YouTube Music's radio stations are some of the best out there. The algorithm hardly misses when it comes to playing what you might like based on what you're listening to. But you can take it one step further and show off your musical taste by creating your own radio stations on YouTube Music.
In this article, we'll show you how to use YouTube Music's Radio Builder to create your perfect radio station.
Google Introduces Custom Radio Stations on YouTube Music
When you stream a song or playlist on YouTube Music, the app creates a radio station from it. But given that the radio station is inspired by one song or playlist, you don't have as much control over the music that makes it onto that radio station.
That's why YouTube Music released Radio Builder in early 2023 as a way to create your own radio station manually. This gives the algorithm a better idea of the kind of artists and music that would be a good fit for your station and also reduces the work of setting up a playlist, which requires time and meticulousness.
You can create and enjoy custom radio stations on YouTube Music whether you're a paid subscriber or use it for free. The feature is available on the iOS and Android apps in any country where YouTube Music is available.
Custom radio stations are nothing new; other music streaming services offer similar features. For example, Spotify radio stations can help you break out of Spotify's feedback loop. However, YouTube Music's Radio Builder gives users more control since you can add up to 30 artists to a single radio station.
How to Create Custom Radio Stations on YouTube Music
The good news is that you don't have to be a DJ or music genius to set up a custom radio station on YouTube Music. Anyone can do it; you just need to know how you want your radio station to sound. In other words, you need to know what vibe you're going for.
Follow the steps below to start creating your custom YouTube Music radio station:
- Open the YouTube Music app on your phone.
- Scroll down to the Your music tuner section and tap the plus icon (+).
- Choose up to 30 artists to add to your radio station by tapping on each one. When you're done, tap Next at the bottom of the screen.
- Choose how much Artist variety you're comfortable with by tapping the appropriate tab.
- Next, choose whether you want to hear familiar songs, discover new ones, or if you want a mix of both in Song selection.
- Now, choose the appropriate Filters based on what you want for your playlist. Please note that you can only choose one filter in each of the two rows.
- Tap Done when you're finished.
YouTube Music will create your radio station. Scroll down the track list to explore your radio station. Navigate it like any other radio station by shuffling, skipping, queuing tracks, and more. YouTube Music will continuously update your radio station, so it doesn't get boring. It's not a playlist, after all (the process of creating and editing a YouTube Music playlist is slightly different).
But you can also update the radio station yourself by tapping Tune (below the play button) and adding more artists. We advise adding your custom radio station to your library by hitting the add button next to the play button. We weren't able to find the first custom radio station we created when we opened the app again because we hadn't added it to the library.
Afterward, you can treat your radio station however you want. For instance, you can share your custom radio station with friends or download it for offline listening if you have enough storage.
Get Creative With Custom Radio Stations on YouTube Music
You're often on the receiving end of all the beautiful mixes YouTube Music has to offer. But the app gives you an opportunity to curate new and specific experiences to bump to by creating custom radio stations. Give them a shot and experiment with different sounds. Remember, practice makes perfect.