Youtube launches Samples, a new feature styled like TikTok to showcase new music users will want to listen to

With so many social media platforms available to choose from, each platform must continually update and change in order to stand out from the crowd and appeal to users.

In an effort to offer their users something new, Youtube has just launched a feature called Samples - although the way it works is very similar to TikTok. It is not uncommon, however, for social media sites to borrow popular concepts from each other. The stories feature, which allows people to post photo and video updates which are only available to be seen for 24 hours, for example, is now available on Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp.

The new Samples feature is available to use now in the Youtube music app, but just what is it, how does it work and how can you use it? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the Youtube feature Samples?

The Youtube feature Samples is intended to help Youtube users quickly and easily find new music which they may like to listen to. In launching the feature, Youtube released a short video which demoed how it works and said it allowed users to “discover new music with a swipe”.  The company also further described their new feature as “a seamless feed of short form video segments to get you to your new favourite music.” 

TikTok is, of course, based around short form videos, but the difference is that TikTok showcases short videos of all kinds, but Samples simply showcases short snippets of music videos.

However, unlike TikTok, the Samples feature is all about being introduced to new content, rather than searching for content and choosing it yourself. 

Director Of Product Management at YouTube Music, T Jay Fowler, explained it by saying: “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,” as reported by Complete Music Update. He added: “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. For artists, the Samples tab provides another way to find a new audience and build a community on YouTube”.

How does the Youtube feature Samples work?

Samples is intended to provide each user with a personalised music experience, and introduce them to new music they may like based on the music they have already listened to. For this reason, users must be signed in to their Youtube account, which tracks the music which is being listened to, for it to work.

The app will play the user a short section of a song it thinks they may like. If they do indeed like it, they can then tap the video to be able to listen to the whole song and watch the full video. It’s also then possible to add this new music to a playlist, or even make a short with it as the soundtrack. If the person does not like the song that is played to them, however, they can continue swiping through the multiple music videos on offer until they do find something that appeals to their ears.

Unsurprisingly, TikTok and Spotify are also said to be working on their own features which offer a similar experience similar to Samples.

How can I use the Youtube Samples feature?

The Samples feature is available to people who listen to music on Youtube while they are logged in to their Youtube account. People can access it by loading up the Youtube app and clicking on the ‘samples’ icon. This can be found on the menu bar across the bottom of the app, and is in between the ‘home’ icon and the ‘explore’ icon.