purchases, uploads, and recommendations should carry over with no action needed on your end.
If you run into any missing music or issues with the transfer, you can go through Google’s transfer tool to manually move your full Google Play Music history and data into YouTube Music (source). This will ensure everything gets correctly copied over.
Find Your Music in YouTube Music
Once your Google Play Music library has been migrated to YouTube Music, you can access your full music collection in the YouTube Music app or website. Your entire music library including songs, albums, artists, playlists, and music purchases will now be available in YouTube Music.
To find your migrated music collection in the YouTube Music app, tap on the “Library” tab at the bottom of the screen. Here you will see different sections for Playlists, Artists, Albums, and Songs that contain all of your migrated content. You can browse through these sections to find your full Google Play Music library now available in YouTube Music.
The YouTube Music website also provides access to your full music collection under the “Library” tab. This includes sections for Playlists, Songs, Albums, Artists, and Uploads that house your migrated Google Play Music content. You can search for and play any of your music here.
If you want to find a specific playlist, song, album or artist from your Google Play Music library, use the search bar at the top of the YouTube Music app or website. This will allow you to quickly search your full music collection and access your migrated content.
Download Music for Offline Listening
One of the key features of YouTube Music is the ability to download songs, albums, and playlists for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection. This is useful for situations like flights, commutes, or any time you want to listen to music without using mobile data or relying on a WiFi connection.
To download music for offline listening on YouTube Music:
- Open the YouTube Music app on your mobile device or tablet. You’ll need to be signed into your Google account.
- Find the song, album, playlist or other content you want to download. Tap on the download button next to it.
- A download icon will appear next to items once the download is complete. Downloads are saved to your device storage.
- Go to the Library tab to find and listen to your downloaded content offline.
The number of downloads is unlimited. However, you are limited by the storage capacity on your device. Any downloaded music will stay on your device until you manually delete it.
This offline listening functionality makes it easy to continue enjoying your favorite music anywhere, anytime without needing an internet connection. It’s a valuable feature of the YouTube Music platform.
Playlists and Favorites
When Google Play Music shut down, all of your playlists and favorites were automatically transferred to YouTube Music. This ensured a seamless transition, so you don’t have to rebuild your library from scratch.
To view your imported Play Music playlists, go to the Library tab in the YouTube Music app or website and select Playlists. You should see all of your playlists ready and waiting. The migration process does an excellent job of moving not just the playlists themselves but also the songs they contain.
For favorites, go to the Library tab and select Songs. Then filter by Favorites. Again, everything should already be there from Google Play Music.
If for some reason a playlist or favorite is missing, try searching for it by name. Occasionally the transfer process can miss something, but you can usually rediscover lost items through search. YouTube Music also has a “Recover lost playlists” feature under Settings that you can use.
Overall the transition brings over the vast majority of playlists intact. You can pick up right where you left off with Google Play Music in enjoying the personalized mixes you’ve created over the years.
For more details, see this video on transferring Play Music playlists to YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8VjmJxsTKg
Upload Your Own Music
You can add your own personal music files to your YouTube Music library for streaming and listening alongside other content. This allows you to upload audio files in MP3, FLAC, WMA, M4A, and other formats.
To upload your music on desktop, go to music.youtube.com and click your profile picture. Select “Upload music” from the menu. You can then drag and drop your audio files or select files to upload. The tracks will be added to your YouTube Music library.
On mobile, tap your profile icon in the YouTube Music app and choose “Upload”. You can then browse your files and select tracks to upload. The app supports uploading from local device storage, Dropbox, Google Drive and other sources.
Uploading your personal music collection to YouTube Music allows you to consolidate your listening into one service. You can access and play your uploaded music alongside official songs, albums, playlists and more. Uploads are private by default, or you can choose to make them public.
Search and Discover Features
YouTube Music provides a robust set of tools to help you find new music and get personalized recommendations. The service utilizes advanced algorithms and metadata to match you with music and artists you’ll love.
On the Discover tab, you’ll find an endless selection of playlists and radio stations tailored specifically for you based on your listening history, likes, and dislikes. This is a great way to find new music similar to what you already enjoy.
You can also search for songs, albums, artists, and playlists. Search results are filtered based on your preferences to surface the most relevant options. As you listen and engage with music on YouTube Music, the recommendations and search results continue to improve.
Other discovery features include New Releases to highlight the latest music, Top Charts so you can find popular hits and albums, and a personalized Browse section with categories like Focus, Workout, Commute, and more. Overall, YouTube Music makes exploring new music effortless.
For more details, see: YouTube to MP3 Converter: YMP3
Account Management
You can manage your YouTube Music subscription and account details through your Google account. This allows you to update your payment information, cancel your subscription, and control other account settings.
To access your account settings:
- Go to music.youtube.com and click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Under “Account,” you can manage your subscription, change your account email, review payment history, and more.
YouTube Music subscriptions start at $9.99/month for individual plans. There is also a $14.99/month family plan that supports up to 5 additional accounts. If you wish to cancel, you can turn off auto-renew in your account settings at any time.
Managing your account settings through YouTube Music gives you full control over your subscription and profile details.
Listen on Multiple Devices
YouTube Music is available across a wide range of devices, allowing you to enjoy your music library wherever you go. The YouTube Music app can be downloaded on both Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. You can also access YouTube Music from your computer by visiting music.youtube.com.
Your YouTube Music library and preferences sync across devices, so you’ll have access to your playlists, favorites, listening history and more regardless of where you listen. You can pick up listening on one device where you left off on another for seamless transition.
YouTube Music also integrates with smart speakers and TVs, allowing you to enjoy your personal music collection on speakers like Google Home or cast music videos straight to your television. Wherever you go, your music is ready and waiting for you.
Additional Support
If you need more help accessing your music library or using YouTube Music, Google provides several support options:
The YouTube Music Help Center has FAQs, how-to guides, troubleshooting steps, and contact information for further assistance. You can browse help topics or use the search bar to find answers to specific questions.
For direct support, you can contact the YouTube Music customer service team through the Help Center. Options include live chat, email, phone, and submitting feedback. Support is available 24/7.
The YouTube Music community forums connect you with other users and YouTube employees. You can search for existing threads or post a new question. Here is an example thread about content migration issues.
With these Google support resources, you can get personalized help resolving any problems importing your music library, using YouTube Music features, or accessing previously purchased content.