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YouTube Music might finally let you upload your own music library
Google Play Music might close soon afterward.
Google has spent the past couple of years merging elements of Google Play Music into YouTube Music, but one absence has been a dealbreaker for some: the cloud locker that lets you play uploaded songs wherever you like. You might not have to forego that convenience in the near future, though. Two 9to5Google sources claim Google is testing an internal beta of YouTube Music that supports the locker. There could be a public launch "sooner rather than later," with Google Play Music devotees asked to import their collections within a few months.
This could also represent one of the last moves before Google Play Music shuts down. One of the tipsters indicated that Play Music could close "completely" in the second half of 2020. Google has long indicated that it would fold Google Play Music into YouTube Music once the main features were ported over, and that transition appears close at hand.
There's no guarantee things will happen as reported. Google originally hoped to move users over in 2019, remember. It would be well-timed if it did, mind you. YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have a combined 20 million subscribers -- that number will jump significantly if Google reels in Play Music converts, not to mention attracts those would-be customers who want access to their personal collections.
