Amazon Music for Prime Expands to 100 Million Songs in Shuffle Mode

Amazon, which is trying to bring more members to Prime, is dramatically increasing the number of songs available through its membership program from its previous 2 million songs to a full catalog of 100 million songs. Amazon Music for Prime also adds “hundreds of thousands” of podcast episodes ad-free. This was the number one request from her listener-customer podcast, including all of Wondery’s shows.

But there are pitfalls.

With an expanded song library, Prime members listening on Amazon Music are mostly limited to shuffle play mode based on artist, album, or playlist, but previously could stream 2 million songs on demand. Amazon says Prime users can play songs on demand via an “All-Access” playlist personalized based on their listening preferences and download them for his offline listening.

For full on-demand access and offline listening, you must pay an additional fee for the Amazon Music Unlimited tier. This is currently $9.99/month for non-Prime members and $8.99/month for Prime. The Unlimited plan also offers songs in HD, with more tracks for Ultra HD audio and spatial audio.

Amazon Music vice president Steve Boom said Prime members have long sought access to the full catalog of 100 million songs. He acknowledged that the licensing terms for shuffle play and on-demand access from music companies are different, but didn’t go into details. “It’s not about Amazon cutting costs, it’s about improving the Prime experience,” he said.

The overarching goal, Boom said, is to increase the value of Prime memberships. In the US, the program costs $139 per year (or $14.99 per month) and includes free shipping on millions of products, plus access to Prime Video, Amazon Music, and other perks.

On the podcast side, Prime members now have access to a wide range of ad-free podcasts through Amazon Music. Those include “Dr. Death”, “Business Wars”, “SmartLess” and “Even the Rich”. Podcasts from partners such as NPR, The New York Times, CNN, ESPN, Slate, Barstool His Sports. And an Amazon Music exclusive show.

Exclusive podcasts on Amazon Music include MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & ​​Mysterious Stories, Suspect Season 2: Vanished in the Snow, Cold Season 3: The Search for Sheree, and Killer Psyche Daily. , “I Hear Fear, Narrated by Actor Carey Mulligan,” is a weekly bonus episode of “The Old Man and Three,” hosted by former NBA player JJ Reddick. On November 1st, Amazon Music will premiere its newest exclusive podcast series, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer. This is a weekly interview show where the actor and entrepreneur interacts with friends, family, celebrity guests and experts.

Additionally, the Amazon Music app has been updated with a new podcast preview feature. It allows customers to listen to short, curated soundbites from podcast episodes and is designed to help them discover and discover new podcasts quickly.

Jen Sargent, who was promoted to CEO of Wondery after Amazon Music completed its acquisition of the podcast studio and network in early 2021, said: It is growing very quickly and is absolutely aiming to expand its catalog of exclusive ad-free podcasts. ”

Wondery+, an ad-free premium subscription service for $4.99 per month, will remain unchanged, offering early access to new episodes of shows and podcast-specific features.

The change to Amazon Music for Prime comes when Apple Music raises prices due to increased music licensing costs, individual plans rise from $9.99 to $10.99 per month, and Spotify cuts subscription prices in the US. He said he was considering a raise. It reveals whether the company is considering raising the price of Amazon Music Unlimited.

Amazon provides a breakdown of what’s included in the three different options.

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Amazon Music for Prime Members

Amazon Music Unlimited