What is Amazon Music: everything you need to know

What is Amazon Music: everything you need to know

Derek Malcolm / DailyTech

As a prominent player in the music streaming industry alongside Spotify and Apple Music, Amazon Music offers a vast library of over 100 million songs, accompanied by a diverse selection of podcasts.

With various subscription plans available — from a free ad-supported option, a version for Amazon Prime members to the premium Amazon Music Unlimited, which now includes access to audiobooks — users can enjoy exceptional features such as lossless HD and Ultra HD audio quality, immersive Dolby Atmos Music, and seamless integration with Alexa.

Whether you are a music enthusiast seeking superior sound quality or a casual listener looking for convenience, Amazon Music caters to a wide range of preferences. Discover new artists, curated playlists, and personalized recommendations in an intuitive and user-friendly interface.

What is Amazon Music?

Amazon Music is a music streaming service similar to Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, and Deezer. It provides a library of over 100 million songs and a variety of popular podcasts for streaming and offline listening. Like its competitors, Amazon Music offers a vast collection of current and back-catalog songs and albums, as well as the ability to create and share playlists. It also utilizes user listening habits to generate recommendations for new artists, albums, playlists, and podcasts. For audiophiles, Amazon Music offers plan tiers for hi-resolution lossless audio known as HD and Ultra HD, which sets it apart from competitors like Spotify.

The platform’s interface is user-friendly and accessible via various devices such as iOS and Android apps, desktop apps for Mac and Windows, web browsers, and Echo and Fire TV devices. Additionally, Amazon Music is compatible with Alexa voice control, allowing users to control playback and access content through voice commands.

What plans are available and what do you get?

Amazon Music composite image with three screens.
Derek Malcolm / DailyTech

Amazon Music Free

If you’re looking to dip your toes into music streaming, the basic plan is the ad-supported Amazon Music Free, which does not require an Amazon Prime subscription. This tier provides access to “millions of podcast episodes” and thousands of playlists and stations with intermittent ads.

Playback in this tier is limited to shuffle mode, and songs are not available in lossless HD or Ultra HD formats. A standard Amazon account is all that’s needed, and no credit card information is required.

Amazon Music Prime

For those who prefer an ad-free experience, Amazon Music Prime is included with an Amazon Prime subscription. In addition to the benefits of Amazon Prime like same-day shipping and Prime Video, this tier offers ad-free access to the entire 100-million song library, podcasts, stations, playlists, and downloads. However, playback is limited to one device at a time unless playing downloaded music stored on the device.

While this tier provides access to a vast library, playback of albums, artists, and playlists is limited to shuffle mode, except for “All-Access Playlists” which can be selected, played, skipped, and downloaded. There are additional restrictions for specific devices like Echo, Fire TV, and Fire Tablet, and the tier does not include HD, Ultra HD, or spatial audio. Despite these limitations, Amazon Music Unlimited offers a comprehensive music streaming experience.

Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon Music Unlimited provides the complete music streaming experience, offering ad-free access to the entire library without shuffle restrictions. The key highlight of this tier is the sound quality, with a vast selection of songs available in lossless HD and Ultra HD formats. Additionally, there are tracks mastered in Dolby Atmos Music and 360 Reality Audio for immersive surround sound. Amazon Music Unlimited offers various subscription options tailored to different preferences.

In a groundbreaking announcement in November 2024, Amazon revealed the integration of Audible’s audiobook catalog into the Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Subscribers in the US, UK, and Canada can now access Audible’s extensive library through the Amazon Music app, with the added benefit of one free audiobook per month.

Amazon Music Unlimited showing The Beatles' Revolver (2022 Mix) in Ultra HD.
Derek Malcolm / DailyTech

Features and discovery

The Amazon Music interface is intuitive and well-organized, similar to Spotify, making navigation seamless across different devices. The Home page showcases tabs for music, podcasts, search, and library, along with personalized recommendations for easy discovery. My Soundtrack and My Discovery Mix offer curated playlists based on listening habits for quick access to music you’ll enjoy.

The Library section stores saved albums, songs, playlists, followed podcasts, and downloaded music, with convenient filtering options. The playback bar displays track information, quality indicators (SD, HD, Ultra HD), and provides access to sharing options, lyrics, and connectivity features for speakers.

Amazon Music composite image with three screens.
Derek Malcolm / DailyTech

How much is Amazon Music?

Amazon Music offers various subscription plans, including the free Amazon Music Free, the ad-free Amazon Music Prime included with an Amazon Prime membership, and the premium Amazon Music Unlimited. Prices vary based on the plan and additional benefits provided.

Amazon Music Free: Free, no Amazon Prime subscription required.

Amazon Music Prime: Included with Amazon Prime membership.

Amazon Music Unlimited: Offers multiple subscription options with varying features and pricing.

How do I listen to Amazon Music?

Amazon Music Unlimited showing two menus for Ultra HD streaming features.
Derek Malcolm / DailyTech

Amazon Music can be accessed through the desktop app, mobile apps, web player, and various devices such as Amazon Echo, Fire TV, Sonos, and Roku. The platform also supports Dolby Atmos Music for immersive audio experiences on compatible devices.

To fully experience the highest-resolution tracks, an external digital-to-analog converter (DAC) may be required. Amazon Music’s quality is top-notch, providing balanced sound across different playback devices.

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