Amazon Launches Spotify-Like Prime Music

With free, two-day shipping and unlimited movie and TV streaming via Instant Video for $99 a year, Amazon Prime is already a pretty good deal at $99 per year. But now the company had added another perk.

Amazon on Thursday unveiled a Spotify-like music-streaming service, dubbed Prime Music, which offers members unlimited, ad-free access to more than one million songs at no additional cost. Prime Music includes "tens of thousands" of albums from top artists like Justin Timberlake, P!nk, Bruno Mars, Blake Shelton, The Lumineers, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna.

On the down side, the collection doesn't include anything from the world's largest record label, Universal Music Group, according to Bloomberg. Amazon reportedly "ran into hurdles" inking a deal with Universal, which represents chart-toppers such as Kanye West and Lady Gaga. Moreover, a million songs might sound like a lot, but consider that Spotify has 20 million.

Regardless, Prime members can select a specific album or song they want to jam out to, or sit back and listen to hundreds of "expert programmed" playlists like "50 Great Classic Rock Songs," "Indie Feel Good Music," "Beach House's Top Songs," and "Road Tripping with the Kids."

"Whether you're jonesing for some '90s R&B jams, a girl's night out, the heaviest metal or 50 great wedding songs to get you pumped for wedding season, Prime Music has you covered," Amazon said.

Amazon will also offer up personalized music recommendations to help you discover new songs and artists. You can easily combine tracks from the Prime Music catalog with your own personal music collection, and download songs to your mobile device for offline playback for times when you don't have an internet connection.

The service is available beginning today for Prime members in the U.S.

Kindle Fire HD/HDX devices will get Prime Music in an automatic, over-the-air update while iOS and Android users can grab the update from their respective app stores. Those who aren't a Prime member can get a free 30-day trial to check out all the benefits, including Prime Music.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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