YouTube Music adds ‘Samples’ to artist pages as a new way to discover songs

In 2023, YouTube Music rolled out the “Samples” feed as a “personalized music discovery feature,” and it’s now accessible from artist pages.

Samples, which is the app’s second tab, shows a “feed of short form video segments to get you to your new favorite music.” It’s clearly inspired by YouTube Shorts in terms of the user interface and experience.

Powered by the world’s largest catalog of music videos, this personalized feed will explore the depths and breadth of the YouTube Music library so that there’s always something new to listen to, whether it’s the latest release from an up-and-coming artist or a deep cut from a legacy artist we just think you’d really like.

On YouTube Music for iOS, we’re seeing a new “Shorts” button in the top bar next to share and search. Tapping launches a Samples feed of short-form videos with just songs from that artist.

This is a nice and fast way to get a preview of several songs from a new artist before you dive into their full discography. Samples are already designed to offer “a glimpse into the artist, the video, and the feel of the song.”

Speaking of discovery, YouTube Music recently made Top songs on that page a browsable carousel.

The Samples button on artist pages is not yet appearing in YouTube Music for Android.

In other YouTube Music developments, Speed dial is finally available on Android tablets. Until recently, YTM stuck to the old Listen again interface. It’s a 1×9 carousel with three pages.