As of today, Amazon Prime members may take advantage of a new perk that could steal them away from competitors like Apple Music and Spotify. The firm has announced that it will provide all 100 million tracks in its music catalog to Prime members, up from the previous 2 million songs, and that it will remove advertisements from the majority of its most popular podcasts. Additionally, the Amazon Music app is undergoing a redesign that includes a new “Podcast Previews” feature that will enable users to listen to brief segments in order to discover new podcasts that they may enjoy.
This is a blatant jab at Spotify and other music streaming services that have recently entered the podcasting business in search of new revenue streams. However, Spotify’s paying subscribers are becoming increasingly upset by the fact that they must listen to podcast advertisements despite paying for the service. Amazon is hoping that its new music streaming service, Amazon Song, will attract customers by offering ad-free podcasts and an extensive music library.
Wondery’s catalog of podcasts, including “Dr. Death,” “SmartLess,” and “Even the Rich,” is also available commercial-free, as are several new Amazon Exclusive series, such as “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories,” “Suspect: Vanished in the Snow,” “COLD Season Three: The Search for Sheree,” “Killer Psyche Daily,” “I Hear Fear,” narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress, In addition, actress and entrepreneur Keke Palmer’s (NOPE) Amazon Exclusive podcast series “Baby, this is Keke Palmer” premieres today.
Podcasts from reputable outlets including CNN, NPR, The New York Times, and ESPN are available without the interruption of advertisements.
As part of the announcement, Amazon admitted that Prime Music’s smaller library was no longer a major selling factor for customers.
“When Amazon Music first launched for Prime members, we offered an ad-free repertoire of 2 million songs,” said Steve Boom, vice president of Amazon Music, in a statement about the launch. We’re always thinking of new ways to improve the shopping experience for our consumers, and we’re excited to offer our Prime members even more exclusive content in addition to the many perks they already receive. In addition to the vastly increased music library, he said, “we can’t wait for members to enjoy the widest collection of ad-free top podcasts anywhere, at no additional cost to their membership.”
The Amazon Music app’s Podcasts Preview feature will debut alongside the service’s growth and ad-free podcasts. This lets buyers hear a podcast clip to decide if they like it.
Amazon said Prime members can access the whole music catalog on the main Amazon Music app. The app lets you shuffle any artist, album, or playlist, stream personalized playlists, download music for offline listening, and more. The wider repertoire may appeal to casual music fans who seek a more laid-back experience, even though Prime members can’t access music on-demand without upgrading.
Amazon Prime Unlimited will remain. Users can stream all songs in HD (16-bit/44.1 kHz) and UHD (24-bit/44.1 to 192 kHz) on all devices for $8.99/month or $89/year. This premium tier contains millions of spatial audio songs.
Amazon raised the yearly price of its Prime free delivery program from $119 to $139 earlier this year, raising worries that Prime membership is becoming too pricey in a time when customers are suffering with the cost of products and gasoline. Amazon has recently added features like a Grubhub+ membership, but a big music collection could be a better selling factor if it allows people to terminate their current music subscription and switch.
