YouTube has introduced a new plan for students for YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium in India that will allow eligible college students to get discounted access to music, global originals and movies -- ad-free for Rs 59 and Rs 79, respectively.
"The 'Student Plans' are currently available to full-time students from accredited colleges or universities in India," the company said in a statement.
However, Google says that if you currently have an active subscription to YouTube Premium and would like to switch to the student membership, you will need to first cancel your existing subscription, and then only will be able to sign up for a YouTube student membership.
The Google-owned video and content sharing platform had launched YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscription plans for users in India in March to get a better experience with ad-free, background and offline access. And owing to its popularity, YouTube Music had announced that it had hit three million downloads within a week of its launch in India.
YouTube Music’s launch in India came on the heels of Swedish music streaming major Spotify launching its services in India. Currently, YouTube Music competes with Indian players such as Gaana, JioSaavn and Wynk and international streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, which also have a presence in the country.
YouTube Premium, like other premium services, offers ad-free video and music. It also allows you to play music and videos in the background, download videos and gives users access to all YouTube originals. Currently, YouTube Premium is being offered in India for Rs 129 a month, while YouTube Music Premium comes at Rs 99 a month.
According to a Mint report, the Indian music industry is valued currently at Rs 1,280 crore, with digital channels accounting for 65% of the overall music sales.