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YouTube's New Music App Draws Mixed Reviews

YouTube launched its very own music app Thursday, entering the ever-crowded pool of streaming apps.

Simply titled YouTube Music, the company's latest brainchild hopes to compete with the likes of Spotify and Pandora in a way that its predecessor, YouTube Music Key, never quite could.

Rather than making an app that is almost a mirror image of its better-selling competitors, the Bay Area techies behind YouTube sought to create one that primarily helps users find new music.

"With YouTube Music, you’ll get a completely new type of experience, designed to make discovering music on YouTube easier than ever," officials for the powerhouse streaming site said in a statement.

The app, which is free, includes ads unless a user is also a subscriber to YouTube Red, the newly unveiled subscription service that costs $9.99 per month.

So far, reviews of the app have been mixed, with users flocking to social media to offer both stinging critiques and praise.

YouTube reports that it has more than one billion users, and that the number of hours people spend watching videos on the streaming site is up 60 percent this year. The company, which is owned by Google, was created in 2005 in San Mateo.

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