YouTube Shuts Down Discord Music Bot, Rythm GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Software & Apps

YouTube Shuts Down Discord Music Bot, Rythm

The bot goes offline on September 15

By Cesar Cadenas Cesar Cadenas Writer California State University - Long Beach Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry since 2016 on a variety of topics like cryptocurrency, video games, the latest gadgets, and much more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 13, 2021 01:26PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Software & Apps Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming YouTube has sent a cease and desist notice to Rythm, a popular music bot for Discord, and it plans to shut down on Wednesday. The bot pulled massive numbers. According to The Verge, Rythm is installed on more than 20 million Discord servers, which is 20% of the platform's monthly active user base. DeFodi Images/Getty Images Rythm allowed users to directly listen to music or any kind of audio from YouTube. However, doing so runs afoul of Google's and YouTube’s terms of service. In late August, Google started its Discord music bot crackdown by sending a similar notice to Groovy Bot. In that particular case, a YouTube spokesperson stated that Groovy violated the site’s Terms of Service by modifying and "…using it for commercial purposes." Something similar seems to be at play with Rythm. The Rythm development team posted a notice on its website announcing the bot's shutdown and thanking its users for the five-year run. Despite this turn of events, the developers state they’re going to continue working on some new project and for users to look forward to future updates. PhotoAttractive/Getty Images As for Discord, the team behind it has stayed out of Google’s crosshairs. The platform allows users to integrate bots of all kinds into it seamlessly, but avoids supporting them in any sort of official capacity to avoid problems with larger companies. There are other smaller Discord music bots out there that have avoided attention. Google has yet to send any cease and desist notices or even mention the smaller bots, but it could only be a matter of time before it comes after them, too. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Discord Drops a $3 Basic Subscription Tier, an Activities Feature, and More How to Stream Amazon Prime on Discord How to Connect Spotify to Discord How to Make a Discord Server YouTube Music vs. Spotify: Which Service Better Fits Your Music Needs? How to Link Twitch to Discord How to Use Discord on Xbox How to Fix It When Discord's Audio Keeps Cutting Out How to Request a Song on Twitch How to Screen Share on Discord TikTok vs. YouTube: Which One Is Right for You? The 10 Best Bukkit Plugins for Minecraft Servers What Is the Metaverse? How to Connect a PlayStation Network Account to Discord Slack vs Discord: Which One Is Best for You? How to See Message Requests on Instagram Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies