News

Amazon mulling subscription music service, earnings call today

Amazon is supposedly looking to launch a brand-new music subscription service that would go head-to-head with Apple Music and Spotify, according to a news report.

January 28, 2016

On the day it's scheduled to provide insight on latest financials, news comes that Amazon.com is reportedly investigating the creation of a new streaming subscription-based music service that could present Spotify and Apple Music with their biggest competitor to date.

According to the New York Post, the mega etailer has been holding planning and discussion meetings regarding music licensing strategies to expand its already expanding entertainment content delivery effort.

It's also putting the finishing touches on what will be its first Super Bowl commercial, which the Post claims is a $5 million effort with actor Alec Baldwin touting the voice assistant Echo.

Amazon already has a music content service in play through its Prime membership. Subscribers, who pay $99 a year for free delivery as well as book lending features, have about a million songs to listen to.

The Post states the new music service would be a separate offering with a monthly fee, reportedly to cost about $10 a month, and that the music library would be much more extensive than the Prime offering.

"The music industry wants to see all the tech giants fighting it out to try and really take streaming to the mainstream," one music industry insider told the Post.

The earnings call is scheduled for today, at 5 p.m. EST.