The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and the 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick now support streaming music through Amazon Music HD at up to a 24 bit depth and a 192 kHz sample rate. Previously, the only Fire TV model that was capable of streaming the higher quality music was the 2nd-gen Fire TV Cube. Read more ›
As expected, podcast integration has arrived for Amazon Music. Podcasts streaming is now available on Amazon Music in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan. Integration is not yet available in the Amazon Music app for Fire TV devices, but you can find it on the mobile app, web app, and Alexa devices at no cost. Read more ›
Amazon will be integrating podcasts directly into both Amazon Music and into Audible, according to GeekWire. Amazon has sent an email to podcast creators asking them to submit their podcast feed in advance of an upcoming launch. While it has been possible to listen to podcasts on Amazon Echos and Fire TVs through various 3rd party services, such as TuneIn, for some time, the experience has always been less than ideal, especially if you like to listen to your podcasts through multiple devices. If executed well, direct podcast integration into Amazon’s audio services could greatly improve the experience of listening to podcasts through Fire TVs, which already have an Amazon Music app and Audible app, as well as Amazon Echos, which currently redirect Alexa podcast requests to TuneIn.
Amazon has just announced a new free music service for Echo owners. If you’re not a Prime member with access to Prime Music and are not an Amazon Music Unlimited subscriber, you can now stream music from Amazon on your Echo device without paying anything. Read more ›
A new Amazon Music app for Android TV has just popped up in the Google Play Store, as first spotted by Android Police. Judging by the screenshots, the app appears to be very similar to the one available on Fire TV devices. The app is not available to install just yet, but you can pre-register for it, which will notify you when it’s available. It’s unknown if the app will only be available for NVIDIA Shield TVs, like the Prime Video app for Android TV, or if other Android TV devices will also be able to install the app once it’s released. This new Amazon Music app will give Android TV users access to both Prime Music, which is the 2 million song service that is included for free with a Prime membership, and Amazon Music Unlimited, which is the 50 million song service that requires a separate paid subscription.
Alexa has a new feature that lets you follow music artists. Doing so will result in your Echo devices letting you know when that artist releases something new. The alerts come in as standard Alexa notification, which means your Echo’s LED light ring will light up yellow and you’ll need to say “Alexa, what did I miss” or “Alexa, read my notifications” to hear the message. To follow or unfollow an artist, simply say “Alexa, follow/unfollow [artist name].” You can also follow and unfollow artists by visiting their page in the Amazon Music mobile app or web player.
Amazon has introduced a new feature called Alexa Cast that, as you can probably guess, lets you cast music to Alexa devices. It is being rolled out in an update to the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android. Tapping the new casting icon in the app brings up a list of your Alexa devices as well as your Alexa groups as destinations for music. Control between the app and the device remains in sync and can be controlled through either the device or the app simultaneously. Read more ›
Amazon has started rolling out an update to the Amazon Music app for Android and iOS devices that adds hands-free Alexa capabilities. These apps gained Alexa last year but you had to press an Alexa button on the screen each time you wanted to make a request. With this update, as long as the Amazon Music app is on-screen, you can now say “Alexa” and make a request without touching anything. Read more ›
Amazon has announced an upcoming exclusive audio program called The Soundboard with Elton John. It’s an aduio stream that will start on April 6th at midnight EST and last only 24 hours. The program is airing in conjuction with the release of two separate Elton John and Bernie Taupin tribute albums Revamp and Restoration. All Amazon customers, without needing to be a Prime member or Amazon Music Unlimited subscriber, will be able to tune into the audio collaboration between Elton John and long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin to hear exclusive interviews with Elton, Bernie, Coldplay, The Killers, Chris Stapleton, Q-Tip, Demi Lovato, and many more. Customers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Austria can listen to the program using the Amazon Music app, the web player, or through Alexa by saying “Alexa, play The Soundboard.“
Last year, Amazon announced that their music storage service would be coming to an end. At the time, Amazon said that customers paying for the service could continue using the service as long as they did not let their $25 annual subscription expire. Amazon has now changed their policy and has announced that all paid subscriptions will be coming to an end on April 30th. Customers using either the free or paid version of the music storage service can continue streaming their music after the end date, but they need to take action now. Read more ›
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