YouTube will increase the number of ads viewers see in between music videos, according to the company’s global head of music Lyor Cohen has told the Bloomberg. This is intended to direct users who treat the platform as a music service, to a subscription-based model. YouTube plans to launch its paid subscription service soon. The ad changes are likely to affect those who use the video streaming site to passively listen to music, keeping songs running after hitting play once. YouTube said in a statement,"Our top priority at YouTube is to deliver a great user experience and that includes ensuring users do not encounter excessive ad loads. We do not seek to specifically increase ad loads across YouTube. For a specific subset of users who use YouTube like a paid music service today - and would benefit most from additional features - we may show more ads or promotional prompts to upsell to our paid service." YouTube’s “free” service model has arguably led to its popularity the world over, especially in markets where users shy away from paid services. The video streaming website’s push for its subscription-based model has the potential to alter internet trends, as it is one of the largest open providers of free music. This shift in its business model is a result of the music industry’s beef (especially in the US and UK) with YouTube. A report by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry called the video streaming a threat to the music industry last year.…
