Do You Get Amazon Music with Amazon Prime in 2023? Yes, Here‘s How It Works
If you currently have an Amazon Prime membership or are considering signing up, you may be wondering: does Amazon Prime come with free music streaming?
The answer is yes! As of 2023, an Amazon Prime membership includes access to Amazon Music at no extra cost.
While it‘s not the full premium unlimited music catalog, Prime members get a decent selection of over 2 million songs, thousands of playlists, stations, and more to stream on-demand.
In this detailed guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about how Amazon Music works with a Prime membership, including:
- What features you get with Amazon Music Prime
- How to get started listening to music through Prime
- How much music and content is included
- What other Prime membership benefits exist
- How Amazon Music compares to rivals like Spotify
- Tips for current and prospective Prime members
- And much more
Let‘s dive in to understand exactly what you can expect when it comes to music streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription in 2023 and beyond!
What Is Amazon Music and How Does It Work?
Amazon Music is the e-commerce giant‘s full-scale music streaming service that lets you listen to songs, albums, playlists and podcasts on demand.
It gives you access to a library of over 100 million songs to stream without ads. Key features of Amazon Music include:
- Streaming songs on-demand, ad-free
- Downloading music for offline listening
- Creating your own playlists
- Accessing pre-made playlists & radio stations
- Listening across all types of devices
- Using Alexa voice assistant to play music hands-free
In terms of catalogue size, Amazon Music now matches competitors like Spotify, Apple Music and others with over 100 million tracks.
Amazon offers Music in a few different versions and pricing tiers:
Amazon Music Unlimited: The full premium music library with over 100 million songs. Costs $7.99/month for Prime members.
Amazon Music Prime: Ad-free access to 2+ million songs and thousands of playlists/stations. Included free with a Prime membership.
Amazon Music Free: An ad-supported free tier with limited songs & station listening. Requires an Amazon account.
Therefore, while Prime doesn‘t get you the full premium unlimited music catalogue, you do get a decent selection of songs, playlists, and features to meet most casual listening needs.
Now let‘s go over exactly how to access this music library if you have a Prime membership.
Getting Started with Amazon Music Prime
The process of accessing all the songs, playlists, and features included free with your Prime membership is quick and straightforward. Here‘s how to get started:
Make sure you have an active Amazon Prime membership. If not, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial.
Download the Amazon Music app on your phone, tablet, smart TV or other device. It‘s available on both iOS and Android.
Open the app and log in with your Amazon account info that‘s linked to your Prime membership.
You should now have access to stream from a library of over 2 million songs, thousands of stations, top podcasts and more!
Search or browse to find music to play, create playlists, download songs for offline listening, and utilize other features.
Start streaming on your phone, at home hands-free with Alexa, in the car, and other locations.
And that‘s all there is to it! The key is having an active Prime membership, which unlocks the Amazon Music streaming capabilities and songs library at no extra charge.
You can also visit Amazon‘s Prime Music support page for step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting if you run into any access issues.
But most Prime members should be able to log into the Amazon Music app or ask Alexa to play songs from their Prime library instantly.
How Much Music & Content Do You Get with Amazon Music Prime?
Prime doesn‘t get you Amazon‘s full music catalogue like the premium Amazon Music Unlimited tier does. But you still get a generous selection of content with an active Prime membership.
Specifically, here‘s what‘s included in Amazon Music Prime according to Amazon:
Over 2 million songs available on-demand and ad-free
Thousands of expertly curated playlists across genres
Hundreds of genre-based streaming stations
Access to new release albums from favorite artists
Top podcasts, originals and livestreams
Ability to download songs, playlists & albums for offline listening
So while 2 million songs is less than the 100+ million offered in Amazon Music Unlimited, it still gives you plenty of options for everyday music listening.
According to a 2021 survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, over 70% of Amazon Prime members stream music through their Prime plan. Most found the song selection completely met their needs.
Plus features like playlists, stations, new releases and podcasts further expand the amount of content you can stream for free as a Prime member.
Overall the free music library is generous compared to competitors like Apple Music or Spotify, which require a paid subscription for any on-demand streaming access.
What Are the Other Benefits of Amazon Prime?
While Amazon Music is a nice added perk, there are many other benefits that come along with an Amazon Prime subscription. Some of the most popular Prime features include:
Free 1-day or 2-day shipping on millions of eligible items. This is the #1 reason most people subscribe to Prime.
Prime Video – access to watch thousands of movies, TV shows, Amazon Originals and more. Includes over 20,000 movies and shows in the streaming library.
Prime Gaming – free games, in-game content, a free Twitch channel subscription each month, and more.
Prime Reading – unlimited access to over a thousand ebooks, popular magazines, comics, Alexa Audible narrations and more.
Prime Try Before You Buy – try on clothes before paying to buy them. Select items are eligible for a free 7 day trial.
Prime Early Access – get early access to Lightning Deals, new product releases, and limited-supply products.
Amazon Photos – unlimited full-resolution photo storage plus 5 GB video storage in the cloud.
Prime Day – exclusive access to big sales held annually in July for Prime members only.
Based on surveys of Prime members, the top 3 benefits beyond free shipping that drive subscription value are:
- Prime Video
- Amazon Music
- Prime Gaming
So while music streaming is a factor, free expedited shipping and video streaming tend to rank higher in terms of retention and satisfaction. But every Prime perk adds up to drive a great overall value.
How Does Amazon Music Compare to Other Streaming Services?
In the competitive music streaming landscape, how does Amazon Music stack up against rivals like Spotify, Apple Music and others? Here‘s an overview:
Amazon Music
- 100 million+ song premium catalog
- 73 million streaming subscribers globally
- $7.99/month for Prime members
- High-quality audio options
- Good custom playlists and radio stations
Spotify
- 82 million track premium catalog
- 433 million total users, 200 million subscribers
- $9.99/month standard premium price
- Top-rated playlists and music discovery
- Most popular streaming service
Apple Music
- Over 100 million song premium catalog
- Over 100 million subscribers
- $9.99/month standard premium price
- Tight integration with Apple devices and ecosystem
- Spatial audio and lossless quality options
While Spotify remains the dominant player, Amazon Music stands up well for Prime members in terms of price, library size, and quality. For just $7.99 a month, Music Unlimited provides tremendous value.
And the free Prime Music library has proven sufficient for most casual listeners looking to stream music occasionally. Amazon‘s focus on integrating music across Alexa and FireTV devices is also a smart strategy to differentiate itself.
How Much Does an Amazon Prime Membership Cost?
Here is a breakdown of the current Amazon Prime membership fee options:
Monthly plan: $14.99 per month
Annual plan: $139 per year, which breaks down to about $11.58 per month
For college students, an Amazon Prime Student membership is available at half price:
Student monthly: $7.49 per month
Student annual: $69 per year or $5.83 per month
There are also discounts available for qualifying customers on government assistance programs:
- EBT or Medicaid: $6.99 per month
Considering everything included with Prime, from fast shipping to music, movies, books, photo storage, and more, the membership represents an excellent value.
Amazon Prime is cheaper than a Netflix or Spotify subscription alone, and provides plenty of additional perks. So for frequent Amazon shoppers and users of its services, a Prime membership more than pays for itself.
Should You Sign Up for Amazon Prime in 2023?
So should you subscribe to Amazon Prime primarily for the included Amazon Music benefits?
Probably not – the free 2-day shipping tends to be the main driver for most members, more so than the streaming media options.
However, Amazon Music is an excellent added bonus on top of fast shipping that helps sweeten the value of a Prime membership.
Here are a few scenarios where signing up for Prime could make sense if music streaming is important to you:
You shop on Amazon frequently and want free expedited shipping anyway. The included music library is then a nice extra.
You currently pay for Spotify Premium or Apple Music and are open to switching services. You can save money with Amazon Music Unlimited included at just $7.99 per month with Prime.
You own Amazon Echo/Alexa devices and want to stream music throughout your home easily using voice commands. Having Amazon Music integrated enhances the experience.
You like having options and using different apps for free TV, movies, books, games, and music. Prime gives you all of that for less than the cost of standalone subscriptions.
For existing Spotify or Apple Music users, running a free trial of Amazon Music Unlimited to compare the catalog, playlists, and overall experience is a smart way to evaluate if you should switch.
But for most, the motivation for Prime will be heavily driven by the convenience and cost savings of free fast shipping on Amazon purchases. Any media benefits are viewed as bonuses, albeit nice ones.
Signing Up for Amazon Prime in 2023
If you‘re interested in trying out an Amazon Prime membership, here is an outline of what to do:
Go to the Amazon Prime sign up page or Amazon Music sign up page.
Select "Try Prime" or "Start your 30-day free trial". This will let you test out Prime for 30 days free.
Create an Amazon account or sign in with your existing credentials. Make sure your selected payment method is valid.
After signing up, download the Amazon Music app on your phone or tablet and log in to start streaming.
Take advantage of Prime shipping, streaming movies/TV, and other benefits during the trial period.
Before the 30 days are up, decide if you want to keep Prime and pay $14.99 per month or $139 per year going forward. Be sure to cancel if you no longer want it to avoid being charged automatically.
The free trial gives you adequate time to experience all the Prime membership perks first-hand, including Amazon Music. Ultimately, weigh the value you‘re getting compared to the fee when making a decision about keeping your subscription active beyond the trial period.
Key Takeaways on Amazon Music and Amazon Prime
Here are the main things to remember when it comes to music streaming included with an Amazon Prime membership:
Amazon Prime members get access to stream over 2 million songs ad-free through Amazon Music Prime at no extra cost.
The library includes playlists, stations, top podcasts and the ability to download for offline listening.
To start listening, download the Amazon Music app and log in with your Prime account credentials.
An active Prime membership gives you access to the music catalog and features instantly.
For the full 100+ million song premium catalogue, you can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for $7.99 a month.
Free fast shipping, movies, books, and other Prime benefits add up to provide strong overall value.
So in summary – yes, Amazon Prime does come with a complementary Amazon Music streaming library to enjoy without having to pay extra!