iOS users of YouTube Music get a new way to explore artists' vibes
YouTube Music keeps shaking things up with new features to stay in the game against Spotify. In 2023, it introduced the Samples feed, which is basically like YouTube Shorts but all about music – quick video clips designed to help you stumble upon your next favorite song. Now, it looks like Samples are turning into a sort of visual portfolio for artists' pages, giving them a new way to show off their music.
A recent report reveals that when you visit an artist's page on YouTube Music for iOS, you'll now see a "Samples" button in the top bar alongside share and search. Tapping it kicks off a Samples feed featuring short clips of songs exclusively from that artist. The main Samples feed is still easy to reach – it's right at the bottom, nestled between the Home and Explore buttons.
Adding a feature that lets you listen to just a certain artist's samples is a quick and easy way to get a feel for their music before diving into the full catalog. After all, that's what they're meant for, right? Samples give you a taste of the artist's vibe, the music video, and the song itself and adding them to artist pages makes total sense.
However, the new Samples button on artist pages isn't available to everyone just yet. I haven't gotten it myself, so it looks like the app is rolling it out gradually. If you're in the same boat, you might have to hang tight a little longer. Also, it's worth noting that this feature hasn't shown up on YouTube Music for Android yet, either.
In other YouTube Music news, the platform has begun testing a new metrics feature for artists. It's also cooking up a fresh, creative way to share music. Plus, you can now pin your favorite tracks to the slick Speed Dial section for quick access.
There is a new Samples button at the top (left image), but it’s still not visible to everyone yet (right image). | Image credit – 9to5Google and PhoneArena, respectively
Adding a feature that lets you listen to just a certain artist's samples is a quick and easy way to get a feel for their music before diving into the full catalog. After all, that's what they're meant for, right? Samples give you a taste of the artist's vibe, the music video, and the song itself and adding them to artist pages makes total sense.
Plus, YouTube Music's main rival, Spotify, already has a similar (if not the same) feature. When you visit an artist's page on Spotify, you can easily listen to samples of their tracks by clicking the button right at the top, next to Follow. So, it's good to see YouTube Music keeping pace.
However, the new Samples button on artist pages isn't available to everyone just yet. I haven't gotten it myself, so it looks like the app is rolling it out gradually. If you're in the same boat, you might have to hang tight a little longer. Also, it's worth noting that this feature hasn't shown up on YouTube Music for Android yet, either.
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