Amazon Music UK – Review
There are many platforms to stream music these days, and while Amazon Music UK doesn’t get the same accolades as Spotify or Apple Music, it’s on the rise, with Amazon stating it has over 55 million customers and is catching its competitors at a rapid rate. Is it the best online music streaming service though?
Spotify, the market leader has reported it has 113 million paying customers (with 248 million monthly users overall), and Apple Music 60 million. So, Amazon Music is quickly chipping away at the lead and very close to its nearest rival with only a few million less subscribers.
Amazon Music is picking up momentum fast, one reason for this is because of its versatility. The service gets to jump on the back of the hugely popular Amazon Prime membership, which is massively popular, and has become a valuable tool for its members everyday lives.
The most popular choice amongst Amazon Music users is the Unlimited option. This option is the main competitor to Spotify and Apple Music.
Amazon are currently doing a deal with this subscription, where you get the FIRST MONTH COMPLETELY FREE!
It is also integrated into the company’s Alexa voice assistant; Amazon Music is optimised for use with the company’s Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo and Dot.
“Amazon Music has grown nearly 50% year-over-year across the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, and has more than doubled in our newer countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and Mexico.”
The majority of Amazon’s competitors have at most, two plan options, free and paid. But, as we know Amazon doesn’t do things in small measures, they’re hitting the music streaming world hard, hoping to draw in all types of music listeners.
Lets now look at Amazon Music UK, and what it has to offer.
Below are the options available through Amazon Music:
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited is a premium music streaming service and most popular among listeners. This service offers its listeners a wide variety of features, such as:
Access to over 60 million songs
This is includes all the latest and greatest artists and albums, as well as thousands of playlists and stations.
Amazon product compatibility
Owners of products like the Echo, Echo Dot and Fire TV can communicate with Alexa, who helps users search the entire database by song title, song lyrics or music style.
Amazon Music Unlimited is available on Android and iOS, as well as Mac, Windows, and the company’s own hardware, devices, and speakers.
This is the true Spotify and Apple Music rival, and works out at £9.99 per-month for an annual subscription (or £7.99 for Prime members). With this subscription you can expect to have access to over 50 million songs. According to the company, Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions grew by over 50% in 2019.
New music all the time
The newest releases are added the day they are released!
Ad-free listening
Uninterrupted, high quality audio with no no ads.
Offline listening
You can download your music, so you can listen to your favour songs wherever you are without using any of your data up. This is great for those who rely on using minimal data throughout the month.
Lyrics integration
Amazon Music Unlimited has one of the best lyric integration services available on the music streaming market. They use music AI and knowledge platform Musixmatch to synchronize lyrics with any song you’re playing. Now Amazon Music Unlimited users can learn the words to their new favourite songs or throwbacks.
Single device plan
Amazon also offer an excellent plan where you can use Unlimited Music for just £3.99 on one device from the below:
(Eligible devices: Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Studio, Echo Input, Echo Spot, Fire TV.)
Amazon Music Unlimited HD
The step-up and upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited launched last fall for £14.99 monthly (£12.99 if you’ve got Prime). The apps feature a quality indicator that tells the listener whether they are listening to an HD or Ultra HD track. This is great choice for the music purists out there who want the best available listening quality.
Amazon Music for Prime members
Amazon Prime members can expect to receive on-demand, ad-free access to over 2 million songs through the Amazon Music service. There’s no added fee or subscription for this, apart from the regular Prime membership. This is great to have if you don’t use Amazon Music on a regular basis, and don’t have a wide range taste in music.
Ad-sponsored Amazon Music
If you’re not a Prime member and don’t want to pay for music, Amazon still has something for you. The free, ad-supported version of Amazon Music gives you access to top playlists and thousands of music stations; you just lose the convenience of listening to any song you want on demand.
Amazon Music UK – Final thought
With so many rival services competing in the music streaming industry, it’s important to establish a niche to stand out from the crowd. Amazon has done this by launching the highest sound quality available in the market. This is an attractive option for music purists and anyone who wants to listen to their favourite artists in the clearest audio possible. However, that extra listening pleasure does come at a premium cost.
I personally use Amazon Music Unlimited, this has plenty of solid features, such as its huge library of 60 million songs and synchronised lyrics from one the best platforms on the market. Plus, there’s the perk of discounted prices for Prime members, which make the service particularly desirable for existing Amazon users.
The first month is free for Amazon Music Unlimited, so this is definitely worth taking a look at. The subscription can be cancelled at any time, and you will find out whether this is the online music streaming service for you.
I really enjoyed your article! I love listening to and creating music, and I’m always looking for new platforms to see how they compare, what they have to offer, and whether a switch it is order. Haha Amazon is definitely taking over the market in a variety of arenas, and will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the foreseeable future. Spotify better start cooking people’s dinner, cleaning their houses and paying their bills to stay ahead. Haha Great read! God bless you!
Thanks for your comment.
It’s definitely worth checking out, and I can definitely see Amazon becoming a bigger player in the market looking forward.
All the best,
Adam
Not sure how or why it wasn’t even on my radar that Amazon has a music streaming service- they have everything else. Ten years ago, I found Pandora and have looked at other streaming services but never left, since Pandora seems to know me so well. Lol! I’m thinking it might be time to take a look at Amazon music since they’ll probably do it like they do everything else and it appears you can get more/better quality for your money than other platforms. Good article.
Hi Holly,
Thank you for your comment.
I would definitely recommend Amazon Music Unlimited. I joined last month with the first 3 months free offer, and it’s great.
Thanks,
Adam
This is actually quite timely as I received an Echo 8 for Mother’s Day (I guess they like me). I tried to play a particular song but Alexa told me I would have to join the subscription program to get it. I appreciate that you have taken the time to explain the different options to me, as I’m not very tech savvy. Thank you!
Thank you for the comment, that’s great. I’m glad you liked my review and hope you enjoy Amazon Music if you join.
All the best,
Adam
Hi Adam
Thanks for this really useful article. I used to have Spotify Premium AND Amazon Prime and hadn’t realised that I got music included with it! So I have saved by self £120 which is great and I really love Amazon Music. My sister uses ‘Alexa’ (I don’t have one yet) for Amazon Music all the time but it is especially useful when she is cooking – it’s fantastic.
Looking forward to checking out more of your tips.
Best,
Jean
Hi Jean,
Thank you for the comment, that’s great. I’m glad you liked my review and enjoy Amazon Music, it’s really a great app.
All the best,
Adam
Thanks for the information, this was useful. The big difference between Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited is Amazon offers a tier of service for use on one Echo device for $3.99 per month, Non-Prime members pay $9.99 per month—same as Spotify (which can also be accessed on Echo devices).
Thank you for the comment.
All the best,
Adam
Hi Adam,
Thanks for the article about Amazon Music, and I have to admit that this is also my first time to know Amazon got a music streaming service. Among all the pros about the service, I like the Amazon Music Unlimited users can learn the words to their new songs. This is amazing. It’s kind of combine a language learning app and a music player for me. Love this cross-over!
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thank you for the comment, that’s great. I’m glad you liked my review.
All the best,
Adam
Hi Adam,
Thanks for this really informative piece. My sister-in-law has been gushing over Amazon music now for a couple of weeks. Before that I wasn’t even aware that they had a streeaming service – wonder why I was suprised! After all its Amazon …..they are into everything.
My favorite feature is the lyrics integreation. You sold me on this a whole lot better than my sister-in-law! I will definitely be following up.
Thanks