Amazon is reportedly planning to launch its music streaming service this year. According to a Reuters report, the company will be announcing this late this summer, or early fall. The report says that Amazon will be pricing the service at $9.99 per month, pitting it against Apple Music and Spotify. While it will presumably be confined to the US at first, Amazon is likely to bring the service to India as well. The company is currently finalising licenses with music labels, including India, the report says.
Further, Amazon’s music streaming service will apparently also be integrated closely with its Echo connected speaker. Echo can already play Apple Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio and more. It is worth noting that Amazon already offers a music service, called Prime Music, which is meant for its Amazon Prime subscribers. This, though, was launched with only about a million songs, which is quite low, compared to the competition.
Launching in India would give Amazon a better stand against its competitors. However, the company will face stiff competition here. While Spotify has shied away from launching in India so far, Apple Music has been here ever since it launched. Amazon would also have to compete against services like Wynk, Gaana and Saavn, which have all established a foothold in India, with a wide collection of Indian music. This would be key to Amazon’s success with its music streaming service in India.