Does Amazon Prime include music app?
Amazon Prime is a popular subscription service from Amazon that offers members a variety of benefits and perks. The main draw of Amazon Prime is the fast, free shipping on millions of eligible items as well as free 2-day shipping. But Prime membership includes much more beyond free and fast shipping.
Amazon Prime also provides members with services like Prime Video for unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows, Prime Music for free streaming of 2 million songs, and Prime Reading for accessing free ebooks and magazines. There are also gaming benefits with Twitch Prime. With a Prime membership, members can access these services across Amazon’s sites and apps.
Overall, an Amazon Prime membership provides a suite of services including fast shipping, entertainment streaming, music, reading, photo storage, and more. The wide range of benefits make it a popular subscription with over 200 million members worldwide.
Music Streaming Options
Amazon offers several music streaming options to its Prime members and non-members. The main options are:
- Amazon Music – This free option comes with an Amazon Prime membership. It provides access to 2 million songs that can be streamed on-demand.
- Amazon Music Unlimited – This premium option provides access to over 75 million songs, including the latest releases. Subscriptions start at $7.99/month for Prime members.
- Amazon Music HD – This high-quality option offers lossless audio with over 75 million songs. Subscriptions start at $14.99/month.
Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Music HD both provide offline listening and unlimited skips. They can be used across multiple devices like smart speakers, mobile, computer, etc. Upgrading to these paid plans provide more features and a bigger music catalog compared to the free Amazon Music (source).
Compared to other streaming services, Amazon Music’s paid plans are competitively priced. But the free option with Prime provides a more limited catalog. Overall, Amazon offers flexible music streaming options based on users’ listening needs and budget.
Does Amazon Prime Include Music?
A full music streaming service is not included with a basic Amazon Prime membership. However, Prime members do get access to a limited music catalog through Amazon Music. This includes over 2 million songs that can be streamed online or downloaded for offline listening (Source). The Amazon Music catalog for Prime members focuses on top hits and popular tunes rather than offering a full library. So while you can listen to many songs for free with a Prime membership, it is not considered a full-fledged music streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music.
To get unlimited access to over 90 million songs ad-free, along with advanced features like offline listening, Prime members would need to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited. This premium subscription starts at $8.99/month for Prime members. So in summary, basic Prime membership includes a sample of songs, but not extensive music streaming capabilities. To get the full music catalog, Prime subscribers need to pay extra for Amazon Music Unlimited.
Amazon Prime Music
The music catalog that comes with a standard Amazon Prime subscription is quite limited compared to full-fledged music streaming services. Prime members get access to 2 million songs, which is only a fraction of the over 75 million songs available on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music (source). The Prime music catalog tends to miss many newer releases from major artists and you won’t find full albums from some popular musicians. There is no on-demand access to specific artists, albums or songs. You can only shuffle playPrime’s curated playlists and stations without being able to pick individual tracks. Overall, the free music that comes with Prime provides a sample of tunes that may satisfy casual listeners, but serious music fans will quickly notice major gaps in the catalog.
Upgrading Options
Amazon offers paid subscriptions called Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Music HD for unlimited, ad-free music streaming. These give you access to tens of millions more songs than what’s included with a basic Prime membership.
Amazon Music Unlimited costs $7.99/month for Prime members ($9.99/month for non-Prime) and gives you access to over 90 million songs in standard definition quality. It allows unlimited skips, offline listening, and hands-free listening with Alexa. This plan lets you stream on 1 device at a time.
Amazon Music HD costs $9.99/month for Prime members ($12.99/month for non-Prime) and gives you access to over 90 million songs in high definition, lossless audio quality. It has all the same features as Music Unlimited, plus tens of millions of songs in Ultra HD and spatial audio formats. This plan allows streaming on up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Comparatively, Spotify Premium costs $9.99/month and Apple Music costs $9.99/month for individuals. While they may have larger catalogs overall, Amazon’s paid music subscriptions offer some great perks for Prime members, like discounted pricing and seamless integration with Alexa and Echo devices.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GW3PHAUCZM8L7W9L
https://blog.tunemymusic.com/comparing-amazon-music-prime-vs-unlimited-subscription-plans/
Music Apps
Amazon offers several music apps to stream music on various devices. The main Amazon Music app is available for Android and iOS mobile devices. This allows Prime members to stream a selection of 2 million songs ad-free. There is also an Amazon Music app for desktop to stream music on Mac or Windows computers.
For Echo devices, Prime members can use Alexa voice commands to request songs through Amazon Music. The Amazon Music skill connects the Echo device to the streaming service. There is also a dedicated Amazon Music app for Fire TV to stream music on televisions.
These apps allow Prime members to easily stream music across their various devices. However, the music catalog is limited compared to upgrades like Amazon Music Unlimited which offers access to over 75 million songs.
Other Options
Although Amazon Prime includes access to Amazon Music, Prime members have other options for music streaming that can be used in conjunction with an Amazon Prime membership. Some popular streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music offer premium subscriptions that provide unlimited access to music catalogs without ads. These services are compatible with an Amazon Prime membership, so Prime members can choose to subscribe to another streaming platform in addition to or instead of Amazon Music.
Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music all offer different features, content libraries, and pricing compared to Amazon Music. For example, Spotify and Apple Music boast libraries with over 70 million songs, while Pandora is more focused on personalized radio stations. Prime members may want to sample multiple services through free trials to determine which music streaming platform best suits their preferences and budget along with the other Prime benefits. Having both Amazon Prime and an additional premium music streaming subscription can provide the greatest variety and flexibility for music listeners.
Prime Video
In addition to music, Amazon Prime also includes unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows through Prime Video. This service allows Prime members to instantly watch popular movies and shows at no additional cost. Some highlights of Prime Video include:
- A catalog of over 20,000 titles to instantly stream at no extra charge (source: Amazon.com: Prime Video: Prime Video)
- Original and exclusive shows and movies (source: Prime Video – Amazon)
- New release movies available to rent or purchase
- The ability to download titles for offline viewing
So while the music options with a Prime membership may be more limited, the subscription does provide unlimited access to a vast library of streaming video content. This makes Prime Video a significant added benefit of an Amazon Prime subscription.
Pros and Cons
Amazon offers a few different music streaming options that integrate with Prime membership in different ways. Here are some of the key pros and cons of each:
Amazon Prime Music:
- Pro: Free access to 2 million songs for Prime members
- Con: Limited selection compared to paid services
- Con: Can only shuffle play albums and playlists
Amazon Music Unlimited:
- Pro: Access to 75 million songs, thousands of playlists and stations
- Pro: Option for lossless HD quality audio
- Con: Extra monthly subscription fee required
Using a music app like Spotify with Prime:
- Pro: Access to large library of music and features through third party apps
- Con: No integration or discounts offered through Prime membership
Overall, Prime Music offers a basic free streaming option, while Music Unlimited provides a more robust experience comparable to other paid services. Using third-party apps is also an option, but without any special Prime benefits.
Conclusion
In summary, Amazon Prime does include access to a music streaming service called Prime Music at no extra cost. Prime Music provides a catalog of 2 million songs that you can listen to on-demand, without ads. However, Prime Music’s song catalog is more limited than premium services like Spotify or Apple Music.
If you want to access a more extensive music library with 50+ million songs, you can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for an additional monthly fee. This gives you access to a much wider selection of music that is comparable to other premium music streaming services.
For consumers who are looking for an affordable option and don’t need a huge catalog, Prime Music should sufficiently meet basic music streaming needs. But music lovers who want a vast library of new and old songs to choose from would likely prefer upgrading to Amazon Music Unlimited or exploring other premium music app options outside of the Amazon ecosystem.
Overall, having access to Prime Music is a nice added benefit of an Amazon Prime membership. But it may not satisfy users who want the most robust music streaming experience. Consider your listening preferences and music app needs to decide if Prime Music is “good enough” or if paying for a premium music service is worthwhile.