Google Play Music shutting down this year, YouTube Music transfers now available

As previously speculated, Google has announced the discontinuation of another service. Access to Google Play Music will be permanently shut down this year, and users are invited to transfer their music libraries, personal taste preferences and playlists to YouTube Music.

In the official YouTube blog post announcing the ability to transfer Google Play Music libraries over to YouTube Music, it was officially announced that Google Play Music will be shut down "later this year," with the company promising that it will give "plenty of notice" as to the exact details of the shutdown as they become clear.

Google Play Music joins several other services in the infamous Killed by Google graveyard. Though many of the features available on the service are also included on YouTube Music, such as variable free and premium tiers and support for personal music libraries and playlists, its podcast support is being officially succeeded by the Google Podcasts service.

To transfer your Google Play Music library over to YouTube Music, visit music.youtube.com/transfer. Google has also posted an 11-part video series on how to migrate to and start using YouTube Music. There is also a separate dedicated podcast transfer service available at podcasts.google.com/transfer that migrates podcast subscriptions and listening progress over to Google Podcasts instead of YouTube Music.

Further coverage: Official YouTube Blog