Google has finally released its YouTube Music app to market with a streaming app that offers a service for both free and paying users.

Available on both Android and iOS, YouTube Music is being pitched as a way to do even more to support artists and all the fans who turn to YouTube to discover music, via an app that claims to make the experience even better.

“With YouTube Music, you’ll get a completely new type of experience, designed to make discovering music on YouTube easier than ever,” YouTube’s Director, Product Management T Jay. Fowler said in a blog post announcing the app.

First and foremost, YouTube hasn’t tried to overthink things, with the new app featuring a familiar look (to the YouTube website) but with simplified user interface that is designed around three main tabs; the first tab is naturally the app’s home page and presents users with recommended songs based on previously paid tracks; a trending tab shows popular new tracks, while the third tab offers a list of favorites that lists all the songs a user have liked on YouTube in the past.

Naturally there’s also a search icon available for discovery of songs by particular singers or bands.

The free version of the app displays ads, but if users pay for the recently announced YouTube Red service, they get not only ad-free listening but also the ability to listen to music offline, seamlessly switch between video or audio-only, and also be able to hear any video play, even when they’re in another app or have their screen turned off.

Confusing?

While there’s a lot to like about YouTube’s new Music app, there are now a range of apps that Google’s offering in and around Google Play and YouTube that is potentially getting confusing for customers; the new app is basically Google Play Music with videos, and yet the existing YouTube app also plays the same music videos.

If you’re lost now, the paid subscription of YouTube Red of $9.99/month delivers the premium options for Google’s recently launched Gaming app, the YouTube Music app (as announced today), Google Play Music, as well as ad-free viewing on YouTube itself. There are more apps now than you can poke a stick at, and while there may be a slight argument in favor of catering for various niches with different apps surely Google/YouTube could simply offer one mega-app as an alternative instead?

YouTube Music can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store via the links.

Image via YouTube Music