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YouTube Red is Having an Identity Crisis (digiday.com)

Posted by msmash on from the uncertain-future dept.

During an onstage conversation at Recode's Code Media this week, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki called YouTube Red a music streaming service -- first time any executive from the company has referred to YouTube Red as foremost a music service. From a report: This differs from comments that other YouTube executives have made in the past, including YouTube's head of global content Susanne Daniels, who last year described YouTube Red as a premium subscription streaming service that offers Hollywood-quality shows and movies.

Launched in October 2015, YouTube Red has always been positioned by YouTube as three services in one: It offers ad-free access to all of YouTube; it's a music streaming service that also gives access to Google Play Music; and it's consistently releasing original movies and TV shows, starring Hollywood talent and homegrown stars that users already subscribe to. Two years later, this has created somewhat of an identity crisis for the streaming service. As Wojcicki said in her interview, she sees YouTube Red as a music service. And she does not expect to spend billions of dollars on content to effectively compete with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others.

25 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Red is a Music Service? Nope. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 4, Insightful

    YouTube Red is an ad removal service. You can watch YouTube, or you can pay and watch YouTube without the ads.

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    1. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      One of YouTube Red's big features on mobile is the ability to play videos in the background, or with the screen off. That's aimed mostly at music listeners. YouTube could provide that basic functionality without a paid subscription, but that's YouTube's clever way of holding music listeners over a barrel without having to admit to record companies what's actually going on.

      A lot of copyrighted music unavailable on typical music streaming services slips through the cracks on YouTube. Basically it seems like unless you're willing to pay a lawyer to hound YouTube, if you're popular your recordings will be made available for free on the service one way or another. And that's why people pay for Red even though it's a very inefficient as an audio program.

    2. Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      Also, videos are on YouTube legitimately that aren't on all the streaming services.

      Videos are seen as promotion, and music streaming as a revenue source.

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    3. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by alvinrod · · Score: 1

      Maybe they call it a music service because that's what people who have YouTube Red (or even just YouTube in general) are actually using it for. If you look at some of the play counts for popular songs on YouTube some are in the hundreds of millions. I think this has more to do with people just wanting to hear certain songs on demand rather than watching the actual videos though, and I suspect that's probably due to many streaming services not allowing that behavior in the free tiers which is what drove people to Google instead.

      I think it just shows how much people just want to be able to pick arbitrary songs to listen to such that they're willing to waste bandwidth on a video that they don't even see because it's hidden away in a different tab. YouTube could probably significantly cut bandwidth costs if they could detect this and only send audio in those cases. YouTube gets used only because nothing else has all the music (and by this I mean a lot of niche stuff) and the ability to arbitrarily play it.

      I don't really know why YouTube Red is necessary though since you get all of that without a subscription. Though to be fair I don't really get streaming services in general. Personally I just prefer to buy albums that I like and keep music on my phone. All of the big stores are DRM free and often times you can find good albums on sale for $5.

    4. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I thought it was a Porn service? ahh, right, that's RedTube my mistake...

    5. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Right, and it is as if a coffee shop said, "Well, we're mostly a donut shop" and somebody said, "oh noes! identity crisis!" or if a donut shop said, "We're mostly a coffee shop," and somebody said, "Oh noes! Identity crisis!"

      Of course, slashdot editors don't care that "identity crisis" doesn't mean, "admitted to being more than one thing," and it also doesn't mean, "said 5 words that were different than last years talking points."

      The key feature of an identity crisis, without which you can't possibly be having an identity crisis, is that you're having a crisis of some sort. Some random schmuck on the internet noticing you used different words today than you did two years ago? Not a crisis.

    6. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      ...or you can run an ad blocker, use HookTube, or use the Kodi YouTube add-on.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
    7. Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. by alvinrod · · Score: 1

      What can you get with Red that you can't get without it, other than a lack of ads though? YouTube is actually pretty good in that regard as you can skip adds after a few seconds and they typically only run their required ad prior to the start of the video. If there are dozens of ads, it's probably due to the person who made the video inserting them, which is on them, not YouTube.

      Add in that a lot of popular video makers are moving away from YouTube's ads (either because of shit pay or because they've been demonetized for whatever reason) and just advertise something as part of the beginning of their video (as in "Today's video brought to you by Megacorp Inc." and maybe a specific product plug related to the video subject like a new motherboard in a tech video) instead of relying on ads built in to YouTube and Red becomes even more pointless since you get that regardless of whether you have Red or not.

    8. Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. by thomst · · Score: 1

      alvinrod asked the musical question:>/p>

      What can you get with Red that you can't get without it, other than a lack of ads though?

      As noted in TFS, there are original movies and TV-style series that are only available to YouTube Red subscribers. (The rest of us have to pirate them.) Youtube has also recently moved a bunch of content from network TV providers behind their paywall.

      So, that's what ...

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    9. Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      But what content that anyone actually cares about is behind the paywall?

      Or, more accurately, what content that isn't available from a dozen other channels? When Vsauce went Red, it was no big loss, there are plenty of science themed channels. (Yeah I know Vsauce only put some content on Red, but the free videos are so rare he might as well not exist now.)

      --
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    10. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by Bradmont · · Score: 1

      Alternatively, you can download NewPipe from F-Droid : https://f-droid.org/en/package...

    11. Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. by thomst · · Score: 1

      nitehawk214 demanded:

      But what content that anyone actually cares about is behind the paywall?

      Or, more accurately, what content that isn't available from a dozen other channels?

      That, sir, is an entirely different question ...

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    12. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      Several channels I used to watch have moved exclusively to YouTube Red. There's no option to see the content with ads.

    13. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      I certainly use it for streaming music while I work. But I also watch a bunch of sciency, mathy and engineery channels that interest me. Since YT accounts for 90+% of the video and audio I watch and stream it was worth it to me to pay. The price is a heck of a lot less than other streaming services, works on a desktop and laptop which is what I have in front of me most of the time and there is indeed much foreign niche music content that in the US is only available to me on YouTube even though it's widely popular and available abroad.

      The failing is mostly on alternative music sources that fail at being less crap than YouTube and succeed at being more expensive.

      Also I can download the YouTube music as MP3s with a little command line magic. This works well when I'm traveling.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    14. Re:Red is a Music Service? Nope. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      Crisis? You must enjoy drama.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  2. The only reason by H3lldr0p · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have YT:Red is because I subscribe to google music streaming. That's it. I wouldn't pay for it otherwise. I also suspect that this is the case for the vast majority of people who have the service.

    Which means, yes, YT:Red is indeed a music service.

    1. Re:The only reason by jmhysong · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I sub for Google Play Music, mostly for listening in my car. The removal of ads on Youtube is nice but those Youtube Originals are garbage. I really can't stand watching most Youtube personalities and would never pay to do so.

    2. Re:The only reason by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 2

      From my perspective, I pay for YouTube Red and get Google Play Music as a free bonus. I watch a LOT of YouTube videos on my TV and not having to sit through the same boring commercials every time I start a new video was worth the $9.95/mo. Then I bought a Google Home device last year and got 6 months for free of both - it finally ran out and I'm back to having to pay for it. It is worth it, in my opinion. I don't stream that much music, so I wouldn't pay for just a music streaming service...

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
    3. Re:The only reason by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      From my perspective, I pay for YouTube Red and get Google Play Music as a free bonus.

      Same for me, in reverse. I listen to a lot of music on various platforms and Google Play is worth it at 9.95/mo. When I found out I got YouTube Red for free, it just made it that much better. And it started with the free trial (I forget if it was 3 or 6 months) I got when I got a Nexus phone and Project Fi.

      The only thing I have to remember is that not everyone has YouTube Red. I write a music blog and the easiest way to post music is by posting a YouTube video. I try to remind myself that most of my readers will have to sit through an advertisement.

      --
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    4. Re:The only reason by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      Solution: let them split the services: YT Red for music, YT Blue for original content, and YT Clear for no ads and offline viewing (included in the other subscriptions). And offer it overseas already!

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  3. RedTube? by scorp1us · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm not seeing how naming YouTube Red was at all a good idea given it's domain neighbors.

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  4. $120/yr app to enable background payback by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The YouTube app userbase has asked for years for background playback, and there were even Xposed modules to enable that, but then Google decided that they could get $120/yr for this feature by bundling it with other stuff nobody seemed to want. It might just be the most expensive 'pro' upgrade in the App Store.

    Imagine the total worldwide energy savings from everybody who doesn't have it not leaving their screens on just to listen to YouTube. Google may say they're green with solar panels and carbon credit swapping, but where the rubber meets the road they don't put their money where their PR is.

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  5. Free Youtube Red by locopuyo · · Score: 1

    Why would anyone pay for it when you can get any Youtube Red video for free by replacing the "you" with "red" in the url?

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  6. Good way to lose subscriptions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I've have YouTube ted since I bought my Nexus 6P in 2016. I very rarely listen to the music either through Google music or YouTube red. I primarily have it because I hate YouTube ads which I primarily watch through my 65 inch LG tv. There existing content is so shit i don't watch it. I primarily use it to watch various documentaties and how to videos, the only thing YouTube is actually good for.

  7. Re:Maybe for Canada REAL SOON NOW? by LoneTech · · Score: 1

    This is the answer. YouTube Red is not a service at all, it is a taunt; "not available in your country". The YouTube app instructions literally tell us to use options that are not on offer and we have to search to find out it's for no reason.