YouTube Music has launched a free ad-supported streaming service, just days after rumors surfaced that Amazon is about to launch similar free music service. YouTube’s free tier is currently available on Google Home speakers and other Google Assistant-powered speakers.
YouTube Music’s free service and Amazon’s pending launch mark the first real competition to Spotify’s still more robust free tier, as well as to Pandora.
Free, ad-supported YouTube Music on smart speakers is currently available in n the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, and Austria, with more countries added soon.
As with Spotify, YouTube Music’s free users will need to upgrade to $9.99 per month YouTube Music Premium to request specific albums, songs, artists, and playlists on-demand.