TikTok has been such a runaway success that many other apps have implemented similar short-form videos, from Instagram Reels to YouTube Shorts. Google is now experimenting with them in YouTube Music, the company’s music streaming service, with the introduction of “Samples.”
Google said in a blog post, “Starting today, we’re introducing the Samples tab, a seamless feed of short form video segments to get you to your new favorite music. Powered by the world’s largest catalog of music videos, this personalized feed will explore the depths and breadth of the YouTube Music library so that there’s always something new to listen to, whether it’s the latest release from an up-and-coming artist or a deep cut from a legacy artist we just think you’d really like. Each immersive clip offers a glimpse into the artist, the video, and the feel of the song. Users can simply swipe vertically to experience a new song, making music discovery fun and effortless.”
The experience is almost exactly what you’d expect from TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and other vertical short-form video platforms. YouTube will show you a few videos it thinks you might like — in this case, mostly music performances or clips of music videos — with a button to send the link to other people as a YouTube Short. There’s also a button on each clip that will take you directly to the full song in YouTube Music, or you can create a YouTube Short with the same song.
If the YouTube Music Samples feature seems familiar, it might be because Spotify rolled out almost the same functionality back in March. Just like YouTube Music, Spotify can show you a feed of vertical videos linked to specific songs or albums. However, Spotify “Clips” are intended more as a communication pipeline between artists and people who already listen to their music (for example, videos announcing new tours or a behind-the-scenes look). YouTube Music is using it more for initial discovery, and the cross-service synergy™ with YouTube Shorts also makes it a bit more useful.
Samples will be available in a new tab in the YouTube Music app starting today. The announcement also said, “in the future, we’ll explore how this type of short-form discovery can inform other parts of the YouTube Music app and look for opportunities to provide joyful new experiences that make it easy to discover new artists and their music.”
Source: YouTube Blog
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