Going on YouTube to watch your favorite band's music video might become more difficult soon.
As reported by The Verge, YouTube is "exploring the prospect of launching its own subscription VOD service." The Verge dug the information out of an older report on YouTube by Variety.
According to Variety, the subscription service would allow "ad-free streaming of certain video content." The service would be based on YouTube Music Key, which launched last fall.
"Music Key provides unlimited, ad-free access to music videos and some 30 million songs on Google Play Music, for a six-month introductory price of $7.99 per month," according to Variety.
Not only would music video accessibility most likely change, but so would original content from YouTube stars, The Verge points out.
Many of the most popular sites on the internet offer paid subscription services, so it is not surprising YouTube may follow the trend in order to better monetize its business.
"YouTube's in a great position, because it provides both reach and monetization," George Strompolos, founder and CEO of Fullscreen, told Variety. "But other solutions will emerge, and savvy creators will find a way to build their audiences there."
If Google-owned YouTube pulls the trigger on launching the paid service, presumably the site's biggest creators of original content would benefit most.
