Amazon launches Amazon Music Unlimited to take on rivals like Apple Music and Spotify

Amazon.com launched its new Music streaming service, called "Amazon Music Unlimited", offering access to millions of songs. To stay competitive in the market filled with players like Spotify and Apple Music, amazon is offering its latest product for $7.99 per month for Prime members, or $9.99 per month for non-Prime members.

Another strategy followed by Amazon to promote its full-fledged music streaming services is that the company has also launched a “for Echo” subscription plan that lets you listen only on its connected speakers - Echo, Tap, or Dot - for just $3.99 per month.

Where Apple Music and Spotify are targeting typical mobile and desktop users, Amazon Music Unlimited is targeting to improve the in-home experience with its popular voice-assistant products such as Echo, and Alexa.

According to Amazon, unlocking Alexa’s full potential as an in-house DJ was a two-step process. “The first thing we wanted to do was provide that full-catalog music service, that’s a no-brainer,” says Amazon VP of digital music Steve Boom, noting the company has been talking to music labels about this effort for a long time. “But looking at how people were listening to music in the Alexa environment, it’s a different experience than doing it on their phone or on their laptop. You talk to her naturally, you talk as if you’d talk to a friend about music. It forces you to reimagine how people interact with a music service.”

You can just ask for a specific album, artist, or genre, and Alexa will start spinning. Because of the smart machine learning, you can also request genre- or mood-specific music from a certain era, to fit a certain mood, request the latest single from an artist, or say “Alexa, play music” to start a dynamic playlist based on your listening habits.

On the other hand, Data from the Echo has also taught Amazon much about the language of music, said Kintan Brahmbhatt, director, Amazon Music. "You can ask for Michael Jackson by saying, 'Play music by the King of Pop,'" he said. "It's smart enough to know that's what you meant."

The company is also planning a family subscription plan for up to 6 people that will arrive later this year for $14.99 per month or $149 per year. Prime members can also choose to pay $79 per year, which works out to $6.58 per month.