Google Play Music is Being Replaced by YouTube Music

Google has announced that Google Play Music will be replaced by YouTube Music. Podcasters who have their shows on Google Play Music should transfer their podcasts to Google Podcasts as soon as possible.

YouTube Music will replace Google Play by December 2020. Users will have the opportunity to transfer their music libraries from Google Play Music in that timeframe. In the coming months, Google Play Music users will not longer be able to stream from or use the Google Play Music App.

Starting in September of 2020 in New Zealand and South Africa – and in October for all other global markets – users will no longer be able to stream from or use the Google Play Music app. But don’t worry, we will be holding onto things like your playlists, uploads, purchases, likes and more until December 2020 to make your transfer to YouTube Music easier.

If your podcast is on Google Play Music – but not on Google Podcasts – you probably should move it over there. Google has instructions on how to do that. Start by going to podcast.google.com/transfer. You must be signed into the same account you use for podcasts on Google Play Podcasts. Follow the rest of the directions from there.

Google says that for users who decide not to transfer their Google Play Music account to YouTube Music, Google will cancel your subscription at the end of your paying cycle so you aren’t paying for a subscription. This may have been intended to sound helpful, but it can also be interpreted as a push to make users anxious about having access to their music after December.