It’s no secret thatYouTube is currently cracking down on ad blockers, which are likely on the rise thanks to the amount of ads stuffed into YouTube videos. Of course, YouTube offers a subscription plan known as YouTube Premium, which conveniently removes ads from the service for $14 a month. You also get access to YouTube Music, but if you already pay for Spotify or any other music streaming service, access to YouTube Music is moot.
Ignoring the fact Google is tastelessly pushing consumers into a product they may not want just to bolster the numbers of itsstruggling streaming service, the conflict of interest of Google requiring $14 a month to remove the very ads it annoyingly stuffs into YouTube ensures many are turned off by the company shoehorning YouTube Music into the cost. Others disagree and feel the cost justifies what you get.
Since AP is filled with varying opinions on the matter of YouTube Premium’s worth, we’ll break things down by individual to share their thoughts. As you can imagine, many of us are infatuated with YouTube Music, while others are upset at the price to remove ads from YouTube Premium. So, let’s get into it and dive a little deeper to see if there’s a consensus or not.
First up is Dallas Thomas, our resident News Editor (and an easy name to remember because he’s from Houston and lives in Austin). He’s had the opportunity to use multiple music streaming services so that he can fully compare what you get. This is fantastic insight for those curious about how Apple Music and Spotify stack up to YouTube Premium’s access to YouTube Music.
Dallas Thomas: News Editor
The way I see it, I’m going to be paying for a music streaming service no matter what, and I’m going to be paying for the family plan. So it’s $23 for music and an ad-free YouTube experience via Premium, versus $18 for music alone with Spotify — that extra $5 is cheap for what it gets me. But without the added value YouTube Music offers, YouTube Premium is too expensive to justify. It’s almost as if Google knows that and wants to keep me from jumping ship to Spotify or Apple by tying the two services together.
Next, we have Matt Sholtz. Nobody is really sure what he does around here, but he keeps logging in every day and seems to know a lot about games. As a self-admitted pessimist, it comes as no surprise that he isn’t hot on the cost of YouTube Premium when he’s already paying for Spotify. Be warned, this is him being perfectly pleasant, i.e., a borderline weirdo.
Matt Sholtz: Games and Apps Editor
An ardent pizza lover (who can blame her), Ara Wagner wrangles AP’s commerce content, all the guides so lovingly designed to help everyone make the right purchasing decisions. Like many of us at AP, she’s a longtime user of all things Google, so she offers an excellent overlook of the evolution of YouTube Premium as well as YouTube Music.
Ara Wagoner: Commerce Editor
I’ve also been a YouTube Music user since its initial launch in 2015 — when it was so bare-bones it was just an add-on to Google Play Music — and between YouTube Music and ad-free YouTube, YouTube Premium is one of my most essential subscriptions. Drawing on over a decade of YouTube history and six years of Google Play Music history, YouTube Music’s algorithms have my interests nailed so hard it genuinely makes my jaw drop.
Another commerce masochist, Dominic Preston is the new kid on the block. Honestly, we don’t have a read on him yet. But he seems perfectly pleasant, and the EIC swears he knows him, but many of us are skeptical of anyone with an English accent.
Dominic Preston: Managing Commerce Editor
The thing is, I don’t mind. I’m not a heavy YouTube user at the best of times. It’s there for the odd movie or game trailer, guided yoga classes when I’m feeling virtuous, and sporadic tutorials in those moments where I really need someone to teach me how to fix my washing machine or cat-proof my, well, everything.
Mr. Nice Guy with a capital N (seriously, it makes the rest of us angry how nice this dude is), Will Sattelberg is no slouch when it comes to doing the hard work like flying to Hawaii for cushy conferences. As someone that was also there since Play Music, he lucked out with a grandfathered plan so gets a cushy price. Some people have all the luck.
Will Sattelberg: Phones Editor
Just like Ara and Dom, I signed up for Google Play Music in its first month, giving me a grandfathered $8 per month plan that remains even asother grandfathered users lost their privilege. As someone who doesn’t use YouTube Music — I cannot stand how it integrates with the standard video site — $8 per month to avoid ads (and get a few additional perks, like background play or experimental features) is, in my opinion, money well spent.
That said, if (or, more likely,when) Google decides to remove this grandfathered plan from its last remaining users, I’d be lying if I said I’d ever quit. I’ve watched friends and loved ones pull up YouTube videos to show me, only to have to awkwardly sit through multiple pre-roll ads. YouTube is my go-to streaming service for lunch breaks and other moments when I might not want scripted or serialized entertainment. And considering how used to the ad-free experience I am — on all of my devices, mind you — Google pretty much has me over a barrel.
If there is a single person on the AP crew that can give Will a run for his money at the nicest person on the planet, that would be Steven Winkelman. His approach to music subscriptions works more like osmosis, and frankly in this day and age it’s challenging to disagree with this take.
