Amazon has launched its own streaming music service, Amazon Prime Music, which is free to US Prime members.
It had been rumoured that the online retail giant was preparing its own Spotify rival for some time now, and the company has finally unveiled its plans.
If you’ve paid for an Amazon Prime subscription and are living in the US, you’ll be granted instant and unlimited access to more than a million music tracks, ad-free. If not, there is a 30 day free trial offer available.
After that, you will automatically sign up to a $99 per year Prime subscription, unless you cancel the agreement.
Of course, one million tracks doesn’t compare too favourably to the likes of Spotify and its 20 million-strong library. Indeed, Amazon appears to be pushing prospective listeners towards curated playlists rather than as a straight up music library.
Meanwhile, it seems as if the Amazon Prime Music service will omit most new releases for the first six months of availability. It also won’t feature anything from the roster of the world’s largest music company, Universal Music - at least initially.
Of course, unlike dedicated streaming services, Amazon’s new effort service comes as part of the wider Prime package. In addition to music, it also offers free ebooks, TV and video content, and two day shipping on Amazon products.
As you might expect from such a music subscription offering, mobile is key. Amazon will be adding free Prime Music apps to iOS, Android, and of course Kindle Fire, with each supporting offline playback.
There’s no news on a wider rollout for the Amazon Prime Music service as yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
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Via: Reuters