Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon have launched their new streaming service, Amazon Music Unlimited in the US. It's set to compete with rival streaming giants Spotify and Apple Music. Amazon's entry into the world of streaming isn't new. Prime members currently have access to Amazon Music which has a limited catalogue of tracks, so the addition of Unlimited will hopefully mean more music will become available!
How Much Does Amazon Music Cost?
It is priced at $9.99 pm for regular users and $7.99 pm for Prime users, similar to their competitors. The most interesting aspect of this new service is the "for Echo" subscription priced at $3.99 pm.
Amazon Echo Integration with Amazon Music
Amazon's smart speaker Echo, powered by Alexa, lets you use the subscription with voice controls. Not only does it use simple voice commands to playback specific artists and bands, it becomes more personalised over time. Alexa can play songs from a certain decade, genre or playlists based on your listening history. It can even playback a song if you only know the lyrics, for example, "play the song that goes .. "
What New Features does Amazon Music have?
Although the service has a focus on the Echo hardware, its features are fairly familiar to those that use other streaming services. It supports offline listening and works with any Amazon Music compatible device. The app has a new look, including a "Recommended" section with personalised suggestions and the "Now Playing" section will feature synchronised lyrics.
What is Amazon Side-by-Side?
Amazon Music Unlimited is offering a unique feature called Side-by-Side. It syncs artists' commentary with tracks from their catalogues. If you're familiar with streaming films and TV shows on amazon you'll know that a similar function is found on certain productions. This is how Amazon described the new side-by-side feature:
"Amazon Music on Alexa also brings fans and artists closer together with behind-the-scenes artist commentary about their music, called Side-by-Sides. Customers can simply ask, “Alexa, play Side-by-Side with OneRepublic” and Ryan Tedder will play and comment on songs from OneRepublic’s latest album Oh My My. Side-by-Sides are available exclusively on Amazon Music from top artists such as The Chainsmokers, Jason Aldean, Lindsey Stirling, Norah Jones, OneRepublic and Kongos – with more being added all the time."
Apple Music Unlimited is set to come to Europe later this year. Go the Amazon Music website to learn more: AMAZON MUSIC