Why am I being charged 4.99 for Amazon Music?
Amazon Music is Amazon’s music streaming service that gives access to millions of songs and podcasts. The standard Amazon Music service is free for Amazon Prime members, but Amazon also offers a premium subscription service called Amazon Music Unlimited that provides additional features and benefits. The Amazon Music Unlimited subscription costs $4.99 per month for Amazon Prime members. The $4.99 charge is for this upgraded Unlimited version that provides unlimited, ad-free access to over 100 million songs and podcasts.
What is Amazon Music?
Amazon Music is Amazon’s music streaming service that offers access to millions of songs and podcasts. There are several tiers of Amazon Music, each with different features and pricing:
Amazon Music Unlimited – Amazon’s premium streaming tier with over 90 million songs and the highest audio quality. $9.99/month for Prime members.
Amazon Music Prime – Free music streaming for Amazon Prime members with 2 million songs. Limited skips and shuffling.
Amazon Music Free – Free ad-supported music streaming tier with a limited catalog. Available to all Amazon customers.
So in summary, Amazon Music offers multiple tiers from free streaming to premium subscriptions to suit different needs and budgets.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited is Amazon’s premium, on-demand music streaming service. It offers access to over 75 million songs in HD quality, thousands of expertly curated playlists and stations, and hands-free listening across Alexa-enabled devices [1].
Prime members can get Amazon Music Unlimited for just $4.99 per month. This plan allows Unlimited listening on a single Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Look, Amazon Tap, or Fire TV device [2]. So if you own one of those devices and have an active Prime membership, you can access the full Unlimited catalog by voice on your Echo for only $4.99/month.
This discounted Prime member plan gives you access to tens of millions of songs, thousands of playlists and stations, offline listening, and no ads. You can search and play any song on-demand by name, artist, lyrics, decade, and more. The $4.99/month price point makes Amazon Music Unlimited very affordable for Prime subscribers who want to stream music on a single Echo device [3].
Why $4.99 for Unlimited?
Amazon charges $4.99 per month for Amazon Music Unlimited because it provides an ad-free, on-demand music streaming service with access to over 90 million songs (1). This gives you the ability to listen to any song at any time without interruptions. The $4.99 price point makes it very competitively priced compared to similar premium music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music which all charge $9.99 per month for their unlimited/premium offerings (2).
Some of the major reasons why Amazon can offer Music Unlimited at the discounted $4.99 monthly price include (3):
- Amazon has scale – over 200 million Prime members provides a large potential customer base to draw from.
- Music services operate at a loss to acquire customers – Amazon can absorb losses better than competitors.
- Amazon uses music services to promote ecosystem lock-in – keeps customers engaged with Amazon products.
- Data generation – streaming provides data for improving recommendations and ad targeting.
So in summary, the $4.99 price point is a strategic decision by Amazon to drive adoption of Music Unlimited and promote engagement across their ecosystem of products and services.
(1) https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GXH7VZWXAGVN7FLW
(2) https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/over-60m-users-have-now-trialled-amazon-music-unlimited/
(3) https://musconv.com/why-am-i-being-charged-4-99-for-amazon-music/
What do you get for $4.99?
The Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan for $4.99 per month provides access to over 100 million songs in HD and millions of songs in Ultra HD. Key features and benefits of the plan include:
- Ad-free, on-demand playback with unlimited skips
- High quality audio with a bitrate up to 850 kbps
- HD quality (CD quality) audio up to 24-bit/48 kHz
- Ultra HD quality audio up to 24-bit/192 kHz on select songs
- Spatial Audio on supported devices for immersive listening
- Ability to download songs for offline listening
- Personalized recommendations and playlists
- Access across mobile, desktop, Echo, and other connected devices
So in summary, for $4.99 per month you get a premium music subscription with extensive on-demand playback, high quality audio, and convenient access across devices. The unlimited skipping and downloading make this a flexible option compared to other streaming services.
How the Price Compares
When comparing Amazon Music Unlimited’s $4.99 monthly price to competitors, it is one of the more affordable on-demand streaming options. According to this article, Spotify recently raised its Premium plan to $9.99 per month. Similarly, Apple Music costs $9.99 per month for an individual plan after increasing its pricing in October 2022. Tidal’s HiFi plan is $19.99 per month. So at $4.99 per month, Amazon Music Unlimited is priced lower than these major competitors for on-demand streaming.
However, Amazon Music Unlimited is more limited than some competitors in terms of audio quality. While it offers up to HD quality, services like Tidal offer lossless HiFi quality for a higher monthly fee. Additionally, Amazon Prime members can get a limited, ad-supported version of Amazon Music for free, so the Unlimited upgrade is providing ad-free listening and full on-demand access. Overall, at $4.99 per month, Amazon Music Unlimited hits a competitive price point compared to rivals, but some services do offer higher quality audio and more features at a higher cost.
Is Amazon Music Unlimited Worth It at $4.99?
For many Prime members, the $4.99 price for Amazon Music Unlimited represents an excellent value proposition compared to other streaming music services. At this price point, you get access to over 75 million songs, thousands of expertly curated playlists and stations, hands-free listening with Alexa, and unlimited skips and downloads for offline listening (Source).
Importantly, this is not just a trial price – you can continue to pay $4.99/month as long as you have an active Prime membership. Compared to other top streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music which cost $9.99/month for individuals, Amazon Music Unlimited is half the price for Prime members.
For less than the cost of buying an album or two per month from iTunes, you get unlimited, on-demand access to an extensive music catalog. The sound quality is high as well – Amazon Music Unlimited streams at up to 850 kbps for its “high quality” tier, which is near CD-quality.
Considering most people listen to a relatively small portion of the overall catalog on streaming services, Amazon Music Unlimited’s 75+ million songs will satisfy virtually every musical taste and preference. Between this huge song selection and smart features like personalized recommendations and stations, the $4.99 plan should provide tremendous ongoing value.
Alternatives
For those looking for alternatives to Amazon Music Unlimited, there are several other popular music streaming services to consider. The most well-known options are Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Here’s an overview of how these other streaming services compare:
Spotify offers a free ad-supported tier, as well as paid Premium plans starting at $9.99 per month. Spotify has an extensive catalog of over 80 million songs and industry-leading personalization features. However, artists receive lower royalty rates compared to services like Apple Music.
Apple Music costs the same $9.99 per month as Spotify Premium, but does not offer a free tier. The iOS integration is excellent for iPhone users, and Apple Music pays artists slightly higher royalties. The main downside is the recommendation algorithms are not as advanced as Spotify.
YouTube Music leverages YouTube’s vast catalog of music videos and songs. The paid Premium tier removes ads and lets you play audio in the background for $9.99 monthly. YouTube Music can suggest more niche and eclectic content thanks to YouTube’s user-generated content. But the app user experience lags behind dedicated music streaming players.
Overall, while services like Spotify and Apple Music offer a more polished experience, Amazon Music Unlimited holds its own with a competitive catalog, quality, and price point. Considering one’s device ecosystem, preferred discovery features, and royalty considerations may help choose the best service for each user’s needs.
Tips for saving money on Amazon Music Unlimited
There are a few ways you can pay less for Amazon Music Unlimited:
Opt for an annual plan instead of monthly – You’ll save about $20 per year by paying annually upfront rather than monthly. The annual Individual plan is $79 compared to $9.99 per month (Source).
Use a student discount – Amazon offers Music Unlimited for just $0.99 per month for students who sign up with their .edu email address. This can save you $9 per month compared to the regular price (Source).
Downgrade to Prime Music – If you have an Amazon Prime membership already, you can access a catalog of 2 million songs through Prime Music at no extra cost. While not as robust as Unlimited, it’s a way to spend $0 instead of $4.99 per month.
Look for discounts and deals – Occasionally Amazon offers discounts on Unlimited, like 3 months for $0.99. Check on Prime Day or around the holidays for potential promotions (Source).
While paying for Unlimited monthly appears inexpensive at $4.99, these tips can help you reduce the cost even further over time.
Conclusion
In summary, the $4.99 per month charge for Amazon Music Unlimited gives you access to over 75 million songs ad-free, millions of podcast episodes, and top playlist and stations tailored just for you. At under $5 a month, it’s an affordable way to get a premium, on-demand music experience across your devices. While there are free tiers of Amazon Music and other free streaming options like Spotify, paying a small monthly fee unlocks unlimited skips, downloads, and the full Amazon Music catalog. For less than the cost of buying a couple albums, Amazon Music Unlimited offers exceptional value if you’re a music lover looking for robust access on demand. Considering what else you can get for $5, a premium streaming music subscription stands out for the amount of entertainment and enjoyment it provides each month at a very fair price point.
