Singing in one voice

Google currently has two music streaming apps -- Youtube Music and Google Play. While users have wondered why the apps are separate as they at times turned out to be a touch confusing, looks like the tech giant has come up with a solution. Google confirmed that it has decided to merge its YouTube Music and Google Play Music teams into one unit.

According to online tech portal The Verge, a spokesperson for Google confirmed the two teams were combining. “Music is very important to Google and we’re evaluating how to bring together our music offerings to deliver the best possible product for our users, music partners and artists. Nothing will change for users today and we’ll provide plenty of notice before any changes are made.”

The company had previously combined the business development teams of YouTube Music and Google Play Music into one in 2016, in order to quickly make deals with music artistes and record labels.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai haddropped a hint about the changes last week when he said, “I would think about it as we’re investing a lot in developing this premium experience. We have YouTube Red, YouTube Music and we do offer it across Google Play Music as well. You will see us invest more. More countries, more original content. And we’ll bring together the experiences we have over the course of this year so it’s even more compelling for users.”

While YouTube brand is better known for its video offerings, Google Play Music is the more popular service of the two. Those who observe tech developments closely seem to agree with this move as they believe it is high time Google had a unified streaming in a space where Apple Music and Spotify already exist.

The move comes at a time when the average consumer has begun cutting down on downloading new apps on their phone. Now the big question for Google is how it will eventually market and brand its paid music service when most users associate YouTube with free content.