Amazon has launched a full-fledged music streaming service with subscription plans as low as $3.99 (roughly Rs. 260) per month for owners of its Amazon Echo speaker, accelerating the industry trend towards more flexible pricing after years of sticking to $9.99 (roughly Rs. 660) subscriptions.
The new streaming service, called "Amazon Music Unlimited," lets users access a vast catalog of songs on demand, similar to Spotify and Apple Music. Subscriptions to play music on the Echo cost $3.99 per month; for access beyond that device, subscriptions cost $7.99 (roughly Rs. 530) a month for members of Amazon's Prime shipping and video service and $9.99 for non-members. Amazon will continue to offer Prime members a limited streaming service for free.
As part of the launch, Amazon redesigned its Music app for iOS, Android, desktop and Fire products completely. Keep in mind the most important part of Music Unlimited is the integration with Alexa and Echo devices. For example, you may soon just say things like, "Alexa, play the song of the day?" or "Alexa, play Greenday's latest album?"
What's more, Director of Amazon Music Ryan Redington says Alexa is capable of playing tracks based on your mood, as well as tell you who sings a song even if you only know part of the lyrics. Redington claims Alexa will keep getting better with time too, as it learns more about your listening habits through Amazon Music Unlimited.
Currently, Music Unlimited is only available for US customers, but the company says it "will continue to expand and enhance" the service. For starters, it's expected to launch in the UK, Germany and Austria later this year, though no clear timeline was announced by Amazon. A family plan will also be available soon, which will allow up to six people to stream music simultaneously for $15 monthly.
According to Redington, the long-rumored service is part of Amazon's business strategy since the launch of Prime Music in 2014. Still, it isn't until this year that his team actually went all in on the idea, with the goal being to develop a "fun and engaging" product. And with Alexa and Echo in people's homes now, he says, it felt like the right time to introduce Music Unlimited. Sounds Good, right? But we'll see if listeners are willing to give it a chance in the crowded music-streaming space.
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