YouTube expanded music and premium services to more African countries in December. Per Addy Awofisayo, head of music for YouTube Africa, users in Kenya, Ghana, and other unspecified nations can now access the YouTube Music app and YouTube Premium.
YouTube Music allows personalized music streaming from over 100 million official songs and extensive video performances. Through song recommendations, playlists, and genres, users can explore official tracks and discover new music. Lyrics, recommendations, and the explore tab help match tastes to content.
YouTube Premium, previously known as Music Key and YouTube Red, offers an ad-free experience on all of YouTube including exclusive original shows. It also enables offline downloads and background listening on mobile. Premium subscribers gain access to YouTube Music Premium for ad-free, offline listening.
According to Awofisayo, YouTube Music builds “a dedicated music streaming experience that delivers over 100 million official songs, along with an extensive catalog of live performances, music videos, remixes, podcasts, and hard-to-find music that you can’t get anywhere else.” Through personalized recommendations, it aims to fit each user’s unique music needs.
In Kenya and Ghana, YouTube Music and Premium subscriptions range from approximately $3 to $9 monthly. YouTube also highlighted new Premium features and promised more “exclusive benefits” coming soon. The expanded African access introduces millions of users to YouTube’s music platforms and subscription services.
