YouTube Music Unveils ‘Samples’: Your New Short-Form Video Jam, Inspired by TikTok
- ByStartupStory | August 17, 2023
YouTube Music has revealed its latest feature, a personalized short-form video feed named “Samples,” similar in style to TikTok, according to an announcement made on Monday. Each clip within the feed offers a sneak peek into the artist, the music video, and the vibe of a recommended song. In alignment with the popular format of platforms like TikTok, users can vertically swipe through the Samples feed to uncover new songs and music videos.
Brandon Bilinski, a YouTube Director of Product Management, shared in an interview with TechCrunch that the company has observed a growing trend of users discovering music through short-form videos. He explained, “One of the biggest insights we’ve seen over the past couple of years is that all users but especially younger users are discovering more and more music through short-form video.”
Utilizing YouTube’s extensive catalog of official music videos and live performances, the Samples feed encourages users not only to swipe through songs but to also engage with the content by clicking through to watch complete music videos or live recordings. This approach essentially employs short-form video clips to facilitate the discovery of long-form video content on the platform, while concurrently helping users unearth new music.
During the swiping process, users can add songs to their collection, share them with others, create playlists, explore album pages, initiate new radio stations, or utilize the song to create a Short video. Bilinski described the feed as a comprehensive assortment of music related to users’ preferences. “The focus is on discovery, but based on what you listen to,” he stated. Additionally, the feed aims to showcase previously unexplored music and videos or introduce users to music they may not have encountered before.
The introduction of this new feed follows a trend set by Spotify, which launched TikTok-style discovery feeds earlier this year, allowing users to preview albums, playlists, or singles by combining audio with video. Both YouTube Music and Spotify are capitalizing on the appeal of visual elements, drawing inspiration from TikTok’s popular format.
While discussing potential future developments, Bilinski indicated that YouTube Music is considering launching more video feeds, but for now, the focus is on refining the current broad and user-friendly feed. The platform is eager to explore ways of integrating short-form discovery into various sections of the app, with the aim of enhancing the ease of discovering new artists and their music.
Starting today, the new Samples tab will gradually become available to YouTube Music users on both iOS and Android platforms worldwide.
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