Well, it’s not likeGoogle didn’t warn us: Google Play Music willofficially shut down at the end of the year.
If you’re wondering what that means for you, your music collection, and your future streaming needs, don’t worry; there’s still lots of time and there is no shortage of options. Let’s look at the best of them.
The end of Google Play Music
Here’s what Google Play Music’s swan song will look like:
Migrate to YouTube Music
By far the easiest option for Google Play Music users is to follow the quick and convenient path Google has created to migrate to YouTube Music.
Though not an exact replica of Google Play Music, YouTube Music has the distinct advantage of being able to accommodate your entire existing music library, including purchased music, playlists, and likes. But the big bonus for those who chose to upload their personal music to Google Play Music is that these tracks can be migrated directly from one service to the other, with no downloading or re-uploading needed.
Another plus: If you currently pay for a Google Play Music subscription, all of your billing info will be transferred too, and you’ll automatically get an equivalent subscription tier in YouTube Music.
There are two ways to start the migration process:
Once the process is started, you can leave the migration tool to do its thing; you’ll be notified by email when the process is complete, or you can visit the tool site at any time to see your progress.
If you begin your migration before the October cutoff, you’ll be able to use both Google Play Music and YouTube Music simultaneously, which is a great way to wean yourself off of the older platform slowly, without going cold turkey.
What you should know:
Pick a new streaming service
If YouTube Music doesn’t appeal to you, you can always migrate to one of the many other popular streaming music services. The transition won’t be quite as seamless, but if you value some of the features on these other platforms, it might well be worth some short-term pain.
Apple Music
Unlike YouTube Music, there’s no free tier of service on Apple Music, but if you’re a fan of Apple’s devices, it offers a very well-integrated music listening experience.
Download at Apple
Spotify has both free and paid tiers of service, each with a different set of features. It’s probably best-known for its extensive playlists and music discovery features, but lately, it’s also become a powerhouse in podcasts, a feature that some other services don’t offer.
Download at Spotify
Tidal doesn’t have a free tier or the marketing power of Spotify or Apple Music, but it has features that serious music lovers should appreciate, including one of the best catalogs of lossless, high-res music.
With its ad-supported free tier, Pandora is the closest thing to YouTube Music and Spotify on this list.
Amazon Music Unlimited,Amazon Prime Music,Amazon Music HD
With a crazy number of free and paid plans, plus excellent integration into all of Amazon’s Echo smart speaker products, Amazon’s Music services are fast becoming top contenders in the streaming music space.
Amazon Music Unlimited Free is an ad-supported plan that’s limited to a 2 million+ song catalog. Amazon Prime Music is the same catalog, but if you’re a Prime member, you may listen ad-free.
