Amazon Music Unlimited Launches With $3.99 Echo-Only Subscription Option

[ericgtr12]

I guess they had the courage to charge 3.99



Seriously, that's a great price, and even for prime members that's a nice price.

I know Apple doesn't compete on price, but if they want to continue to be players in this market they will

I use the music service that comes with Prme on my Echo everyday and love it. Sounds like I'll have to start paying extra for it and I will, not much I agree but still.

 

[slu]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am certainly going to try this and potentially migrate from my Google Play Music subscription. I have the $7.99 grandfathered rate from Google, so I was never going to switch to Apple/Spotify at a higher rate. I'm happy with Google Play Music, but as a recent Echo purchaser, not being able to use it on the Echo was certainly an issue. And the limited Prime Music catalog was an issue with the Echo.

If Amazon has a catalog equal to Google, with Echo integration, at the same price and usability, I see no reason to keep my business with Google.

 

[maflynn]

I use the music service that comes with Prme on my Echo everyday and love it. Sounds like I'll have to start paying extra for it and I will, not much I agree but still.

I don't have the echo and I think at this point, my prime membership has expired, though for the Christmas season, I may renew it. I've been debating whether I am finding value in Apple's music offering. I use it, but not a lot.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I don't need to advertise SiriusXm; I have the service and can get it anywhere. What I like from it is good enough for my tastes and don't need another streaming service. If I did want another streaming service I would have gotten apple music.

Except under bridges and overpasses. Or in metro areas with tall buildings. Or any other place (parking garages, etc) where your sat antenna can't get a signal.

 

[burgman]

Not if you attach the echo to an external speaker system

Don't you love it when people comment on something they obviously never used

 

[jclardy]

I feel like the "echo only" price is a bit too high, especially if it only works with one echo. I guess it might be nice for people who have limited data plans so they don't stream in the car, but I don't think that overlaps with the demographic that owns an echo in the first place.

The $7.99 prime price is nice I guess...but they have to be significantly better than Spotify or Apple Music to justify switching.
[doublepost=1476278886][/doublepost]

$3.99 and you can only listen to mono music in a crappy quality. IMHO far too expensive!

Did you miss the echo dot? Stereo output to whatever speaker system you want. Way cheaper too.

 

[burgman]

Except under bridges and overpasses. Or in metro areas with tall buildings. Or any other place (parking garages, etc) where your sat antenna can't get a signal.

I have SiriusXM and of course what you say is true. But the streaming App works very well is free with a subscription and has some nice features..

 

[slu]

The problem is, music lovers who care enough to pay a subscription for music will generally want to hear it on quality speakers, not Echo, and want access to their music everywhere. I don't think the market for this will be that big and will have a negligible impact on Apple.

Have you heard an Echo? I'm a music lover and, while not an audiophile, I find the sound quality of the Echo to be very good.
[doublepost=1476279171][/doublepost]

I use the music service that comes with Prme on my Echo everyday and love it. Sounds like I'll have to start paying extra for it and I will, not much I agree but still.

I don't think you have to pay extra to use what you currently have. If you want the full Unlimited Prime Music you do, but to keep the limited Prime Catalog as it stands today, nothing changes.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/dmusic/promotions/PrimeMusic

 

[I7guy]

Except under bridges and overpasses. Or in metro areas with tall buildings. Or any other place (parking garages, etc) where your sat antenna can't get a signal.

My portable sat radio doesn't have a problem in manhattan. Can't get Amazon under bridges or in the Lincoln tunnel either.

 

[ericgtr12]

Have you heard an Echo? I'm a music lover and, while not an audiophile, I find the sound quality of the Echo to be very good.
[doublepost=1476279171][/doublepost]
I don't think you have to pay extra to use what you currently have. If you want the full Unlimited Prime Music you do, but to keep the limited Prime Catalog as it stands today, nothing changes.

Excellent, I hope it stays that way.

 

[i3s3d01]

Mac Rumors is being paid for these stories, right? This isn't a rumor or a story about the Mac. This is an ad for Amazon Music.

 

[jdag]

Bit of a slap in the face for all Prime subscribers expecting them to pay more. It's now created a two tier Music offering. (Three tier if you factor in the lower priced Echo customer subscriptions).

Especially UK Prime members who already do not receive all of the additional Kindle benefits etc the US customers receive.

Are you implying that Amazon should have added the new music offering as a Prime membership benefit at no cost? Why?

 

[oneMadRssn]

There's also no contract model in this industry as yet, so currently people are free to switch monthly as the landscape changes.

I think it's the playlists and other user-specific metadata that locks in users and prevents switching on a whim.

I have a few dozen playlists on Spotify that I like, it knows my tasted pretty well with Discover Weekly and the new Daily Mixes, and I have all my favorite artists and albums identified. I would have to redo all of that if I switched.

 

[Plutonius]

Sorry, I don't rent music.

 

[liberte1776]

Who cares, I just want an Amazon Apple TV app!

 

[mdelvecchio]

How about Prime Video on Apple TV?

no doubt wtf amazon, get with it already. shameful that all the cable networks have beat them to this already.
[doublepost=1476281605][/doublepost]

Amazon proves once again that big companies _can_ innovate.

Setting a great example for Apple to emulate

what on earth are you talking about? apple already has a similar service that i use daily.
[doublepost=1476281737][/doublepost]

Not interested. But nice try Amazon. My Siriusxm subscription is good enough.

uh, not. a cross-platform SXM subscription (car + app) is $15/mo, which is 5/mo more than apple music or spotify, AND lacks on demand catalog.

i'd pay it if it was $5/mo total for car + app, but they wouldn't do it when my trial expired. so long....

 

[lordofthereef]

I don't know how prime works outside of the US so this is only a comment for the US but...

Prime already gets you free two day (or same day depending where you live) shipping. Granted it's not free if you pay for it. But if you buy 2-3 things a month it's a wash.

You also get unlimited prime video with this subscription.

So what. For $100 people expect this to just be rolled in too? I'm not an amazon sympathizer, but at some point they can't just keep adding stuff to the $100 yearly subscription. They have to make multiple tiers of service.

I'm in a spot where I've been in the google music trial going on four months and that's about to expire. Do I drop $10 a month there? Do I go amazon? I currently have prime shipping shared to me from a friend but all I get is the shipping. No other perks.

 

[I7guy]

no doubt wtf amazon, get with it already. shameful that all the cable networks have beat them to this already.
[doublepost=1476281605][/doublepost]
what on earth are you talking about? apple already has a similar service that i use daily.
[doublepost=1476281737][/doublepost]
uh, not. a cross-platform SXM subscription (car + app) is $15/mo, which is 5/mo more than apple music or spotify, AND lacks on demand catalog.

i'd pay it if it was $5/mo total for car + app, but they wouldn't do it when my trial expired. so long....

I've listened to siriusxm traveling the desert between Phoenix and San Diego. So the money spent on being able to listen anywhere internet + sat is worth downside of lacking a demand catalog. At least in my opinion.

 

[djeeyore25]

The Amazon plan for Prime members is only $79 if you pay for the whole year. That's not a bad deal. I wonder if it'll include their music match service like Apple does with iTunes Match and Apple Music.

 

[lordofthereef]

Except under bridges and overpasses. Or in metro areas with tall buildings. Or any other place (parking garages, etc) where your sat antenna can't get a signal.

If you have the app service it will work anywhere your phone will work. Don't much prefer Sirius myself. But I in sure there are as many people streaming it as using the actually satellite radio service.

 

[lowendlinux]

How about Prime Video on Apple TV?

Or even better HD movies to monitors not connected by HDMI..

 

[big-ted]

I don't know how prime works outside of the US so this is only a comment for the US but...

Prime already gets you free two day (or same day depending where you live) shipping. Granted it's not free if you pay for it. But if you buy 2-3 things a month it's a wash.

How do you manage with just two day delivery (I know the US is slightly larger) but the normal Amazon next day delivery in the UK is pretty good but feels like eternity against the free 2 hour delivery

 

[Bruce Oksol]

I guess they had the courage to charge 3.99



Seriously, that's a great price, and even for prime members that's a nice price.

I know Apple doesn't compete on price, but if they want to continue to be players in this market they will

Great point; I agree completely. Apple may not have to compete on their hardware/software products (computers, phones, watches, etc) because they are in a class by themselves, but when it comes to the Cloud, streaming (music, television, etc), they will have to compete on price.

 

[NeilHD]

I hope they bring this out in the UK. I pay £14.99 for Apple Music - and will continue to do so for use on my phone/in the car/in rooms where I don't have an Echo - but I will happily pay an extra amount (presume it will be £3.99) for an Echo-only subscription. I certainly would not pay £10 or whatever it is for a Spotify sub just to use it on my Echos.

 

[dschulian]

The $7.99 prime price is nice I guess...but they have to be significantly better than Spotify or Apple Music to justify switching.
[doublepost=1476278886][/doublepost]
Did you miss the echo dot? Stereo output to whatever speaker system you want. Way cheaper too.

Yes I didn't! In this case it's a great offer, if you don't need your music collection on other devices.