Google Play Music will cease to exist in the next few months, with users being migrated to YouTube Music in the coming months. YouTube Music will completely replace Google Play Music by December 2020, till which time users can transfer their playlists from one to the other.
Up until now, users were allowed to stream music on Google Play Music, which will also be removed. This will first be started with New Zealand and South Africa in September, and everywhere else, including India, in October. After December, Google Play Music libraries will not be available.
From the end of the month, purchasing, pre-ordering, downloading or uploading music to Play Music will be stopped. Music can be transferred using this or Google Takeout to export data and download purchased and uploaded music.
“For users who decide not to transfer their Google Play Music account to YouTube music, we will be sure to cancel your subscription at the end of your billing cycle so you aren't paying for a subscription. This will happen in September in New Zealand and South Africa and in October for all other markets. And, of course, we will be sure to notify all users ahead of subscriptions being canceled,” Google said in a blog.
How to transfer:
On music.youtube.com/transfer, subscribers can click on Transfer to move their data. If you are moving it through the app, tap on your profile picture, go to settings, then click on transfer, and move your data from Google Play Music to YouTube Music.
Google has said that this transfer will include everything — uploaded songs, purchased songs, playlists, albums, your likes and dislikes that you have selected, as well as whatever your billing information is - and you will be migrated to an equivalent tier of
Google says that it will transfer the full Google Play Music library that includes uploaded and purchased songs, playlists, stations, albums, songs in the library, liked and disliked songs, as well as the billing information of the subscription.
Google said that YouTube Music was also being integrated with Android TV, Google Maps and Google Assistant.