2025 is YouTube‘s 20th anniversary, but that’s not the only milestone the platform is celebrating. Its audio streaming hub, YouTube Music, is now ten years old, and it is continuing to improve thanks to a partnership with digital concert database Bandsintown.
YouTube Music initially launched in 2015 at the end of a long and arduous developmental process. Along with the service now known as YouTube Premium, the music hub served as YouTube’s entry into the world of paid subscriptions. These days, a YouTube Music subscription costs $10.99 per month, with discounts available for students and families.
Ten years on, YouTube Music has become the vehicle through which YouTube is embarking into Spotify’s territory. Through features like a music video remixer and support for podcasters, YouTube Music has attracted enough users to give the titular platform more than 100 million paying customers.
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The latest addition to the YouTube Music platform will continue to add utility for popheads. The Bandsintown integration is described as an “exclusive partnership” that will bring upcoming concert dates to music videos, Shorts, and official artist pages.
To show what that feature looks like, YouTube has teamed up with a diva who knows a thing or two when it comes to modeling social media products: Sabrina Carpenter. Ahead of the release of her seventh studio album Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter is hitting the road — and YouTube Music users will have easy access to her imminent slate of shows.
“We’re also adding new notifications to let you know when upcoming releases from your favorite artists are announced, new merch is dropping, or event dates are added,” reads a YouTube blog post, “so fans never miss a beat.”
Like TikTok, YouTube has positioned itself as a pop culture tastemaker by making popular hits available as the soundtrack for millions of short-form videos. YouTube Music is the epicenter of that effort, and when you add in the power of Google technology, YouTube’s audio hub becomes a killer app — hence its recent integration into TikTok’s “Add to Music App” feature.
Long story short: After ten years, YouTube’s presence has gotten a lot bigger than mere Coachella streams. The platform is transforming into an all-around locus of pop culture, and Bandsintown is getting in on the fun.
