Discord's Music Bots are already changing to don't mess with Google rules

First, it was Groovy, then Rythm, and now, under the strain of being Google's next target, several Discord music bots are starting to strip away functions associated with YouTube. Two popular music-playing robots — Chip and Hydra — no longer support music pulled from the giant's streaming platform.

"Due to recent events, we were forced to take immediate action and therefore removed support from the YouTube platform," reads Hydra's statement.

The project leader, known on Discord as Xavin, explains to Canaltech that the decision was “to avoid YouTube's 'cease and desist' order”. The programmer intends to continue working on the bot, and if the feared request to cease activity by Google reached him, it would be extremely risky to maintain the project.

Following the same strategy, the Chip bot also stopped playing songs pulled from YouTube addresses. In another statement, the robot maintainers just clarify that Google platform links are no longer supported and, alternatively, the user can opt for other song sources such as Spotify and SoundCloud.

The Discord's future without chat music

For Xavin, music playback won't last long on Discord. "To be honest, I don't think music, as it is today, has a big future on Discord anymore and we would be stupid if we went on as if nothing had happened," he said in an interview with CT. Google's notification for Groovy and Rythm served as a warning to the Hydra team, and so it was necessary to look for alternatives and play by the rules of the YouTube owner.

In Google's action, Groovy and Rythm served as an example for the other bots on the platform. Even if the Search Giant doesn't chase smaller projects, they'll always be under the strain that the company will catch'em up at some point — and maybe even worse notifications, depending on the circumstances. Other services that normally serve as a base for playing music on Discord, such as Spotify and SoundCloud, have not yet set off on the hunt for "music players", so just removing the functionality associated with YouTube should be enough to keep the robots active for now.

Like Rythm, Hydra also has plans to expand its functionality but intends to “change direction” and act outside the music business. The developer declined to comment on the project's plans, but there are good ideas in the works for the bot.

There are still bots on Discord with songs pulled from YouTube, but due to the freshness of events, the removal of functions may be on the way. As of this writing, YouTube hasn't hit any other bots with the fateful letter — at least it hasn't been made public.

Does YouTube have a secret goal?

Discord's withdrawal of musical robots seems unexpected, but perhaps Google and Discord are up to something undisclosed. In November 2020, an unreleased feature that brought together the communication platform, YouTube, and "social" games — board, cards, and derivatives — was released on Reddit and has since disappeared from the map.

It is known, however, that the performance of bots with music from YouTube circumvented one of the main sources of income for the platform: ads. A user can play entire playlists without encountering advertisements or dealing with gaps between tracks, just as a YouTube Premium subscriber would.

With no other option, Discord's servers could soon become quieter — unless Discord has an ace up its sleeve. Currently, the platform has a voluntary subscription model called Discord Nitro, which offers various advantages for paying users. There is the possibility that the unrestricted reproduction of YouTube songs will become something exclusive to boosted servers, thus guaranteeing part of the pie for the Search Giant, but there is no confirmation in this regard.

In contact with Canaltech, Google clarified that the measures were taken in compliance with the YouTube Terms of Service. "Once we are notified of a violation, we investigate and take appropriate action. We notify Groovy and Rhythm of violations of our Terms of Service, including modifying the service and using it for commercial purposes," a spokesperson said. The report also contacted Discord, which did not respond until the end of the text – if there is a position on the part of the messaging service, the publication will be updated.

Bots musicais do Discord começam a se adaptar para evitar tretas com o Google - Canaltech