50 million
Sep 02, 2021 – minute read
It's been almost 6 years since we kicked off our subscription journey at YouTube and today we're excited to share the news that we've crossed 50 million Music and Premium subscribers, including trialers. It’s an honor to build a membership that allows people to more deeply immerse themselves in music, learning, fashion, gaming, and more, all the while supporting the creators and artists that make it possible. Music and Premium subscriptions are key pillars of YouTube's monetization, enabling unique content and communities to flourish.
As we continue adding new features and benefits for our members, we're focused on creating experiences at the intersection of watching, listening, and engaging that are only possible because of YouTube’s diversity of voices.
Below we're sharing a letter from Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music, who recently celebrated this milestone with our music industry partners.
You’ve heard me say it many times: YouTube’s twin engine growth across ads and subscriptions is fueling our goal to become the music industry’s number one driver of revenue. We recently announced that YouTube has paid out $4B to the music industry in the past 12 months.
YouTube has surpassed 50 million Music and Premium subscribers, including trialers, and is the fastest growing music subscription service out there (MiDIA).
Today I’m excited to announce another milestone across our subscription business: YouTube has surpassed 50 million Music and Premium subscribers, including trialers, and is the fastest growing music subscription service out there (MiDIA).
We couldn’t have reached this milestone without you and we’re thrilled to continue building and growing our best-in-class subscription service together.
So how did we get here and where are we going?
We've got killer products in YouTube Music and YouTube Premium that deliver truly unique value to artists and creators and the best experience for music fans and video lovers. We’re in our own lane -- there's no other place where fans can get uninterrupted access to the largest and most diverse catalogue of music, artists and culture. We’re making it easy for music fans to go deep and find their thing -- whether that’s on YouTube or the YouTube Music app.
When Lil Nas X released the music video for “INDUSTRY BABY” with Jack Harlow, fans from all over the world got to watch the Premiere of the new visual all together for the first time. But the fan experience and engagement with Lil Nas X’s new release didn’t stop there. They were able to learn the lyrics, hear the artists break down the meaning, create a YouTube Short with the track, listen to the rapper’s back catalogue and learn more about the rapper’s story in his own words. No other platform facilitates this level of depth and exploration for music fans.
There are nearly infinite “choose-your-own-fan-adventures” made possible by the artists and fans who come together on YouTube and YouTube Music every day to watch, create, share, comment, cover and remix music content on the platform.
This limitless exploration is further enhanced by YouTube Premium. Members get uninterrupted, ad-free access to all content on YouTube and YouTube Music so they can better connect with artists and creators and more deeply immerse in all the content they love -- be that music, learning, fashion or Fortnite.
The unique offerings of YouTube Music and Premium are resonating in established and emerging music markets alike. We’re seeing impressive growth in countries like Korea, India, Japan, Russia & Brazil where music is a top passion.”
The unique offerings of YouTube Music and Premium are resonating in established and emerging music markets alike. We’re seeing impressive growth in countries like Korea, India, Japan, Russia and Brazil where music is a top passion.
We’re also investing in new features and exclusive benefits for our members. For example, Tim McGraw hosted an afterparty exclusively for Premium members immediately following the release of his new music video. Intimate fan experiences like these are a win-win for artists and Premium members alike, so expect to see many more of these in the future.
We’re not taking our foot off the gas anytime soon. Thanks for coming along on this ride with us.
With Respect,
Lyor