YouTube announced on Tuesday that YouTube Music, a new music streaming application and YouTube Premium, a paid subscription which provides an ad-free experience on YouTube, are now available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Qatar.
 
YouTube Music, with its massive and diverse musical catalogue on YouTube, is designed to offer people the music they love and help them discover new songs and artists. Music is the second most popular category on YouTube in the Middle East after entertainment.  
 
Key features of YouTube Music include:
 
1. Rich musical catalogue: From official singles and albums, to covers and remixes, YT users who want to listen to the song, explore the album it’s part of, watch its videos, or discover its remixes.
2. Smart Search: A feature to help users find songs with just a few lyrics.
3. “Discover Mix”: On the home tab features new music based on past listening habits and user likes.
4. Offline smart downloads: For paid members, the Offline Mixtape automatically downloads up to 100 songs on their mobile device.

YouTube Premium, will provide members four features
1. Ad-free viewing
2. Background play, audio will continue to play even if a user exits the YouTube app
3. Offline access where users can download any video on YouTube to watch whenever they want
4. An included YouTube Music subscription which enables them to listen to music offline and without ads on the YouTube Music app.
 
“For over a decade, millions of people in the Arab world have come to YouTube to watch, learn and listen. Music is the second most popular category on YouTube and it continues to grow. We’re excited to launch YouTube Music which will give our users access to the massive YouTube music catalogue, helping them find the music they love, from new releases to iconic classics and from viral covers to live performances,” said Tarek Abdalla, regional director of Marketing at Google Middle East and North Africa.

“We’re also excited to launch YouTube Premium, an ad-free subscription service that allows our users to watch all videos on YouTube without ads including offline viewing, background play and other amazing features”, he added.
 
T.Jay Fowler, director of Product Management, Music Products, at YouTube, said: “We’re proud that the Middle East’s rich musical heritage has a home on YouTube and we’re excited about bringing it closer to our users with YouTube Music. We built YouTube Music to help people find and enjoy the music they love whether it's through official releases or iconic music videos, bringing artists closer to their fans. YouTube Music will help people expand their musical world and tastes because it’s a smart service that also helps you discover new music and artists they are sure to love.”
 
YouTube Music subscriptions start at SR19.99  ($4.99) and YouTube Premium at SR23.99 ($5.99). Both services will roll out to all users in the coming weeks.
 
Samsung Galaxy users in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Oman can enjoy up to four months of free, uninterrupted, ad-free access to YouTube Premium. - TradeArabia News Service