YouTube Music Downloader

🎧 YouTube Music downloader for MP3 audio files

YouTube Music Downloader downloads audio from direct YouTube Music and YouTube URLs, saves the audio file to Apify storage, and returns one clean dataset row for each saved track. Use it when you already have track or video URLs and need downloadable MP3, M4A, AAC, Opus, FLAC, WAV, Vorbis, or ALAC files with source metadata.

• Convert known YouTube Music track URLs into MP3 or another supported audio format for catalog, QA, or content workflows.
• Use a video to MP3 converter workflow for public YouTube watch, Shorts, and youtu.be links when you only need audio.
• Run MP3 converter download batches that return saved audio files plus title, channel, duration, thumbnails, and available engagement counts.
• Export direct URL batches to JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or the Apify API for downstream tools.
• Refresh downloadable audio files from the same URL list when an older media workflow needs new saved files.

📊 Data you can export

Each successful download creates one dataset row. Failed, private, unavailable, invalid, or unsupported URLs are skipped instead of being saved as placeholder rows.

Core fields include:

• submittedUrl - the exact input URL that produced the row.
• videoId - the YouTube video ID.
• title - the source-backed track or video title.
• channelName and channelUrl - artist or channel details when available.
• durationSeconds - track length in seconds when available.
• thumbnailUrl - best available thumbnail URL.
• audioUrl - Apify storage URL for the saved audio file.
• audioFormat - the actual saved file format.
• audioBitrateKbps, fileSizeBytes, uploadDate, likeCount, and commentCount - additional source or file metadata when available.

Because submittedUrl is included in every row, you can match outputs back to your original input list without a separate join file.

🚀 How to run

1. Open the Actor on Apify.
2. Add one or more direct YouTube Music or YouTube URLs.
3. Choose the audio format and target quality.
4. Start the run.
5. Open the dataset, export the metadata, and use audioUrl to access each saved audio file.

For a quick first run, keep the prefilled YouTube Music URL and the default MP3 format. After you check the row shape, paste your own direct track or video URLs.

🔧 Input

Field	Required	Description
urls	Yes	Direct YouTube Music track URLs, YouTube watch URLs, Shorts URLs, or youtu.be links.
format	No	Audio file type to save. Default is MP3. Auto also uses MP3.
quality	No	Target bitrate or best available source quality.

Use direct track or video links. Playlist expansion, radio queues, search, recommendations, and logged-in private content are outside this Actor's current scope.

📦 Output example

{
  "submittedUrl": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=avP3YCQiJPc",
  "videoId": "avP3YCQiJPc",
  "title": "Kun Anta",
  "channelName": "Humood AlKhudher",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCexample",
  "durationSeconds": 241,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/avP3YCQiJPc/maxresdefault.jpg",
  "audioUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/store-id/records/avP3YCQiJPc.mp3",
  "audioFormat": "mp3",
  "audioBitrateKbps": 128,
  "fileSizeBytes": 3891200,
  "uploadDate": "2022-05-31",
  "likeCount": 73100,
  "commentCount": 818
}

Optional metadata can be null when YouTube does not provide it for a specific URL.

💰 Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. You are charged $0.75 only for each submitted YouTube Music or YouTube URL that is saved as a downloadable audio file.

Invalid URLs, private videos, unavailable videos, and failed downloads do not create output rows and are not charged as downloaded tracks.

🔌 Integrations

• Export downloaded track rows as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML from the Apify dataset.
• Call the Actor through the Apify API for repeatable YouTube Music downloader workflows.
• Schedule recurring URL batches when you need fresh saved audio files from known links.
• Send finished runs to webhooks, Make, Zapier, cloud storage, or your own data pipeline.

❓ FAQ

⚖️ Can I use this as a YouTube Music downloader legal alternative?

Use this Actor only for content you own, have permission to process, or are otherwise allowed to download in your jurisdiction and under the source site's terms. If you only need streaming access, playlist management, or personal listening, use YouTube Music or another licensed music service instead.

🎧 How do I download YouTube Music audio with this Actor?

Paste direct YouTube Music watch URLs into Music URLs, choose the audio format and quality, and start the run. Each successful URL creates one dataset row with an audioUrl pointing to the saved file in Apify storage.

🎬 Can it convert video to MP3 from normal YouTube URLs?

Yes, when the submitted YouTube watch, Shorts, or youtu.be URL exposes downloadable audio. The output is an audio file plus source metadata, not a video file.

🔑 Do I need a YouTube API key, cookies, or login?

No. The Actor works from public direct URLs and does not ask for YouTube credentials, cookies, OAuth, or your own proxy setup.

📜 Does it expand YouTube Music playlists or radio URLs?

No. Submit the direct track or video URLs you want to download. Playlist and radio expansion are intentionally outside this Actor's current scope.

🔎 What happens when a URL fails?

The URL is skipped. The Actor does not emit a partial row for failed downloads and does not charge the downloaded-track event for that URL.

🎚️ Which audio format should I choose?

MP3 is the default and works well for most workflows. Use M4A, AAC, Opus, FLAC, WAV, Vorbis, or ALAC when your downstream tool needs that format.

🔌 Why not use the YouTube Music API?

The official YouTube APIs are useful for some metadata workflows, but they do not provide this Actor's saved audio-file output. This Actor is built for URL-first downloader workflows where you already have public direct links.

🧭 What are YouTube Music alternatives?

For licensed listening or playlist management, use YouTube Music, YouTube Premium, or another music service. For related Apify workflows, use a source-specific downloader or scraper that matches the platform and data you need.

📝 Changelog

• 0.1: Initial release.

🆘 Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, file a ticket and I'll fix or implement it in less than 24h 🫡

🔗 Other actors

• Spotify Downloader ↗ - Resolve public Spotify tracks into metadata, preview URLs, MP3 links, and optional saved files.
• SoundCloud MP3 Downloader ↗ - Get playable SoundCloud media links from public tracks, profiles, playlists, and searches.
• TikTok Video Downloader ↗ - Export public TikTok video or audio links with captions, author data, and media metadata.
• Streamable Video Downloader ↗ - Extract direct MP4 media links and metadata from public Streamable URLs or IDs.
• YouTube Region Restriction Checker ↗ - Check where public YouTube videos can be viewed by country.

Made with ❤️ by Maxime Dupré