TL;DR
An annual attempt to replace Spotify with YouTube Music fails again after the author deletes Spotify but returns within weeks. The primary issues cited are a shared Like system that mixes video and music tastes, YouTube’s video-first catalogue and weak playlist organization, despite YouTube Music’s broad catalog and good value for Premium subscribers.
What happened
The writer describes a recurring ritual: noticing a Spotify charge while already paying for YouTube Premium, which includes YouTube Music, and trying to migrate away from Spotify. After deleting Spotify and attempting to move playlists, the author reverted and re-subscribed three weeks later. The migration broke down for several reasons: a single Like button shared across YouTube and YouTube Music causes videos and meme content to bleed into the music library; YouTube’s video-first design produces multiple uploads for the same track instead of a single, canonical audio record; and library and playlist tools are limited, with only basic sorting options and buggy drag-and-drop behaviour on the web. The article also highlights a discovery feature called Samples placed prominently in navigation, which surfaces short vertical videos that often don’t match the user’s music intent. The piece concludes that YouTube Music is valuable as part of Premium but isn’t yet a full Spotify replacement for users focused on tidy music libraries.
Why it matters
- Mixed likes and video-driven recommendations can corrupt carefully curated music libraries.
- Video-first cataloging leads to duplicate entries and weaker metadata, complicating search and organization.
- Limited playlist sorting and buggy editing tools increase the effort required to manage large collections.
- Discovery features prioritized for short videos may reduce relevance for users seeking an audio-centric experience.
- Cost advantages from bundling with YouTube Premium may not outweigh the productivity loss for serious library managers.
Key facts
- Author notices a recurring Spotify Premium charge ($12) while paying $14/month for YouTube Premium, which includes YouTube Music.
- Author deleted Spotify in an attempt to switch, but returned after about three weeks.
- YouTube and YouTube Music share a single Like button; liking a YouTube video can add it to the music library.
- YouTube uses a video-first approach resulting in multiple uploads for the same track (music video, lyric video, fan uploads, live versions).
- Spotify uses an audio-first database with more rigid metadata such as artist, album, and year.
- YouTube Music’s library sorting is limited (Manual or Newest First/Last) and lacks advanced sorting like alphabetical by artist.
- A Samples tab surfaces short vertical videos for discovery and occupies bottom navigation in YouTube Music.
- There is a filter to exclude liked YouTube videos from the music library, but the bleed between platforms is persistent and imperfect.
- A practical workaround to keep music and video likes separate is using two different Google accounts for YouTube and YouTube Music.
What to watch next
- Whether Google will add separate like controls or more robust filters to prevent cross-contamination — not confirmed in the source.
- Any improvements to playlist sorting and bulk management tools in YouTube Music — not confirmed in the source.
- Potential UI changes that de-emphasize vertical video discovery (Samples) in main navigation — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Like button: A user control to mark content as favored; on YouTube, a single Like can apply to both video content and music in linked services.
- Metadata: Descriptive data about a track such as artist, album, and year that helps catalogs identify and organize audio files.
- Audio-first database: A cataloging approach that treats songs as canonical entities with standardized metadata for each track.
- Video-first database: A cataloging approach that treats uploaded videos as the primary entities, which can create multiple items for the same song.
- YouTube Premium: A subscription service that removes ads on YouTube and includes access to YouTube Music as part of the package.
Reader FAQ
Can YouTube Music fully replace Spotify for serious library managers?
According to the author’s experience, not yet — YouTube Music’s video-first design and limited organization tools hinder a tidy music library.
Is YouTube Music included with YouTube Premium?
Yes; the article notes YouTube Music is part of YouTube Premium and is effectively free if you already subscribe to Premium.
Can you stop YouTube likes from appearing in YouTube Music?
There is a filter to exclude liked YouTube videos, but the author says bleed still happens both ways and the solution is imperfect; using a second account is suggested as the only reliable separation.
Is Spotify’s cataloging better than YouTube Music’s?
The article states Spotify uses an audio-first database with more rigid metadata, which the author argues yields cleaner library management compared with YouTube’s video-first approach.
I tried to replace Spotify with YouTube Music (again), and it's still missing one crucial thing Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police | Tenzen / Shutterstock By Ben Khalesi Published 4 hours…
Sources
- I tried to replace Spotify with YouTube Music (again), and it's still missing one crucial thing
- YouTube Music is missing 7 basic features, and it needs to …
- I ditched Spotify for YouTube Music last year and I don't …
- I finally switched from YouTube Music to Spotify, but …
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