Amazon revealed a new perk for its Prime customers that may tempt some users away from competing services like Apple Music or Spotify. The firm announced that it will now provide Prime users with a complete music catalog of 100 million songs, as opposed to the earlier, more constrained selection of just 2 million songs, and will make the majority of the most popular podcasts on its site available without commercials. Additionally, the Amazon Music app is getting a makeover, and a new “Podcast Previews” feature will enable users to listen to brief excerpts in order to find new podcasts they might enjoy.
The move is an obvious jab at rivals in the streaming music industry, notably Spotify, which has been attempting to gain market share in the podcast sector. However, the paying subscribers to Spotify are becoming irritated with the fact that, while paying for the service, they still have to listen to podcast advertisements. The retail behemoth believes that its offer of ad-free podcasts and a huge music selection will make Amazon Music a tempting alternative.
When announcing the decision, Amazon admitted that Prime Music’s smaller selection of songs was no longer a major selling factor for customers.
Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music stated as part of the launch: “When Amazon Music first launched for Prime members, we offered an ad-free catalog of 2 million songs, which was completely unique for music streaming at the time”. He continued “We continue to innovate for our consumers and provide Prime members with even more enjoyment on top of the convenience and value they now receive. We can’t wait for members to enjoy not just a much larger repertoire of music but also the largest collection of ad-free top podcasts available, all as part of their subscription, at no extra charge”.
Shows from renowned companies including The New York Times, CNN, NPR, and ESPN are included in the ad-free podcasts.
Other ad-free programs include the Wondery library of podcasts, which features programs like “SmartLess”, “Dr. Death”, and “Even the Rich”, as well as new Amazon Exclusive programs like “Suspect: Vanished in the Snow”, “Mr. Ballen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories”, “COLD Season Three: The Search for Sheree”, “Killer Psyche Daily”, “I Hear Fear” narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Carey Mulligan. Actress and businesswoman Keke Palmer (NOPE) also makes her new podcast debut today with “Baby, this is Keke Palmer,” an Amazon Exclusive series.
The Amazon Music app will get a new appearance in addition to service expansion and ad-free podcasts, most notably with the introduction of the new Podcasts Preview function. Customers may use this feature to hear a brief excerpt from a podcast episode to help them decide whether it’s something they would appreciate.
According to Amazon, Prime subscribers may access the whole music library using the main Amazon Music app. Additionally, the app has basic functionality like shuffle play for any artist, album, or playlist, customizable playlist streaming, offline music downloads, and more. Even while Prime subscribers can’t access music on-demand without upgrading to the premium tier, the bigger selection could be appealing to less serious music fans who prefer a more laid-back listening experience.
Amazon Prime Unlimited, the company’s formerly more expansive music service, is still available. Users will have access to all songs on-demand in HD (16-bit/44.1 kHz) and UHD (24-bit/44.1 to 192 kHz) quality across all devices with the $8.99/month or $89/year service. Additionally, millions of songs in the spatial audio format are available on this premium tier.
The adjustments come on the heels of Amazon’s decision to increase the annual cost of its Prime free shipping program from $119 to $139 earlier this year, sparking worries that Prime membership is getting too expensive, especially given the current economy where consumers are struggling with the cost of gas and goods. While Amazon recently introduced other perks like a Grubhub+ membership, a sizable music library would be a stronger selling factor if it enables users to cancel their current music subscription and switch.
