Amazon Prime now comes with a full music catalog of 100 million songs and ad-free podcasts • TechCrunch

Amazon immediately introduced a brand new profit for its Prime members which might lure some subscribers away from different music companies, like Apple Music or Spotify. The corporate mentioned it would now supply Prime subscribers a full music catalog with 100 million songs, as an alternative of the beforehand extra restricted collection of simply 2 million songs, and can make a lot of the high podcasts on its service obtainable with out adverts. As well as, the Amazon Music app is getting a revamp, which features a new “Podcast Previews” function that may permit prospects to hearken to brief clips as a solution to uncover new podcasts they might like.

The transfer is a direct shot at streaming music rivals, particularly Spotify, which has been transferring into the podcasts market as a way of producing further income. However Spotify’s paying subscriber base is rising pissed off with the truth that they nonetheless must hearken to podcast adverts, regardless of paying for the service. Amazon Music’s promise of ad-free podcasts together with a full music catalog might make for a compelling various, the retail large hopes.

Among the many ad-free podcasts are reveals from high manufacturers like CNN, NPR, The New York Instances, and ESPN.

Different ad-free reveals embrace the Wondery catalog of podcasts, like “Dr. Demise,” “SmartLess,” and “Even the Wealthy,” and new Amazon Unique reveals together with “MrBallen Podcast: Unusual, Darkish & Mysterious Tales;” “Suspect: Vanished within the Snow;” “COLD Season Three: The Seek for Sheree;” “Killer Psyche Day by day;” “I Hear Worry,” narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Carey Mulligan; and a weekly bonus episode of “The Previous Man and the Three,” hosted by former NBA participant JJ Redick. The Amazon Unique podcast collection “Child, that is Keke Palmer,” from the actress and entrepreneur Keke Palmer (NOPE) additionally debuts immediately.

Amazon, in asserting the information, acknowledged that Prime Music’s extra restricted catalog was not the large promoting level for customers it as soon as was.

“When Amazon Music first launched for Prime members, we provided an ad-free catalog of two million songs, which was fully distinctive for music streaming on the time,” mentioned Steve Growth, VP of Amazon Music, in an announcement concerning the launch. “We proceed to innovate on behalf of our prospects, and to carry much more leisure to Prime members, on high of the comfort and worth they already take pleasure in. We are able to’t look forward to members to expertise not solely a massively expanded catalog of songs, but additionally the most important collection of ad-free high podcasts anyplace, at no further value to their membership,” he added.

Along with the enlargement of the service and ad-free podcasts, the Amazon Music app will achieve a brand new look, most notably with the launch of the brand new Podcasts Preview function. This permits prospects to hearken to a brief soundbite from a podcast episode to assist them decide as as to if it’s one thing they want.

Prime members will use the primary Amazon Music app to entry the total music catalog, Amazon says.

The corporate’s beforehand broader music service, Amazon Prime Limitless, is just not going away. The service, which prices for $8.99/month or $89/yr, will give customers entry to all songs on-demand in HD (16-bit/44.1 kHz) and UHD 24-bit/44.1 to 192 kHz) high quality throughout all gadgets. Plus, this premium tier gives hundreds of thousands of songs within the spatial audio format.

The adjustments observe Amazon’s transfer to lift the annual value of its Prime free delivery program earlier this yr from $119 to $139, elevating issues that Prime membership is turning into too costly — notably given the present financial local weather the place customers are fighting the price of items and gasoline. Whereas Amazon has added different advantages in latest days, like a Grubhub+ membership, a big music catalog might make for a greater promoting level if it permits prospects to cancel one other music subscription and make a swap.

further reporting: Ivan Mehta