Amazon Music and Alexa are teaming up to bring Alexa users Amazon Music for free. Much as it is on Spotify, starting today, Amazon Music will be free to play on Alexa, as long as users don’t mind listening to ads. Now, Alexa users can simply say, “Alexa, play Beyonce” and they will instantly be listening to Single Ladies or any other one of Beyonce’s hit songs. It is important to note that if you have Amazon Prime, then you already have an Amazon Music subscription.
Amazon Music is currently only free for Alexa users in the United States but could expand at a later date. If you are not an Amazon Prime member or Amazon Music subscriber, you will be given limited access to the Amazon Music database. However, that limited access will let you listen to around 2 million songs.
Amazon Music is also accessible through the Amazon Music app on your smartphone. If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a one-month free trial, which will give you unlimited access to over 50 million songs. After the trial period, it will be $11 a month. The Amazon Prime membership only gives users access to the free tier of Amazon Music, much like Alexa users will receive. If you want Amazon Prime Unlimited, which grants users access to over 50 million songs, you’ll have to pay extra.
The decision to make Amazon Music free for Alexa users is no doubt in response to Spotify, Pandora, and other music streaming services offering a free version. With over 100 million Amazon Prime subscribers, it seems that the majority of Alexa owners would already have access to Amazon Music through their Prime subscription. Nonetheless, if you own an Alexa and don’t have Amazon Prime, you can now rock out to some of your favorite songs for free, as long as you don’t mind a few ads.