YouTube music chief departs ahead of long-delayed Music Pass launch

YouTube's upcoming music subscription service has been hit with yet another setback. Chris LaRosa, YouTube's product manager in charge of music, is parting ways with Google at the end of the week to join an undisclosed startup according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

The write-up claims LaRosa decided to leave in part because he was frustrated that YouTube hasn't yet been able to launch its long-delayed music subscription service, tentatively known as YouTube Music Pass. Sources say the first internal version of the service was developed more than a year ago.

Last year, former music boss Nikhil Chandhok departed from a similar position according to his LinkedIn profile.

Those familiar with the matter say the delays stem from disputes over how the service should be designed, what features YouTube should charge users for and how it should fit into YouTube as a whole. All of this is in addition to recent disputes with major and independent record labels over licensing.

The Music Pass app will be ad-free and allow subscribers to keep listening to music even if they switch to another app. What's more, YouTube is said to be working on the ability to store tunes for offline listening - or in other words, it'll pretty much function like other paid music streaming services.

Google is expected to introduce the service sometime in the next few months although no solid date has been announced.

No word yet on who will be replacing LaRosa.

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Apple to launch public OS X Yosemite beta program tomorrow

Apple announced OS X Yosemite during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference last month. Since then, developers have had access to the operating system via closed beta but that's all set to change real soon.

Starting tomorrow (July 24), Apple is opening the beta up to the public. Those that pre-registered for the public beta will receive an e-mail on Thursday with a link to download the Yosemite build from the Mac App Store as well as an activation key.

Unlike developers, public beta users won't receive bi-weekly software updates. Instead, these users should only expect a handful of updates between now and when the OS officially launches this fall. When the official build is released, however, those using the public beta will also be updated to the final build meaning a wipe and reinstall won't be necessary.

As with any beta program, it's always a good idea to back up any mission-critical data beforehand. Apple also recommends installing OS X Yosemite on a secondary Mac if possible since it may contain errors or inaccuracies.

Additionally, the Cupertino-based company points out that some features require iOS 8 which is not being offered as part of the beta program.

Do note, however, that while this is a public beta, spots are limited and only the first million signups will get access. As of writing, it appears there are still some spots available but if you want in, you'd better act fast.

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