What you need to know
- Amazon Prime subscribers now have access to 100 million songs through Amazon Music.
- Previously, Prime subscribers could only play two million songs through the service.
- While subscribers can access all of the 100 million songs, they can only do so on shuffle.
Spotify ownership likely took note of Amazon’s latest maneuver. Amazon Prime subscribers now have access to 100 million songs, all at no additional cost. Previously, people would have had to either pay extra for Amazon Music Unlimited or settle for the catalog of two million songs previously available through Amazon Music.
Two million songs may sound like a lot, but Amazon Music used to be quite limited when it came to the latest hits and some songs at the top of the charts. The 100 million song library that’s now available to Prime members is much more robust.
While the change may be enough to shake up our list of the best music apps on Windows, there are still some notable limits to Amazon Music. While Prime members can play all 100 million songs in the library, they can only do so in shuffle mode. They’ll be able to shuffle songs based on genre, artist, or album.
That limit is enough to drive some people to paid subscriptions without such restrictions, but it positions Amazon Music well against Spotify’s free service. Many people already view their Prime membership as a standalone item that’s worthwhile for a specific part of the subscription, such as Prime Video or express shipping. A free music library — or at least one that doesn’t require additional payment for Prime members — may be more than enough for many people.
The free version of Spotify has ads. While Amazon Music is attached to a paid subscription, it may not be viewed as an additional cost on its own. Effectively, that places Amazon Music squarely against Spotify’s free version.
