Following its introduction, Amazon has shared some figures showing how popular the service has proven so far. Prime members who signed up to use Prime Music have so far streamed “tens of millions of songs,” and added more than a million Prime Playlists to their accounts. Steve Boom, Amazon’s appropriately named VP of Prime Music, says this “exceeded expectations,” and naturally, Amazon reminds us Prime Music is free for Prime subscribers.
Prime Music is Amazon’s challenger to the recent rise in online streaming music services, and it provides unlimited, advertising-free streaming of songs to those who pay up for Amazon’s Prime service. It faces competition from Spotify, Beats, and even AT&T’s own similar streaming service.
Currently only available in the United States, Prime Music will be a key part of Amazon’s strategy to sell the new Fire Phone, which includes one year’s subscription to Amazon Prime. In addition to Prime Music, members also get two-day free shipping, and access to Amazon’s streaming video service, along with the Kindle ebook lending library.
Interestingly, Amazon provides a list of the playlists and songs which have proven most popular so far, and the selections offer a glimpse of Amazon’s customer base. The top 10 Prime Playlists include “50 Great 80s Rock Songs,” “Feel Good Country,” and various other compilations featuring music from the 80s and 90s. The Prime song chart is topped by Timber by Pitbull, All of Me by John Legend, and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. Classic tracks by Passenger and the Blue Oyster Cult are also featured.
While the singles are less age-specific, the playlists do suggest Amazon is pulling in more mature listeners. Perhaps Prime’s $100 per year subscription fee is keeping younger audiences from listening, ensuring Amazon loses out to the free or lower cost option of Spotify. Prime Music launched on June 12, and Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of its Prime service, so it’s easy to try out, while the Fire Phone goes on sale in July.
