[ad_1]
MBW told you five months ago that Amazon was preparing a new high definition music streaming subscription service, intended for launch before the end of the year. Today (September 17), this news has been officialized.
Amazon has launched Amazon Music HD in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. It offers 50 million lossless HD songs, with a 16-bit resolution and 44.1kHz sampling frequency (described by Amazon as "CD quality").
In addition, Amazon Music HD subscribers can stream "millions of extra songs" in "Ultra HD" format (described by Amazon as "superior to CD quality"), with 24-bit resolution and frequency sampling rate up to 192 kHz.
This will cost existing Amazon Premium members $ 12.99 (US) / £ 12.99 (UK) per month and non Premium members at $ 14.99 / $ 14.99 per month.
Existing Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can upgrade for an additional $ 5 / £ 5 per month.
The launch today brings a new level of quality – and pricing – to Amazon's service.
Speaking of which, it's useful to quickly analyze Amazon's five-pronged music streaming strategy, which offers different levels – from the $ 14.99 free cost per month for individuals.
- Alexa device users can access an ad-supported music service that offers radio 'stations' or Amazon Music playlists for distribution. free;
- Those who are already main members ($ 119 in the United States) can also access a limited catalog at the request of more than 2 million songs via Prime Music;
- Those who own an Echo speaker can subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited (songs over 50m, all on demand) for only $ 3.99 per month via an "echo plan", but their account will be locked on their speaker;
- A full subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited – available on multiple devices, and directly competing with Apple Music or Spotify Premium – is charged $ 9.99 per month, or $ 7.99 for existing core members. A family plan for up to six users costs $ 14.99 per month;
- And a subscription to Amazon Music HD now costs $ 14.99 a month or $ 12.99 one month for Premium members. An HD family plan costs $ 19.99 per month.
Amazon is also committed to this sale: new Amazon Music subscribers can now opt for a free 90-day trial on Amazon Music HD, while current paying subscribers can try Amazon Music HD at no additional cost for 90 days.
"We talked to many artists when developing Amazon Music HD, they were excited about the potential of fans to be able to listen to their favorite music and hear it as it was recorded." said Steve Boom, vice president of Amazon Music.
"From rock to hip hop to classic and pop, we believe that listening to music at this level of sound will allow customers to regain their love for their favorite music and artists. As we begin a new listening experience for our customers and the industry, we combine the convenience of streaming with all the emotion, power, clarity and nuance of the original recordings. "
"The Earth will be changed forever when Amazon introduces high quality streaming for the masses."
Neil Young
Amazon indicates that Amazon Music HD will play "the highest audio quality supported by the device and the customer's network conditions" and compatible with a wide variety of devices, including desktop, mobile (iOS and Android), some Echo devices, Fire TV, etc. and fire tablets.
A convinced person is the rock icon Neil Young – an audiophile who launched his own service and device streaming music HD, Pono, in 2015.
Young said, "Earth will be forever changed when Amazon introduces a high quality stream to the masses.
"It will be the biggest thing that will happen in music since the introduction of digital audio 40 years ago."
"The Earth will be changed forever …"! A bold sentence, turning to the hyperbolic.
But, you know, he wrote Old man and you did not do it, hush.
The best available high-definition streaming offer comes from TIDAL, whose TIDAL Hi-Fi subscription level costs $ 19.99 per month and offers CD lossless streams at 44.1 kHz / 16-bit.
In addition, TIDAL also offers a "Masters" quality offering to more selective audiophiles, featuring thousands of 96 kHz / 24-bit albums.
TIDAL's "Masters" range is made possible by its partnership with the high definition digital music company MQA.
It is understood that Amazon has not partnered with MQA to create its own HD level.
Deezer offers a HiFi level at the standard price of $ 19.99 per month, which, like the equivalent of TIDAL, can stream music at 44.1kHz / 16bit via FLAC files.
The world's two largest music subscription platforms – Spotify and Apple Music – have not yet explored the world of high fidelity audio.Music from around the world
[ad_2]
Source link