Amazon has announced that its music streaming service, Amazon Music, has surpassed 55 million subscribers, and paid subscriptions to Amazon Music Unlimited have increased by 50% in the past year. That means Amazon is closing in on Apple Music, which reported 60 million subscriber numbers in mid-2019, according to the Financial Times. However, Amazon and Apple have a long way to go if they hope to oust Spotify from the throne of music streaming; The world's most popular music service reached 113 million subscribers in October last year.
What is behind the growth of Amazon?
Amazon Music Vice President Steve Boom said: "Our strategy is unique, and like everything we do at Amazon, it starts with our customers. We have always focused on growing the streaming music market by providing music listeners with a choice like no other because we know that different listeners have different needs." For the past year, Amazon has focused on choosing its subscribers, introducing new subscription tiers like Amazon Music HD. The new plan means customers in the US, UK, Germany and Japan can stream their music in high-resolution codecs, allowing them to "hear their favorite music the way the artist intended." Amazon Music HD is the brand's answer to Tidal. Ultimately, more than 50 million lossless songs will be available in CD quality, with more tracks available in even higher resolutions. It costs €12.99 / €12.99 for Prime members and €14.99 / €14.99 for everyone, cheaper than Tidal's lossless streaming tier, which costs €19.99 / €19,99.