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Amazon.com on Wednesday launched a full-fledged music streaming service with subscriptions as low as $3.99 per month for owners of its Amazon Echo speaker, accelerating the industry trend toward more flexible pricing after years of sticking to $9.99 subscriptions.
The new streaming service, called Amazon Music Unlimited, lets users access a vast catalogue 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 a month for members of Amazon’s Prime service and $9.99 for non-members. Amazon will continue to offer Prime members a limited streaming service for free.
As it plunges deeper into the crowded streaming field, Amazon is counting on Echo, a smart speaker that responds to voice commands, to set it apart. Released broadly last year, Echo has become a surprise hit, prompting many to predict that voice will become a key way users interact with technology — and music is central to the device’s appeal.
Amazon has built an elaborate system of voice controls for listening on Echo. The firm believes such smart home devices will be a key source of growth for the music industry, said Steve Boom, Vice-President of Amazon Music.
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