Competing in the online music market is tough, especially when access is free. With Spotify and YouTube dominating the race, some developers choose to reinterpret how to explore the enormous catalog available, with projects that include optimized interfaces and other organizational elements. Kickass Music is one of them.
The struggle of YouTube-based streaming services
This isn't the first time we've come across a streaming platform based on the YouTube API, and it definitely won't be the last. In general... they don't fare very well. Streamus was the first to fall, Wefre blew up, and it seems Humm also did (its social profiles and apps disappeared). The exception is Tubeats, perhaps because it adapted better to YouTube's rules.
That is the key for those who want to ride the shoulders of the titan: music playback must be accompanied by its corresponding video and must not suppress ads, or else Google will cut it down. Still, users want a better presentation of music on YouTube. We've said it many times: the standard interface was optimized for video, and I say optimized in quotes because it leaves much to be desired. Tubeats works, but is there anything else?
Kickass Music: A different approach
The answer to that question is Kickass Music. Its interface clearly borrows some lines from Spotify's playbook, but it doesn't become an exact clone; instead, it bets on greater simplicity. The service doesn't require registration (unless you want to personalize your experience), and the main categories are just a couple of clicks away, along with a Top 50 list and the latest from YouTube. The video appears in the bottom-right corner, can be expanded without any issues, and as far as I can tell, Kickass Music always uses official sources. One interesting aspect is that in isolated cases, videos include song lyrics, although that doesn't depend directly on Kickass Music.
Kickass Music works quite well, is fast on our browsers, doesn't require external modules or plugins, and the fact that it takes music from YouTube gives us access to a little over a million songs. Let's take advantage while it lasts.
