In September of last year, Google started winding down its Play Music service, before finally taking it offline in December. The only remnants of the service were files uploaded to its cloud locker, but Google is now set to delete everything later this month.

In an email to customers (via 9to5Google), Google said you’ll have until February 24, 2021, before it deletes “all your Google Play Music data.”

“That includes your music library with any uploads, purchases and anything you’ve added from Google Play Music,” Google said. “After this date, there will be no way to recover it.”

Google originally planned to give users until the end of 2020 to transfer their Play Music data to YouTube Music, but that date slipped by a few weeks. In addition to transferring your data to YouTube Music, you can also download an offline copy via Google Takeout.

Google Play Music launched in 2011 and mixed elements of iTunes and Spotify. The service allowed people to stream music but also purchase tracks from the music store section. It was a solid alternative to other more established options on the market. But it struggled to compete against the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.

The imminent deletion of user data truly marks the end of an era for a music service that didn’t get the attention it deserved. But Google Play Music's demise was always inevitable because, for a while, the service existed alongside YouTube Music, which has now replaced it completely.

If you want to transfer your Google Play Music data to YouTube Music, Google has a helpful tool that will do the hard work for you. But you better do it quick, because, after February 24, everything will be gone for good.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to YouTube Music, you can sign up for $9.99 per month.

YouTube Music Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
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