To better compete with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify, Amazon has rolled out a lossless streaming tier called Amazon Music HD. The company claims that this new tier added to its existing music service allows subscribers to listen to more than 50 million songs in high-definition.
Amazon Music HD costs $12.99 a month for Amazon Prime members and $14.99 a month for non-Prime users. The new service will offer songs with a bit depth of 16 bits and a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. Besides, Amazon claims that customers will be able to stream around a ‘million songs’ in Ultra HD, which offers a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate of up to 192 kHz.
“We spoke with many artists while developing Amazon Music HD, who were excited about the potential for fans to be able to stream their favorite music and hear as it was originally recorded. From rock to hip-hop to classical and pop, we believe listening to music at this level of sound will make customers fall in love again with their favorite music and artists,” said Amazon Music vice president Steve Boom.
Amazon recommends that users have a data speed of at least 1.5Mbps. Besides, the company also notes that sound quality and compatibility are hardware dependent. Amazon Music HD is compatible with a wide range of iOS and Android devices, including both desktop and mobile. The service is also available on some Echo devices, Fire TV, as well as Fire tablets. Amazon Music HD is now available in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan. The company is also offering a 90-day free trial for users to try out the new lossless streaming tier.
For now, Spotify and Apple Music rule the roost when it comes to music streaming services. Spotify is a globally popular brand and Apple has partnered with several carriers in the US to boost the popularity of its music service. Amazon’s latest move can certainly attract more users to subscribe to its service. And if Amazon’s newly added lossless streaming tier turns out to be a success, we won’t be surprised if the likes of Spotify and Apple Music come up with something similar.
