YouTube Music is finally rolling out support for listening to podcasts—in the US only for now.
The update is rolling out gradually, so users may not see it for a few weeks. It allows people who are watching podcasts in the main YouTube app to continue their listening experience on YouTube Music. YouTube Music isn’t limiting the feature to its subscribers only, either.
“All listeners can enjoy podcasts on-demand, offline, in the background, while casting and seamlessly switch between audio-video versions on YouTube Music,” the press release announcing the feature reads. “This podcast listening experience is different from our music listening experience where you need a Premium or Music Premium subscription to enjoy some of these features.”
YouTube Music says its new podcast listening experience complements the podcast video experience on the main app. For listeners outside the United States, YouTube Music plans to roll out the feature to the rest of the world soon. The interface is pretty standard, but YouTube is soliciting feedback on the experience from listeners in the comments section of its support website.
YouTube Music also notes that with the addition of podcasts, its premium members may experience advertising. “Premium members may experience host-read endorsements or sponsorship messages when listening to podcasts,” the note reads. Spotify has monetized podcasts to the point that even Premium subscribers get ads—so that’s no small surprise.
What about podcast creators? How do they get their shows ready for display on YouTube Music?
Podcast creators can make sure their podcast appears in YouTube Studio to have it appear in YouTube Music.
- Within YouTube Studio, click Create new podcast.
- From the pop-up, select Create new podcast.
- Enter your podcast details including title, description, visibility, and thumbnail.
- Click Create and Save.
- New podcast files added to this playlist will automatically appear on YouTube & YouTube Music.
For audio-only podcasts, YouTube Music recommends uploading a video with a static image, or use audiograms or other dynamic video formats. YouTube Music will soon support uploading podcasts via RSS feeds to YouTube & YouTube Music soon.