I’ve used conversion programs for YouTube before, specifically to gain audio versions of long academic lectures I needed for some school work. I listened to them while I commuted to and from work and during lunch hours.
But there are a thousand reasons why someone would want to turn a YouTube video into an audio file, and here are three really good options for it.
1. YouTube Music –
Here’s one option off the bat if you just want to listen to YouTube Music and don’t need an MP3 file. YouTube offers its own app for listening to your favorite music. With YouTube Music for iOS or Android, you can browse and search for music from different artists, albums, and genres on YouTube. You can’t download songs with the free version, but you can with the premium edition, though you can listen to them only within the app.
You can select specific artists that you like, and the app spins up a playlist of recommended channels. The latest popular videos are served up through a video hotlist. The app keeps track of the music and channels that you access so you can easily return to them. You can create your own library of your favorite music too.
The basic version of YouTube Music is free. YouTube Music Premium is a paid option that strips out the ads, can play music in the background while you use your device, and lets you download music and playlists to listen to offline within the app.
2. YouTubeMP3.is –
Quick and convenient, YouTubeMP3.is is a website where you can copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video that you want to convert. Just add the link, click on the Download button, and the file conversion kicks off.
While the video is being converted and downloaded, you can convert another file you wish. From there, listen to the file on your PC via your favorite music player and/or copy it to your mobile device. The file downloads can take a while as the conversion is done in real time second by second, but the results are worth the wait.
3. And finally… GenYouTube –
Another user-friendly website, GenYouTube converts YouTube videos to MP3s as well as other formats for audio and video. Copy and paste the link to a YouTube video in the search field. GenYouTube starts playing the video. You can then select the format for the audio file, such as MP3 or M4A. Download the file and play it on your PC and then copy or sync it to your mobile device.
GenYouTube has a couple of other tricks up its sleeve too. If you’re watching a video on YouTube, simply add the word ‘gen’ to the video link, as in https://www.genyoutube.com/watch?v=qZXdZwsx64I, and you’ll be swept away to the GenYouTube site to download the video. You can also tap into the service by installing browser extensions in Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
