Amazon Echo was announced last year and it first came out as a pretty mediocre personal Bluetooth Speaker. Since then, Amazon has continued to update the device, giving it more and more much needed features. Now, it has been rumored that the company is preparing to launch a music service for the Echo. On top of that, Amazon is also said to be prepping up to launch a new premium music streaming service which will directly compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.
The Echo-based music service is set to be launched in the coming weeks, and with this new service provided by Amazon, Echo owners will be able to access Amazon’s vast music library. However, music playback will be limited to the smart assistant and this new service will cost Echo owners $5 a month. It has also been reported that Amazon has been working with music labels to close a deal for the Echo-based music service as well as the new on-demand music streaming service. According to AFTVnews, the new on-demand service may be called Amazon Music Unlimited and will work similarly to Spotify and Apple Music. This will allow you to access a library of millions of songs and this will cost you $10 a month. However, if you are an Amazon Prime customer, this new service will not be included in the $99 subscription fee for Amazon Prime, as it will be a separate service. For comparison, Spotify costs $9.99 per month but if you are a student, there is the ability to pay just $4.99 per month.
The rumored Amazon Music Unlimited is expected to be launched early next year and it has been reported that the company first intended to launch its Echo-based music service simultaneously with its music streaming service but due to the talks with music labels going at a slow pace, it won’t be happening soon. With Spotify and Apple Music having quite a strong foothold on the music streaming industry, it might be hard for Amazon to make a break into the industry with its new service. However, competition isn’t always a bad thing, especially for the consumers.