YouTube Music Turns 10, Adds New Features to Compete with Spotify

YouTube Music celebrates 10 years with new features. The app now includes "Taste Match" playlists that combine users' overlapping interests, notifies users of upcoming releases, and partners with Bandsintown to help fans discover concerts. The service now has over 300 million tracks and 1.8 billion public music playlists, and users can earn loyalty badges and leave comments on albums and playlists. YouTube Music has grown from 100 million users in February 2024 to over 125 million as of March 2025.

YouTube Music, the music streaming service from Google, is marking its 10th anniversary with a suite of new features designed to enhance user experience and compete with industry leaders like Spotify. The service, which launched in 2015, has grown significantly over the years, now boasting over 125 million users as of March 2025, up from 100 million in February 2024 [1].

The new features include "Taste Match" playlists, which combine users' overlapping musical interests, similar to Spotify's Blend playlists. These playlists are generated by analyzing users' music tastes and creating shared playlists that are automatically updated daily. Additionally, YouTube Music has partnered with Bandsintown to provide users with notifications about upcoming concerts, album releases, and merchandise drops, expanding its offerings to include event discovery and ticket sales in 35 countries [1].

YouTube Music's catalog has also grown significantly, now containing over 300 million tracks, including studio recordings, live performances, remixes, and covers. The service offers over 4 billion music-focused user-generated playlists, with 1.8 billion of those being public. This extensive catalog allows users to explore a wide range of music and discover new artists and genres [2].

To foster community engagement, YouTube Music has introduced new features that allow users to leave comments on albums and playlists, as well as earn loyalty badges for their activity on the platform. These badges, which include categories like "First Listener" and "Top Listener," encourage users to engage with the service and reward their dedication to specific artists or genres [1].

The growth of YouTube Music can be attributed to its focus on user experience and community engagement. The service has evolved from its early days as a platform for ad-supported music to a subscription-based service with a global footprint. By continuously innovating and expanding its features, YouTube Music has positioned itself as a strong competitor in the streaming market [1].

References:
[1] https://www.billboard.com/pro/youtube-music-turns-10-new-features-fandom-future-streaming/
[2] https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/youtube-music-celebrates-10-years-with-new-features-that-help-it-compete-with-spotify/