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Amazon Launches 'Prime Music' Streaming Service with Access to Over One Million Songs

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Amazon today officially launched its Prime Music streaming music service, offering Amazon Prime users unlimited, ad-free streaming on over a million songs. The service allows users to play specific curated playlists as well as the ability to add individual songs to a playlist, and offers unlimited offline playback for all songs available on the service.

amazon_prime_music-800x617.jpg
Amazon has also rebranded its Amazon Cloud Player iOS app as Amazon Music [Direct Link], offering a refined interface and allowing users to access songs on the service, with tools for managing a library and playlists. Like the web interface, Amazon also allows users to download music from Prime Music to a mobile device for offline listening.

As previously reported, Amazon's music catalog appears to only include songs older than six months, likely to save the company on royalty costs. By comparison, other streaming music services such as Spotify, Rdio, and Beats Music all offer new releases to their subscribers. Apple's iTunes Radio also offers new releases to listeners, however the service is centered more around users discovering new music through stations as opposed to searching for individual songs.

Amazon's Prime Music service also joins the company's Prime Instant Video offering, which allows access to a library of movie and TV shows. Currently, Amazon has 20 million paying Prime members that also receive free 2-day shipping on most items in addition to movie, music, and TV show access.

Amazon Prime Music is available now as a free service to current Amazon Prime members, with Amazon charging $99 per year for new Prime members. A free 30-day trial to the service is also available on Amazon's website. The company is also expected to announce a smartphone with 3D capabilities next week Wednesday, June 18.

Article Link: Amazon Launches 'Prime Music' Streaming Service with Access to Over One Million Songs
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/12/amazon-prime-music-launch/
J

jeffe

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2008
601
50
This is a great deal for the casual listener. I just hope Amazon opens up and allows access to there entire ecosystem from more places.
 
R

randian

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2014
784
362
Wonderful. Amazon raised the price of Prime $20 to give me a service I didn't want.
 
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duncansby

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2012
17
5
In the UK , Prime costs £79 ($133) and has no music streaming. I think they are deliberately trying to kill prime off in the UK
 
MH01

MH01

Suspended
Feb 11, 2008
12,107
9,297
duncansby said:
In the UK , Prime costs £79 ($133) and has no music streaming. I think they are deliberately trying to kill prime off in the UK
Click to expand...

I bet we will have it shortly . I doubt amazon would kill its prime service In the uk given they just upgraded it.

----------

Good news for prime subscribers.

The service just gets better and better.
 
D

duncansby

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2012
17
5
MH01 said:
I bet we will have it shortly . I doubt amazon would kill its prime service In the uk given they just upgraded it.

----------

Good news for prime subscribers.

The service just gets better and better.
Click to expand...

They are definitely trying to kill off the delivery part of prime, otherwise they surely would give the option of delivery only without forcing people to take an instant film streaming (and or music in the future) that they may not want
 
bpeeps

bpeeps

Suspended
May 6, 2011
3,678
4,629
duncansby said:
They are definitely trying to kill off the delivery part of prime, otherwise they surely would give the option of delivery only without forcing people to take an instant film streaming (and or music in the future) that they may not want
Click to expand...

Don't want it, don't use it... as difficult as that may be to understand.
 
T

TsMkLg068426

macrumors 65816
Mar 31, 2009
1,499
343
One Million Pop songs :mad: Dance/Electronic section is pretty weak I hope this is because it just got launched or else I am annoyed not one Sunlounger or Armin Van Buuren heck zip Chill Out albums.
 
mixel

mixel

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2006
1,729
976
Leeds, UK
duncansby said:
They are definitely trying to kill off the delivery part of prime, otherwise they surely would give the option of delivery only without forcing people to take an instant film streaming (and or music in the future) that they may not want
Click to expand...
That doesn't make any sense to me. Bundling their services together like this is a very clever way to grow market share and get people to check out the Amazon eco-system. Prime delivery is still the most important part of Prime to most subscribers.
 
T

TsMkLg068426

macrumors 65816
Mar 31, 2009
1,499
343
duncansby said:
They are definitely trying to kill off the delivery part of prime, otherwise they surely would give the option of delivery only without forcing people to take an instant film streaming (and or music in the future) that they may not want
Click to expand...


Simple do not subscribe to it than and streaming is the future need to stop living in the past.
 
T

tech3475

macrumors 6502
May 17, 2011
311
182
duncansby said:
They are definitely trying to kill off the delivery part of prime, otherwise they surely would give the option of delivery only without forcing people to take an instant film streaming (and or music in the future) that they may not want
Click to expand...

I reckon they're doing it to pay for the services and to coerce suppliers, for example, they may be able to get older films/TV series to promote newer ones at a discount because of the large subscriber base.

That said, I can see any further price rises without justifying it costing them customers as well, I know someone who wont be renewing their Prime because of the last UK price rise (they don't need it since they have Sky which they'd keep anyway).
 
Steve121178

Steve121178

macrumors 603
Apr 13, 2010
6,401
6,953
Bedfordshire, UK
Holy crap. My Amazon Prime subscription is turning into deal of the century. I was originally over the moon with the free next day deliveries, now I get all this extra stuff. Amazing...
 
Chupa Chupa

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Interesting addition. I'll take it, but shipping is my "prime" interest, and Amazon is cutting off more and more items all the time by classifying them as "add on".

I think Amazon is becoming a Jack-Of-All-Trades, master of none. Or maybe the all you can eat buffet w/ nothing appetizing being served. Prime is feature rich but the content is very thin. Is streaming mostly backlist albums going to sell more Amazon devices (phones, Fire TVs, etc) ? I kind of think not.
 
VulchR

VulchR

macrumors 68040
Jun 8, 2009
3,382
14,252
Scotland
I just don't get streaming services. How are they different than listening to the radio or to on-line radio? Or indeed how do they differ from the user-generated playlists that we used to see in iTunes? If I like a song I buy it. I don't want to rent songs.
 
Chupa Chupa

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Steve121178 said:
Holy crap. My Amazon Prime subscription is turning into deal of the century. I was originally over the moon with the free next day deliveries, now I get all this extra stuff. Amazing...
Click to expand...

It's not "free" unless you are comped; i.e., don't pay an annual fee. Otherwise it's subsidized. Free is when you pay 0.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,470
43,395
This is where Apple is falling down, their embrace on selling songs has impeded to a large part that ability to set up a streaming service. I think Amazon has the edge with this and it keeps getting better.

I haven't tried Amazon's, as I use Pandora.
 
S

sinfonye

macrumors regular
Nov 22, 2010
121
3
mixel said:
That doesn't make any sense to me. Bundling their services together like this is a very clever way to grow market share and get people to check out the Amazon eco-system. Prime delivery is still the most important part of Prime to most subscribers.
Click to expand...

I don't think they're growing UK market share. Because of their recent changes, I've downgraded my lovefilm subscription, and reduced my purchases (so I can take advantage of free supersaver delivery).

I'd guess their delivery cost base is higher in the UK, but this looks a bit like a reversal out of the market…
 
bushido

bushido

Suspended
Mar 26, 2008
8,070
2,755
Germany
jroadley said:
You could get in the UK for £49 just as the streaming was being introduced. But after 12 months, it will be £79

Maybe the same in Germany.
Click to expand...

no it used to be i think 29€ and they raised it to 49€ earlier this year to introduce video

VulchR said:
I just don't get streaming services. How are they different than listening to the radio or to on-line radio? Or indeed how do they differ from the user-generated playlists that we used to see in iTunes? If I like a song I buy it. I don't want to rent songs.
Click to expand...

cuz with services like Spotify you have access to the whole library and can actually PICK a song to play instead of hoping for a song to play at some point on the radio and it helps me discover artists i would have never even heard of
 
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