The summer of 1994 saw the creation of a company that has largely changed the way we shop, read, give gifts, and even view media. Amazon.com, founded by Jeff Bezos, started out as a mere resource for buying books. Based out of Seattle, Washington, the website filled orders for people in 50 states and 45 countries-all in its first 30 days of doing business! And today, it is run by more than 97,000 employees. Needless to say, Amazon became popular fast. And it has only grown tremendously since then. Over the years, Amazon has continued to cover more ground and in September 2007 began including music services, such as buying and downloading tracks. Music streaming, however, didn't become an Amazon service until June 2014. In other words, Amazon streaming is very new but still very convenient for certain consumers. If you have an Amazon Prime account, or if you're thinking of getting one, listen up. Prime Music, as they call it, is now available for all Amazon Prime members in the United States-at no additional cost to your membership!

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The Good

If you already hold an Amazon Prime account, the awesome news is that you pay no additional fees to stream their music. As a member, you immediately have access to over one million tracks and hundreds of playlists. What's more, Amazon streaming is ad-free, which means there are no interruptions to your listening experience. But that's not all. You'd think that since Prime Music comes with no extra fees that it would come without many perks. On the contrary, you can:

Handpick the songs you want to listen to (rather than being fed automatic tracks)
Skip or repeat songs as often as you want
Download tracks and listen to them offline without an Internet connection
Create playlists of songs that you've downloaded

Not bad at all! Amazon streaming also works with a wide variety of mediums, including Android, Windows, iOS, Roku, Sonos, and the Web. You can stream from devices like a Fire Phone, iPhone, iPad, Fire Tablet, Fire TV, Mac, PC, and even your car. They offer a free music app you can download too. But do be aware that Amazon apps work through the Amazon Cloud Player, which you'll have to download to use. If you're unsure about Prime Music, you'll love the length of their free trial period. For one month, Amazon lets you preview what it's like to stream with them-in the hopes that you'll love what you experience and sign up for that Prime account.

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The Bad

Probably the biggest downside to Prime Music is that you're required to have an Amazon Prime account in order to stream it. So even though there's technically no additional cost for streaming as a Prime member, you're also already paying the $99 fee per year (or $49 if you're a student) for the account. That means no free version is available in any sense of the term. Prime Music is also currently available in only the United States. While Amazon ships products across many countries around the world, the site hasn't linked music streaming to other countries, so if you're traveling or moving out of the US, you'll no longer have access to it. Furthermore, Amazon's music selection is pretty small compared to most competitors. One million songs sounds like a lot, but when other companies boasts 10, 20, or 30 million+ songs, Amazon's library starts to look like slim pickings. Along with this, they typically don't offer the most recent songs, so you can't expect to stream new releases through it. Another obvious con for Amazon is the fact that they've only offered streaming since mid-2014. That's not very much time to work out software errors, add tracks to the music library, and rectify other issues that inevitably pop up in the first few months (or years) of opening up shop. And while some competitors have been streaming music for more than 10 years, Amazon is still quite young and inexperienced, at least in this department.

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The Bottom Line

What makes Amazon music different is that it's directly linked to Amazon Prime, which has a very large customer base already. Unlike other streaming services, Prime Music is a service that comes with a membership that offers loads of other benefits, such as video streaming and discounts on mail orders. In this way, Amazon.com has set itself up to potentially gain a lot of streaming customers fast. They also stand out because they take features like offline listening, unlimited skips, and on-demand listening and put them all into one streaming service. What does this mean for you? It means that if you're an Amazon Prime member, you're in luck. You'll automatically enjoy great streaming services, albeit with a smaller music library and a slightly lower bit rate (256 kbps). And if you're not a Prime member, here's just one more reason you might consider signing up. Essentially, Amazon has rewarded current Prime members, enticed music lovers to join, and set itself apart from the more accessible and less expensive competitors.

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User Reviews

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344 Reviews

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Sydney Charleston South Jordan, UT

Amazon music is a great site to use! It comes along with our amazon prime membership. You can listen on your phone, and even connect it to your alexa to play music all throughout the house!

1 month ago

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soporia moment Tallahassee, FL

Amazon music Isn’t the first music app I would use but it is decent. I use it to upload onto my my Tv and sine I have prime some of the song are already free

1 month ago

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Brenda Nakhon Sawan, 60

Amazon was great but I had issues with my airpods while Siri was activated. It took me awhile before being able to figure out the issue. Once I figured it out it worked great again but for that period of time I was very frustrated with the app.

3 months ago

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Brycen Blater Phoenix, AZ

I don't think Amazon Music is as good as Spotify or Apple music. But they do have a lot of deals and so it is really easy to find it for only $.99 a month sometimes. It also works really great if you have other Amazon devices or if you buy music on Amazon. The customer service is also really helpful.

3 months ago

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Madisen Cluff Los Angeles, CA

My family and I love Amazon Music. It's nice being able to have multiple playlists so everyone in my family can have their own. It is a very family friendly app and is worth trying out. We use it everyday!

3 months ago

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r vido Provo, UT

I got this for free with my student prime subscription which was nice, but it wasn't super user-friendly like some other music apps I have

1 month ago

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Mason Allen Pleasant Grove, UT

Amazon music is a fine platform. I like that it is linked to my Amazon Prime and that is has a huge library. I am annoyed that I did not know this was a thing for a long while so I had been paying for another music service while I had access to Amazon Music all along.

8 months ago

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Karlie Ady West Valley City, UT

For the cost, the quantity of music offered is great. What I don’t like is how the parental controls work. I wish they were more detailed i.e. block songs with certain words or alternatively, since she can recognize my voice, havea feature with a voice-enabled password I could give to allow something when adults use it vs kids. As it stands, the levels of differentiation for maturity are pretty broad. You end up blocking stuff you might want to hear, and hearing stuff you would think would be blocked.

8 months ago

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Paige Ellis Slade Gilbert, AZ

There is not one day that has gone by in the past forever that we haven’t listened to Amazon music. It legitimately is the soundtrack of our lives. My kids are especially great at turning on their favorite songs and we have Amazon music to think for so many of our kitchen dance parties.

8 months ago

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Corbin Short West Wendover, NV

Amazon Music has been nice for having an Amazon Echo but other than that, it has just been easier as an Apple user to use Spotify or Apple Music. Other than that, everything is the same.. Just depends I think what device you are on.

8 months ago

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Sherman Watson

I use Amazon Music when I drive anywhere. I can pick any artist and listen to their entire body of work or listen to similar artists. I stream through Bluetooth on my car radio and Bluetooth speakers at home. I would not be able to afford a library as large as Amazon's. During a recent 10 hour trip I was able to listen to my favorite music during that trip.

3 years ago

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Rachael Berhan Salt Lake City, UT

I use amazon music all the time and I love it! It comes free with your amazon prime membership. The only thing is the music selection is sometimes slim...

3 months ago

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Wilkshake Lehi, UT

I am a huge fan of many Amazon service including their music service. I am able to access my own personal music as well as many other albums. I have enjoyed it so much that I went on to purchase their Unlimited services.

8 months ago

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Whitney Wilkins West Valley City, UT

I have loved Amazon Music. It has such a variety of music and is so easy to use. It is also definitely a perk that it can be hooked up to amazon devices which makes it easy to listen to anywhere in my house.

8 months ago

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Christi Gilbert Gettysburg, PA

I love the spontaneity of calling to Alexa to play any song at any time. Amazon music is able to draw from the other companies you have accounts with and put them all together.

8 months ago

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Calleigh Clayton Lehi, UT

Amazon music is great and has so many songs. They don’t have all clean versions of some songs, or a few songs at all. Only one person could listen at a time unless you paid more. But great streaming service

8 months ago

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murfday College Station, TX

I love that you have free access to a lot of music! I say free, but you do need a Prime membership. It is disappointing when they put music you have listened to before on the unlimited list that requires you to pay a monthly fee. Overall though, massive collection, great playlists, and options to organize your own library.

8 months ago

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Eddie Rios Ogden, UT

When Amazon does something-it does it in a big way. Same for Amazon Music. Everything under the sun is available in terms of music content. Its compatibility to other Amazon services is unique and helpful. All the streaming has easy to use tools. Music is easy to enjoy with Amazon Music.

1 year ago

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Kenneth Garwood

I have been an Amazon prime member for years and really like how they keep adding benefits and this latest one on music is really great. I love the extensive choices of music and cannot find a reason for improvement at this time.

3 years ago

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Alicia Holman Gilbert, AZ

Very easy to use and I like that it links with all of my other accounts. They have a large amount of music as well. The App is easy to use, but I wish they had someone to talk with when questions arise. There isn't a great customer service department to talk with when issues come up.

3 years ago

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Don Montegut, LA

The music options for Amazon Prime isn't known by many but it is as good as the others. There are a million choices and the best part is it comes free with an Amazon Prime subscription. You can upgrade and get even more music options.

3 years ago

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Mark Frogley Phoenix, AZ

Amazon Music came with my Amazon Prime account so I put no value in it. I got sick of the commercials on Pandora so I decided to give Amazon Music a try and was pleasantly surprised! I had no idea that I had all of this music at my fingertips!

3 years ago

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Madison Rees Logan, UT

The best part about Amazon music is that it can be used with Amazon. It all tied together and I don’t have to purchase another account. It is worth every bit of it! Costumer service is amazing! Returning items is easy! Absolutely amazing!

11 months ago

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McKenzie Logan, UT

Great music listening option! Our entire family enjoys Amazon’s streaming music service. There are literally millions of songs to choose from and it is so easy to make a playlist with each persons favorites. Everything stays organized and your music is easy to find because it is just a few clicks away!

11 months ago

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David Martin San Diego, CA

Amazon music is the very first app that I will open when I want to listen to music. I buy most of my digital music from Amazon, so the Amazon music app makes listening to my purchased music very convenient. You can even listen to general music stations through the Amazon Music app. Every year at Christmas time, I pay for one month of Amazon Music Unlimited so I can stream unlimited Christmas music for the whole month. I do feel like paying for Amazon Music Unlimited every month is a bit too expensive, so that is why I only do it for one month out of the year.

1 year ago

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Morgan Idaho Falls, ID

Amazon music is fun but I had a hard time finding the music I liked and when they switched to the music unlimited which was an additional cost I stopped using it.

3 months ago

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Traci Nakhon Sawan, 60

I love Amazon Music. It has all my favorite songs and use super easy to organize them into playlists. Not to mention I love the color of the app.

3 months ago

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Anne Sainsbury Salt Lake City, UT

They have every song I can think of, and I love that I can use my Alexa device to shuffle through their music!

3 months ago

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Frances Harmatuk Baltimore, MD

The best thing I can say about Amazon Music is how easy it is to discontinue. I never seem to be able to find the selection that I am looking for. Not user friendly at all.

5 months ago

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erika clayton Lehi, UT

I liked how easy it was to have Alexa play my playlists. I don’t like how if cover art changed the song would disappear from my playlist. There was also a lot of music not available

8 months ago

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Greg Francis Saratoga Springs, UT

I am a huge Amazon fan, when it comes to all things prime and alexa. Music is easy to control, and has a huge list, so I dont ever have to worry about finding the songs my kids recommend for me

8 months ago

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Missy Charleston, IL

I love that Amazon Music can pretty much play whatever comes to mind. It's easy to use the app to make playlists or to access recommended playlists based on our music selections. I think the service is worth the cost.

1 year ago

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Paula Mock

I have used this company for close to two years. I pay the yearly fee for unlimited music. I can stream music on my phone, computer, and on my Amazon devices (fire tv, Alexa). I can play individual songs, artists, and album. I wish it was a little less money, or included with an Amazon Prime Membership.

3 years ago

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Amy McCarlie Orem, UT

I enjoy listening to Amazon music. They do have a large selection to choose from. I do struggle to find a large selection of edm which I enjoy because it helps me keep up my energy at work. I don't love that I have to pay for some of my fav old and new bands in other genre. Overall I'm happy.

9 months ago

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Marlee Jones Tucson, AZ

My favorite part is that for most songs it will show lyrics for the song! It's great for a jam sesh. My only beef is that I share an account with my parents and you can only cast to one device at a time from the account. A problem when you live in different parts of the country!

11 months ago

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Dawson Sanders Fayetteville, AR

This music platform is awesome! It is very user friendly and easy to use! I would not recommend another music listening experience than Amazon music! Also very beautiful aesthetics !

11 months ago

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Azrienne Davis Tallahassee, FL

As someone who has a prime membership, i have access to all of the music! It even makes it easy while listening on my EchoDot, which is speaker from Amazon. they have an option to favorite your most loved songs as well

11 months ago

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Kylie Best Norcross, GA

This is my go to app for playing music, I used to not know what a lot of the songs my friends would play were until I found amazons music billboard songs and now I’m in tune with all the latest songs. I don’t have amazon unlimited which means I’m restricted from certain songs but a lot of the music and stations in fact, almost all are free. Their podcasts are great to listen to when on the go or when your looking for a laugh or honestly anything. I love this app and it is a day to day use for me!

1 year ago

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Nikki Wildomar, CA

I loved the ease for music especially when I was training for a half marathon and needed good music. It’s was easy to use and had a lot of options. And was helpful when frozen 2 came out and we needed to replay the soundtrack over and over 😜

1 year ago

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Lottielyn Schwenke Orlando, FL

The thing I love most about cooking is saying, 'Alexa, play Today's Hits on Amazon Music'. We have an echo in all our rooms and I love filling the house with music when I'm home, makes things like cooking and chores fun when you can dance along.

1 year ago

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Lindsay Ploeger Salt Lake City, UT

I love the access to all the music I want, past and present. The option to make my own playlists that I can then still play while offline without having to buy all the songs is very beneficial. I did not like that, while using the free version, I noticed more and more of the songs I had been able to play previously were suddenly only available with an unlimited membership.

1 year ago

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Tiauna Anderson Salt Lake City, UT

I use our Amazon music account literally every. single. day. with my girls. We love to dance all day long to the songs and it's so convenient to say "Alexa, play..." The music catalog available is extensive and we are able to find any song my girls are looking for. I highly recommend.

1 year ago

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Epham16 Winter Garden, FL

I used to pay for multiple music streaming sites but it was just too much for me. But since I already pay for amazon services it is so nice that the music streaming service is included!! I can listen to all of my favorites still without paying for another app on my phone

1 year ago

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Robert Wilson Rockville, MD

AS part of my Amazon Prime membership I use their music streaming service a lot. It is especially useful at work as they have a wide variety of music covering just about anything I can think of. The quality of the sound is good. I like that is part of my Prime membership as it makes feel like I got a bonus service for nop extra money. If you are a member I highly recommend it.

1 year ago

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JDWain Tallahassee, FL

I love having my amazon music connected to my alexa at home. it makes my alexa 100% better and is a must have add on. I have always had a good experiences when dealing with amazon customer service and they always fix whatever problems I have.

1 year ago

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Lawrence Lee Provo, UT

I like it okay! But I feel Spotify really owns this space. I used Amazon music streaming for a summer and it was just missing a lot of songs I liked. The platform was a little clunky and not as intuitive to navigate. It did its job alright if I just queued up everything I wanted at once. It's constantly improving, but I sometimes just use YouTube when I'm not using Spotify to find music I want to listen to as they can suggest other new and existing songs that I typically like. Also, still concerned about privacy with Amazon because they say they're not listening but it's still unsure how much they're recording through the Alexa devices.

1 year ago

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Adrianne murray Brigham City, UT

Honestly we use Amazon music every single day. Who doesn’t love baby shark 40 times a day. No seriously i listen to Country music every day while cleaning house. It’s definitely worth the music selection. My teenagers like it for a lot of their rock and heavy metal

1 year ago

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Jeremy Brown Riverton, UT

I love Amazon music because it has lots of my favorite songs and groups. I is very helpful so you can just search up your favorite songs and then they will play it. And also you can make your own playlist and so you can add new songs all the time and there is no limit on how many songs you can put on.

1 year ago

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Gail Strother Bentonville, AR

Love that prime music is include with my Prime membership. Great product.... only drawback, I get tired of the constant requests to upgrade to a premium version. I am happy with what I have. Leaving on a good note. Great selection and easy to use.

2 years ago

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Jennifer Smith Salt Lake City, UT

I love waking up to soft music with Amazon Music. I use my Echo Dot to stream the music and it is enjoyable and easy. Any time I want to stream music, I turn to Amazon because they always have what I want, and it is so simple to access.

2 years ago

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