YouTube Shorts might be coming to YouTube Music with ‘Samples’ tab

Abner Li | May 23 2023 - 9:30 pm PT

In hindsight, this was inevitable: YouTube Music is testing a “Samples” tab that looks to show music video-focused Shorts.

For the past several years, YouTube Music’s bottom bar on Android and iOS has consisted of Home, Explore, and Library.

YouTube Music is now testing a “Samples” tab between the main and discovery/trending feeds that shows vertical music videos. It’s not using the YT Shorts icon in the bottom bar. Rather, you have two overlapping play buttons.

Album art, song name, and artist information appear at the bottom, while the right edge features buttons for liking, adding (to something), “Shorts,” sharing, and possibly playing. Meanwhile, the YT Music logo permanently appears in the top-left corner.

Credit: u/DTHayakawa

At this point, we’re not sure if these are YouTube Shorts or just music videos presented in a vertical format. The “Shorts” button, which could take you to YouTube Shorts — unclear if in YouTube Music or the main app — that use the song, suggests it’s the latter, while a Shorts button in the “Samples” tab also points in that direction.

It could ultimately be a mix of both, and we’ll be reaching out to Google for more information.

Update 5/24:

“We’re always experimenting with new ways for people to discover music in the YouTube Music app. We’ll consider rolling features out more broadly based on feedback on these experiments.”
Google spokesperson

If this is not just another surface for YouTube Shorts, this could be a new way for YouTube Music to surface song suggestions.

This Samples tab is not yet rolled out and just in testing. It would serve as another way for YouTube to push Shorts content following the main app, website, and even TV client. YouTube Shorts are a big companywide focus, with music ones having a natural fit.