Discord music bot Groovy is going offline after YouTube crackdown

If you're a Discord user, there's a good chance you've benefitted from Groovy Bot, which lets people jam together with music from YouTube, Spotify and others. But it turns out Google didn't appreciate its ability to rip music out of YouTube. The company has sent a cease and desist letter to Groovy Bot's owners, The Verge reports, asking them to shut down within seven days. They're not putting up a fight: Groovy Bot will officially go offline on August 30th.

A YouTube spokesperson noted that Groovy Bot violated its terms of service, particularly because it modified the way YouTube worked and charge for the privilege. If Groovy Bot were merely free, it may have been able to live on. But it also offers a premium subscription starting at $3.99 a month, which unlocks a slew of useful features.

The bot is currently installed on over 16 million Discord servers and has reportedly amassed more than 250 million users. Groovy Bot owner Nik Ammerlaan tells The Verge that around 98 percent of played tracks came through YouTube (naturally, because it's free). With one bot down, there's a good chance Google is also targeting the more popular Rhythm music bot. While the owner of that service claims it's not shutting down, its days are clearly numbered.