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Amazon is preparing a high fidelity music streaming service for launch by the end of the year, according to a report from Music Business Worldwide – a site that also accurately reports on Amazon's recent launch of free Amazon music service funded by advertising for Echo device owners. . For the high fidelity service, it is planned to charge about $ 15 a month for this "better than CD quality" offer, which could be a direct challenge for TIDAL.
It would seem that Amazon wants to cover the market as well as low up by offering direct competitors to services such as Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music and now TIDAL.
The company's investment in music not only generates new revenue streams through advertising and subscriptions, but also provides a direct connection to Amazon's smart speakers – its Echo line of devices. For consumers who pay for money, streaming advertising-funded services on an Echo Dot may suffice. But those who bought, for example, a stereo pair of Echo Plus and an Echo Sub might also want a better music subscription.
Currently, these audiophiles may have looked for something like TIDAL. The Hi-Fi level of the service is $ 19.99 per month for CD-quality streams at 44.1 kHz / 16-bit. TIDAL also offers a Masters quality level at 96 kHz / 24 bits. Deezer, meanwhile, broadcasts 16-bit FLAC files.
It's unclear exactly where Amazon's high fidelity service will fit in because the bit rate is not known.
However, discussions are still in their infancy, says the report – only one major record company is already engaged.
If Amazon launches the launch of this high fidelity service, it will have differentiated rates and feature sets covering the market for streaming music, from free to paid. This will help the company to retain customers who would otherwise have used a competitor for a differentiated offer. As an additional incentive, Amazon could also choose to offer offers and discounts to its premium offer to those who buy its smart speakers or subscribe to Prime – as is the case today with its Amazon Music Unlimited package to $ 3.99 / month related to a single Echo device.
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