In a service expansion by Amazon Music, 100 million songs are now available for Prime Subscribers to stream from a previous catalog of only 2 million.
Amazon is looking to boost its music streaming service to reel in more subscribers by giving Amazon Music users 100 million tracks and ad-free podcasts, Variety says.
The Expansion Will Let Users Stream More Songs But Only On Shuffle
Amazon Music says that this decision comes after their users requested to have access to a full catalog of music to stream on their devices.
According to Mac Rumors, Amazon Music lets users stream songs that are ad-free and create playlists that are curated to their personalized listening preferences.
However, this unlimited access to songs will only come on shuffle play, as opposed to the previous on-demand play users can enjoy.
This is similar to the service Pandora offers, which gives users radio station-based content rather than in-demand song access.
This may cause some users to swap from Apple Music to Amazon Prime if they prefer radio stations and playlists, Mac Rumors claims.
Along with this, Amazon Prime subscriptions will grant users access to Podcast Previews, which will provide soundbites and curated clips designed to help users find shows, Amazon writes.
These podcasts will come at no extra cost and let users stream shows from CNN, ESPN, and NPR, along with the podcasts, according to XDA Developers.
This Amazon Music Unlimited Plan will cost $90 a year and will include songs that play in Ultra HD and Spatial Audio.
CNet writes that all of these new features and content will be available for a Prime membership that costs $199 from a previous price of $99.
Amazon Says The Expansion Follows Its Customer's Expectations
Amazon is entering the music streaming competition with an extended offering of songs available to its Prime subscribers for $9 a month.
According to Bloomberg, Amazon expanded its services after seeing stagnant growth in memberships across the United States based on a July report.
This came after the company raised its membership price by $20 in February when the company had about 172 million subscribers.
Steve Boom, Amazon Music Vice President, tells Bloomberg that the launch of Amazon Music was an opportunity to adapt to the customer's ever-evolving expectations.
"What we're trying to really do is grow the number of Prime members taking advantage of their benefits by making it more attractive," Boom adds.
He also said that the company is always looking for ways to improve Prime, as it now operates in four audio-oriented apps such as Amazon Music, Wondery Plus, Audible, and Amp.
With its expansion, Amazon Music establishes itself as a stiff competition to Spotify, which offers the same music streaming services on multiple devices.
Should users want to get in with this new experience, they can get these additional benefits by downlading the app and upgrading to the Amazon Music Unlimited tier here.
