Yeah, I want an ads-free music streaming service so getting YouTube ads free is just the icing on the cake.
If one is unwilling to pay for a service but still use it one needs to realize some other form of monetization will be required.
Personally I'm torn between wanting to pay for a useful service and not wanting to reward YouTube for intentionally degrading their free service.
I don't understand this stance. They intentionally degrade the service to make it profitable. Video serving is incredibly expensive and YouTube is no charity. They have a premium tier at a very competitive price so what's the issue?
That's an interesting question. I had been under the impression that they were profitable even before they started doing that, but it would change my calculus if that were true.