Yes, Amazon Music Provides Access to Over 70,000 Podcasts
As an experienced Amazon seller, one question I‘m often asked is: "Does Amazon Music have podcasts?"
The short answer is yes – Amazon Music provides access to over 70,000 podcasts across a wide variety of genres, topics and formats.
While not as podcast-centric as Spotify or Apple, Amazon Music has invested heavily in podcast content across its Free, Prime, Unlimited and HD tiers.
In this comprehensive guide from an Amazon seller‘s perspective, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about Amazon Music‘s podcast offerings, including:
- Content breadth and key genres
- Popularity relative to other podcast platforms
- How Amazon is using exclusives to drive subscriptions
- Benefits and limitations for podcast creators
- How a robust podcast catalog attracts higher value users
- Download options for offline listening
- And much more!
If you already use Amazon Music, are considering it, or simply want to understand Amazon‘s podcast strategy, read on for the details.
Amazon Music Vs. Other Platforms: How Do Podcast Catalogs Compare?
First, let‘s zoom out and see how Amazon Music‘s podcast catalog stacks up to dedicated podcast platforms and music streaming rivals:
Platform | Approx. # of Podcasts |
---|---|
Spotify | 4+ million |
Apple Podcasts | 1.5+ million |
Amazon Music | Over 70,000 |
Pandora | Around 70,000 |
YouTube Music | Unknown, <70,000 |
SoundCloud | Unknown, <70,000 |
You can see that Amazon trails category leaders like Spotify and Apple in terms of sheer volume. However, with over 70,000 podcasts, Amazon Music still provides extensive choice comparable to other large music streaming platforms.
And importantly, Amazon‘s podcast catalog includes virtually all of the most popular and highest quality podcasts across top categories like:
- News (The Daily, Up First)
- True crime (Crime Junkie, Serial)
- Comedy (SmartLess, Conan O‘Brien Needs a Friend)
- Business (How I Built This, Planet Money)
- Music (Hit Parade, Disgraceland)
- …and many more
So while Spotify may have more long-tail content, most listeners can find their favorite major shows on Amazon Music without issue.
Now let‘s dive deeper into how Amazon Music delivers its podcast experience.
Podcast Category Breakdown: Top Genres and Shows on Amazon Music
Across over 70,000 shows, some of the most popular podcast categories on Amazon Music include:
🎧 True crime – e.g. Crime Junkie, Solvable, Dr. Death
🎧 Comedy – e.g. SmartLess, Office Ladies, Conan O‘Brien
🎧 News/politics – e.g. The Daily (NYT), Up First (NPR)
🎧 Music – e.g. Dolly Parton‘s America, Hit Parade
🎧 TV & movies – e.g. Fake Doctors, Real Friends, The Rewatchables
🎧 Kids & family – e.g. Wow in the World, Story Pirates
🎧 Business – e.g. How I Built This, Planet Money
In addition, you‘ll find extensive podcast options for sports, fiction, history, technology, health and fitness, spirituality and more.
Some data on Amazon Music‘s podcast listenership by genre:
- 22% of all podcast streams are true crime stories
- 15% of streams are comedy podcasts
- 13% are focused on TV and movies
- 8% are news and politics
- 7% are about music and musicians
This breakdown indicates Amazon‘s podcast audience has very mainstream tastes, with the top categories aligning with the broader popularity surges in true crime and comedy we‘ve seen across the industry.
Now let‘s look at some of the specific podcast highlights available on the platform.
Must Listen True Crime Podcasts
For true crime devotees, some of the most popular shows on Amazon Music include:
Crime Junkie – One of the most listened to true crime pods goes deep on mysterious disappearances, shocking murders, and more.
Dr. Death Season 1 – This chilling investigative series covers the horrific medical malpractice of the sinister Dr. Duntsch.
Cold – The first season of this true crime original focuses on the Susan Powell disappearance case.
Dateline NBC – Iconic newsmagazine show highlights dramatic true crime tales.
Serial – Landmark show that popularized true crime walks through complex cases across multiple episodes.
Based on Amazon‘s category-specific charts, Crime Junkie and Dr. Death Season 1 rank among the overall most popular podcasts on the platform.
Top Comedy Podcasts
Comedy podcast fans can laugh out loud to Amazon Music hits like:
SmartLess – Fun improvised chats between Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman.
Conan O‘Brien Needs a Friend – Silly, irreverent interviews from the iconic late night comedian.
Office Ladies – Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey recap The Office episode by episode and share BTS stories.
Fake Doctors, Real Friends – Scrubs stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison re-watch the hit show.
Armchair Expert – Dax Shepard has raw discussions with huge celebrities like Matthew McConaughey.
The combination of celeb hosts and beloved TV/movie themes is strong across Amazon‘s top comedy lineup.
Business & Entrepreneurship Podcasts
For insights into business success, popular Amazon podcast picks include:
How I Built This – Guy Raz interviews founders of iconic companies like Instagram, Wikipedia, JetBlue and beyond. One of NPR‘s biggest hits.
The Dave Ramsey Show – America‘s trusted voice on money gives practical personal finance advice.
Planet Money – NPR‘s award-winning economics show breaks down complex business concepts.
The Tim Ferriss Show – In-depth tactical advice from tech investor and bestselling author Tim Ferriss.
HBR Presents – Expert analysis on leadership, management and entrepreneurship from Harvard Business Review editors.
As an ecommerce seller, I find shows like How I Built This and Planet Money especially valuable for business insights I can apply to managing my Amazon presence.
This quick survey demonstrates the variety of popular podcast genres available on Amazon, even if the catalog isn‘t as comprehensive as Spotify‘s.
Now let‘s look at how Amazon is using exclusive content to enhance its podcast proposition.
Exclusive Podcasts Give Amazon Prime Members Added Value
In addition to widely available podcasts, Amazon Music produces original exclusives to help drive Prime memberships and paid subscriptions.
Some of Amazon‘s top exclusive podcasts include:
The First One – DJ Khaled interviews music icons like Chance the Rapper and Quincy Jones
Hanging with the Big Show – WWE superstar The Big Show gives behind-the-scenes stories
That Scene with Dan Patrick – The sportscaster provides commentary on iconic sports movie moments
En La Sala – Becky G hosts chats with high-profile Latinx celebs and voices
Disgraceland – True crime meets music history in stories of famous musicians and crime
These exclusives are central to Amazon‘s podcast strategy for a couple reasons:
They provide unique value beyond what‘s available on other podcast platforms
Celeb-driven shows like Khaled‘s or Smith‘s upcoming project help attract mainstream audiences
Originals tied to Prime give members another perk to make the subscription worthwhile
Much like Netflix and original series, owning exclusive IP makes Amazon a podcast destination vs. just a distributor
Amazon is likely to continue pushing more celebrity-driven Originals as podcasting becomes more crowded. Exclusives also support higher monetization potential through ads and promotions.
This aligns with Amazon‘s broader focus on growing revenue from media services like video, music and podcasts – a smart strategy for diversifying beyond ecommerce dependence.
Amazon Music Charts Help Listeners Discover New Podcasts
Beyond its core catalog, Amazon employs some key discovery features that help surface trending, relevant podcast content:
Podcast top charts – Across all shows and by genre, see the most listened to podcasts updated weekly
Binge picks – Featured section of shows perfect for binging over long periods
Editors‘ picks – Hand-curated selection of new releases and buzzy shows
New and noteworthy – Section spotlighting brand new podcast series
Recommended for you – Personalized suggestions based on your listening data and interests
These sections provide easy access points for finding new podcasts as an Amazon Music listener. Charts and personalized suggestions help new shows gain exposure to drive more listeners.
The data-driven recommendations in particular help listeners branch out beyond just the top podcasts. This discovery ecosystem will grow in importance as Amazon‘s catalog expands.
Benefits for Podcasters: Wide Distribution, Data Insights, and Monetization
For podcast creators, what benefits does distributing on Amazon Music unlock?
While Amazon likely can‘t deliver the audience size of Apple Podcasts or Spotify yet, there are some advantages to having your show on the platform:
Distribution reach – Exposure to Amazon Music‘s growing listener base
Listener data – Analytics on Amazon Music listenership activity to inform decisions
Revenue opportunities – Paid partnership potential through Amazon podcast ads and promotions
Brand association – Gain legitimacy from presence alongside major shows on a mainstream platform
Cross-promotions – Optional opportunities to cross-promote Amazon products, offerings within podcast
As Amazon pours more resources into podcasting, distribution on the platform also provides future-proofing as they bring more users into the ecosystem.
While the benefits may not be as significant as the top options today, inclusion on Amazon Music is a net positive for most podcasters.
Who Is the Amazon Music Podcast Audience?
So who is actually listening to podcasts on Amazon Music? Based on the information available, the platform‘s podcast audience skews:
Mainstream – Interested in popular genres and shows vs. niche or edgy content
General entertainment focused – Less likely to seek out specialty in-depth shows for hardcore fans
Already engaged Amazon users – Listen via Echo devices or as Prime/Unlimited members
Higher earning – Indicated by propensity for paid subscriptions over free tiers
Middle age and up – More likely to have disposable income for memberships
These traits contrast with Spotify‘s younger, more podcast-fanatic audience open to experimenting with a wide range of content.
But for advertisers and podcasters, Amazon listeners still represent an attractive demographic – their base is ready-made for premium ad targeting.
Amazon Music‘s Podcast Priorities: Growth, Differentiation, and Lock-In
Looking at Amazon Music‘s podcast strategy overall, their investments clearly aim to:
Grow podcast share – Amazon wants 5% or more of the industry‘s audience
Differentiate from music competitors – Robust podcast catalog needed to compete with Spotify
Drive subscriptions – Podcasts entice audiences toward more Premimum tiers
Increase retention/lock-in – Exclusives and personalized playlists keep users sticky
Unlock ad revenue – Amazon sells podcast ads and can cut better deals with more listeners
Extract more value per user – Podcast fans tend to pay for memberships at higher rates
Ramping up podcast content makes complete sense for Amazon‘s business from multiple angles – not just as a check-the-box feature.
Expect Amazon‘s pace of investment here to continue or accelerate as competitors double down as well.
Downloading Episodes for Offline Listening
One of the top user experience benefits Amazon Music provides is the ability to download podcast episodes for offline listening when you don‘t have an internet connection.
This is a hugely valuable feature for podcast fans, especially commuters or travelers.
However, offline downloads come with a catch – they are only available on paid Amazon Music tiers:
- Amazon Music Prime
- Amazon Music Unlimited
- Amazon Music HD
Unfortunately, you cannot download podcasts for offline listening if you only use the free, ad-supported Amazon Music tier.
But again, if you do pay for an upgraded membership, downloading episodes for offline access is simple:
- Find any podcast episode you want to download
- Tap the "download" button on its page
- Downloads sync to your device and appear in "My Library" > "Downloads"
- Play them anytime without needing internet!
Easy offline listening can be another incentive for Amazon Music subscribers who regularly commute or travel.
Conclusion: Amazon Music Provides Quality Podcast Experience
To wrap up, Amazon Music delivers extensive access to over 70,000 podcasts spanning every popular genre and interest. With major shows, original exclusives, personalized recommendations, and helpful discovery features, Amazon Music provides a quality podcast listening experience.
While the sheer amount of content may be less than dedicated podcast apps, Amazon Music‘s catalogasily satisfies most mainstream listeners. And the tighter focus on broadly popular shows complements Amazon‘s media ecosystem priorities.
For podcast creators, Amazon Music offers another valuable distribution channel and brand halo. And the potential advertising base incentivizes bringing more high quality productions onto the platform.
With podcast listening surging year after year, a robust catalog was a must for Amazon Music to remain competitive. By all indications, Amazon is committed to growing podcasts as a key part of its content and subscription strategy moving forward.
So whether you already use Amazon Music or are considering it as an additional listening option, don‘t hesitate to dive into their top podcasts across your favorite genres.