Two of Google’s most notable services will soon combine into one.
Google Play Music and YouTube Red will soon merge, YouTube Red head of music Lyor Cohen has confirmed. “The important thing is combining YouTube Red and Google Play Music, and having one offering,” Cohen explained during the New Music Seminar conference in New York.
Google followed Cohen’s statement with an official remark of its own, telling The Verge that it’s “evaluating how to bring together [its] music offerings to deliver the best possible product” for users and that it’ll provide plenty of notice before any changes are enacted.
The details of Google’s merge of Play Music and YouTube Red are still up in the air, but a combining of the apps themselves doesn’t seem probable. What feels more likely is that the two brands will merge into one. You already get a Google Play Music subscription with YouTube Red and vice versa, so having one brand could better communicate this to consumers.