Music Business

Amazon Prime Music Adds Lots Of Songs. Let’s Hope They Stop There!

Octopus-tattoo-design-danielle-blueToday Amazon announced the addition of "hundreds of thousands of songs and hundreds of new, expert-programmed Prime Playlists to the Prime Music catalog." Obviously this isn't the same as licensing current hits from the major labels but you can already see it turning the tide in some of today's press coverage. But even with major label licensing Amazon won't win by building a superior product. In fact, I don't see them ever being the top music streaming service. Yet I do expect them to create a great deal of pain as they continue their march to dominate the 21st Century.

I bet I win for the most dramatic take on the Amazon situation but honestly the other option was to take boring and try to add a sparkle or two to crank out a post. I think the impending apocalypse deserves better, don't you?

Amazon Prime Music News: More Tracks, More Playlists

This is the news from Amazon regarding Prime Music:

They've added "hundreds of thousands of songs and hundreds of new, expert-programmed Prime Playlists to the Prime Music catalog."

They've listed a bunch of the playlists with descriptions like so:

"Jack White and More – These magical guitar sounds from Jack White and associates sound classic already. "

Really that's it for news. I took a look at the Jack White and More playlist. I'd listen to that I guess.

But note how this one press release worked to start changing the tide of Amazon Prime Music coverage in the tech press:

"So it does indeed look like Amazon has listened to our complaints about there not being enough music selection in Prime Music, and have added a ton more music to the service."

"Today, Amazon is taking a small step towards remedying that problem with an announcement of an expansion of the Prime Music service."

Others aren't so impressed but they seem to be taking it seriously even as they note that:

"Spotify boasts well over 20 million songs, while Amazon Prime Music only offers some number over a million (and less than two)."

Basically Amazon's doing what it does, gradually iterating towards its big plan which may not require them to have the top streaming music service or, at least, not the best.

So Where Is Amazon Really Headed?

In many ways I have no idea where Amazon Prime Music is headed. Sure, I know Bezos wants it all, from eating the breakfast octopus to attempting to control whole industries.

But it's ultimately unclear whether they have a real interest in a worldclass music service or whether it's simply a must have in their worldview. If the latter then they can continue as they have with their streaming video service which continues to add videos and now even has exclusive content but in no way feels like it's ever going to be the one service you have to use.

But for many of us Amazon is the go to retailer. And look at Amazon's awful design. I do quite a bit cause they're helping me make ends meet. But the things that draw me in, like the pricing, are their bludgeon in a war to destroy every competing business they can.

Personally I hope they fail because my vision of a web designed by Amazon is similar to a more colorful and efficient version of living in Eastern Europe under Soviet rule.

[Thumbnail image courtesy danielle_blue.]

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Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) also blogs at DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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