(CelebrityAccess) – YouTube Music officially launched in 14 new markets including India in the past 24 hours.
Back in June of 2018, YouTube’s revamped subscription streaming service went live across 17 markets including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. Now, the streaming giant will be going up against a host of competing streaming platforms in India –– a market comprised of an estimated 400m active internet users –– including Amazon Music, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, and Spotify, which entered the Indian market in a hail of controversy just last month.
In India, the ad-supported version of YouTube Music will be free, YouTube Music Premium will cost users 99 rupees per month ($1.42 USD), and YouTube Premium will cost 129 rupees per month ($1.85 USD). These are the cheapest rates globally, but on par with what other streaming services charge in the region.
Those who buy YouTube Premium will get features like the ability to play videos in the background while running other apps, offline downloads, access to YouTube Originals, and YouTube Music Premium bundled in.
As is already the case in other countries, Samsung Galaxy S10 users in India who aren’t current subscribers to YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium or Google Play Music will have access to YouTube Premium for free for a period of four months.
The complete list of countries which are part of today’s international rollout is as follows: India, South Africa, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Uruguay, Panama, Paraguay, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Bolivia.
The services are now available in 43 countries worldwide.
