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Amazon launches lackluster streaming music service ahead of smartphone debut

Published Jun 12th, 2014 7:45AM EDT
Amazon Prime Music

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If 3D effects and tilt controls weren’t enough to sell you on Amazon’s upcoming smartphone, perhaps a halfhearted streaming music service will do the trick. In the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, Amazon quietly launched Prime Music, a streaming service that has been tumbling around the rumor mill for more than a year. Prime Music is a free add-on for Amazon Prime subscribers, though the recent Prime price increase likely had something to do with its imminent arrival.

With Prime Music, users can stream unlimited tracks from Amazon’s limited music catalog. According to the company’s website, Prime Music is currently home to 1 million songs. For comparison, Spotify, Beats Music and Rhapsody have music catalogs containing more than 20 million tracks each, and Microsoft’s Xbox Music service is home to more than 30 million songs.

Prime Music is available immediately for Prime subscribers. Those without Amazon Prime can try Prime Music free for 30 days.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.