YouTube Music has become one of the fastest-growing players in subscription globally.
Since its last subscriber announcement of 100 million in February 2024, YouTube has added +25 million subscribers over the past 12 months – which works out to slightly over 2 million subs per month on average.
In a letter to the music industry on March 5, celebrating the subscriber milestone and the platform’s 20th anniversary, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, said: “This year, YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary. From a simple video, we’ve grown into the largest music stage in the world, reaching over 100 countries in 80 languages. We’ve accomplished so much together over the last 20 years… but if you think we’re slowing down, you’re dead wrong.
“I’m thrilled to announce that with your partnership, we’ve reached 125 million YouTube Music and Premium subscribers globally, including trials – an incredible milestone that many laughed off as impossible when we first launched. This momentum is critical to our goal of becoming the No.1 contributor of revenue to the industry, and we won’t stop until we get there.”
Also in his letter, Cohen added that YouTube’s “commitment to music fans and artists demands we focus on leading the industry in visual storytelling” and predicted the rebirth of the music video. “As I look forward, I’m foreseeing a renaissance of the music video. It’s not about having the biggest production budget; it’s about sharing authentic hero content that music fans can’t unsee.”
Cohen also highlighted the potential of AI “to help bring these visual stories to life across all YouTube formats and surfaces”.