Google launches invite-only ‘YouTube Music Key’ streaming service for $8 a month

Today Google unveiled YouTube Music Key, its long-awaited music subscription service starting at a promotional price of $8 per month.

Google says the new app will offer “ads-free music, background play, and offline viewing. It will also include a subscription to Google Play Music, with 30+ million songs, expert-curated playlists, and in the coming days, the ability to watch many YouTube official music videos right from the app.”

Google shares that the new service is only rolling out to its “biggest music fans first,” and will release it to everyone else later on. Here’s a closer look at the new service, only available in private beta:

Alongside this news, Google released an update to YouTube on mobile and web, introducing a music tab for storing your favorite songs and finding new playlists. Google says it will also add easier ways for users to view and listen to an artist’s full discography via YouTube “in the coming days.”