The short answer is no, YouTube Music Premium is not free. It is a paid subscription service from YouTube that provides an ad-free, offline, and background listening experience for music and videos on YouTube. However, there are some limited ways to get access to YouTube Music Premium for free, which this article will explain.
What is YouTube Music Premium?
YouTube Music Premium is a paid subscription service from YouTube that gives you an enhanced music experience compared to the free, ad-supported version of YouTube Music. For a monthly fee, YouTube Music Premium provides these key features:
- Ad-free listening – No ads interrupt your music listening experience.
- Offline downloads – Download songs, playlists, and music videos to listen offline when you don’t have an internet connection.
- Background listening – Keep listening to music even when you switch apps or lock your phone screen.
- Audio-only mode – Save data by streaming audio only versions of videos.
- Uninterrupted listening – Enjoy continuous music playback with no breaks between songs.
YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99 per month in the United States. It is also bundled together with YouTube Premium (ad-free YouTube videos) for $11.99 per month. There are discounts for annual subscriptions and student plans as well.
Limited Free Trials
While an ongoing YouTube Music Premium subscription is not free, there are some limited opportunities to access it for free temporarily:
1. Free Trial
YouTube Music Premium offers a 1-month free trial for new subscribers. You can sign up to get full access to YouTube Music Premium for 1 month for free. This gives you a chance to evaluate the service and decide if you want to pay for an ongoing subscription. Just remember to cancel before the 1 month is up if you don’t want to be charged.
2. Promotional Offers
Google sometimes offers extended 3-month or 6-month free trials of YouTube Music Premium as a limited time promotion. For example, when YouTube Music Premium first launched, there were 6-month free trial offers. Keep an eye out for these types of promotions, which give you temporary free access.
3. Free Trials with New Devices
When you purchase certain devices like select Android phones or Google Home smart speakers, they may come with a free trial of YouTube Music Premium. For example, some Samsung Galaxy phones include 3 months of YouTube Music Premium for free when you activate the device.
Free Access with YouTube Premium
While a YouTube Music Premium subscription on its own is not free, you can get access to YouTube Music Premium at no extra cost as part of a YouTube Premium subscription. Here’s how:
A YouTube Premium subscription provides ad-free access to all of YouTube, not just music. It also includes the ability to play YouTube videos in the background, download videos offline, and watch YouTube Original shows. This normally costs $11.99 per month.
However, a YouTube Premium subscription automatically includes access to YouTube Music Premium at no extra cost. So if you were planning to subscribe to both YouTube Music Premium ($9.99/month) and YouTube Premium ($11.99/month) separately, you can just subscribe to YouTube Premium and get access to both for a total of $11.99/month.
YouTube Music with Ads
While YouTube Music Premium is not free, the regular ad-supported version of YouTube Music is free to use. You can get access to a large music catalog and playlists for free, you just have to listen with periodic ads. Here are the key differences versus the Premium version:
- Ads – You’ll get audio and video ads interrupting your listening.
- No offline listening – Can only listen when connected to the internet.
- No background listening – Music stops when you switch apps or lock screen.
- Video-only – All music is played with accompanying music video.
For many users, the free ad-supported version of YouTube Music provides enough value without needing to pay for Premium. But frequent YouTube Music listeners may find the uninterrupted ad-free experience worth the monthly fee.
Get YouTube Music Premium with Google Play Music Subscription
Google Play Music was Google’s previous paid music service before YouTube Music Premium launched. Google is now shutting down Google Play Music and transitioning users over to YouTube Music Premium.
If you are still paying for a Google Play Music subscription, you can contact Google support to get that subscription transferred over to YouTube Music Premium for free. So if you never cancelled your Google Play Music paid subscription, you can potentially get free access to YouTube Music Premium as a replacement.
Use a VPN to Get Cheaper YouTube Music Premium
While not exactly free, some users outside the US use a VPN to access YouTube Music Premium for cheaper. The monthly cost of YouTube Music Premium varies by country – it is cheaper in some regions like India and more expensive in others like the UK.
Using a VPN to route your traffic through another country allows you to sign up for YouTube Music Premium at that country’s lower price. For example, connecting through India to get access for ₹129 per month instead of $9.99 per month in the US. This loophole essentially allows you to pay a lower price without actually living in that country.
Get YouTube Music Premium with a Phone Plan
Some cell phone carriers offer YouTube Music Premium or other streaming music services bundled as part of their phone plan perks. For example, in the US, T-Mobile offers free YouTube Music Premium with some of their unlimited data plans.
If you have a plan like this, you can get access to YouTube Music Premium bundled in for free. Although keep in mind you’re still essentially paying for it as part of your overall monthly phone bill – it’s just broken out differently.
Can You Get YouTube Music Premium for Free Forever?
Getting YouTube Music Premium free forever with full ongoing access is not possible through normal means. The free trials and promotional offers eventually expire.
YouTube Music Premium is a premium paid service, so YouTube expects users to pay for access. There are no legitimate free loopsholes or tricks to get unlimited free access indefintely without paying anything.
The only official way to get free ongoing access is if you already pay for YouTube Premium. Or in some cases, if you have a phone carrier plan that includes free music streaming perks.
Trying to circumvent paying through unauthorized modified apps or illegal downloads would be unethical and likely temporary at best before being shut down.
Is YouTube Music Premium Worth Paying For?
Whether YouTube Music Premium is worth paying $9.99 per month is ultimately a personal decision based on how much you use YouTube Music and value the ad-free features. Here are some things to consider:
- If you only listen occasionally, the free ad-supported version may be enough.
- If you listen to music on YouTube daily, the Premium features like offline and background listening provide a lot of value.
- Premium allows uninterrupted listening – you can play songs continuously without breaks.
- Downloading songs to your device lets you listen offline when you don’t have internet.
- No ads is a cleaner experience and saves time not listening to ads.
For most frequent YouTube Music listeners, the $9.99 per month for Premium provides a better experience and can be worth the cost. But try out the free version first, and only upgrade to Premium if you find the ads too frustrating.
How to Get YouTube Music Premium
If you decide you want to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium, here are simple steps to sign up:
- Open the YouTube Music app on your device or visit music.youtube.com.
- Tap on your profile picture and select YouTube Music Premium.
- Select the 1 month free trial or start your paid membership.
- Enter your payment information if choosing paid.
- Start enjoying ad-free music with offline downloads!
You can cancel anytime during the trial if you change your mind. Paid memberships auto-renew each month but can be cancelled at any time by visiting your YouTube account settings.
Students can get a discounted YouTube Music Premium price by verifying their student status through SheerID.
Conclusion
While YouTube Music Premium is not free, there are a few ways to access the service for free temporarily such as 1-month trials and device bundles. Ongoing access requires a paid subscription, but you can get it bundled with YouTube Premium if you want both. Considering the ads-free experience benefits, YouTube Music Premium may be worth the $9.99 monthly fee for regular YouTube music listeners.
