YouTube introduces music discovery feature Samples

The feature, which is available on the YouTube Music app, helps users discover new music and artists through the feed of short-form video segments.

Samples uses personalised music video lists to provide insights into the artist, video and song vibe. It also allows users to easily add songs to their collection, share with friends, watch the full video, visit the album page and even create their own Short on the main YouTube app. Users can simply swipe vertically to experience a new song, add songs to playlists and create Shorts on the main app.

For artists, Samples gives them a chance to expand their audience and connect with communities on YouTube. 

“We didn’t build this experience to be a means to an end in itself, but instead to be the appetiser to a whole meal,” YouTube Music director of product management T Jay Fowler said. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to dive deeper into the songs and artists you discover and love all without leaving YouTube Music. And for artists, the Samples tab provides another way to find a new audience and build a community on YouTube.

“This is yet another example of how YouTube’s unique combination of music videos, live performances, music premieres and Shorts inspires real, devoted fandom, which is the key to making our platform the best place for every artist and music fan.”

In April, YouTube reported that fan-created Shorts had significantly boosted artists’ audience engagement, with an average increase of more than 80% in unique viewers for artists. 

This surge has almost doubled artists’ overall reach, with more than half of new channel subscribers coming directly from Shorts posts. This success prompted YouTube to reevaluate its approach to measuring reach for artists. The app’s revamped Analytics for Artists now encompasses fan-uploaded Shorts, official content and fan-uploaded, long-form videos, providing a holistic view of an artist’s audience.

Additionally, YouTube has introduced a new Songs section in its analytics, enabling artists to monitor how fans interact with their music across various video formats, all located in a single space.