Amazon Music

Can Amazon Music be amazing?

Amazon Music is an online music-streaming service available on multiple platforms, including iOS/Android, PC, and Mac OS, Amazon Echo device and also its own web-powered application.

It has the classic features which all of its rivals like Spotify, Deezer, and Apple Music can offer to you: online streaming, music quality adjustment with the low-middle-high setting, artist/song suggestions and streaming multiple devices. However simultaneous music streaming gets unlocked only if you subscribe to the family plan for £15/$19 per month.

The precise quality bitrate is undisclosed. However, it must be about 320/kbps, since Amazon Music's highest audio quality sounds almost identical to that of Spotify.

One of the most cherished features that the app can provide you with is caching the music tracks so you could listen to them offline later - especially handy it becomes if a 12-hour plane flight awaits you soon.

The automatic music suggestions are based mostly on the artist or band than on genre, artist or a certain music epoch. For example, if you enjoy listening to Gorillaz Demon Days, you will find in the Recommended section Blur, The Good The Bad and The Queen and other projects lead by Damon Alborn. Odds are that sometime later you will also see songs by Radiohead, Coldplay, Oasis, etc. but don't expect to happen too soon. Unfortunately, the suggestion algorithm lacks sophistication and more subtle approach.

As for the rest, the application has an extensive catalog: about 2 million tracks of all genres, epochs vibes, etc. possible. From Pachebelle and Bach to A-ha, Jamiroquai and Franz Ferdinand.

Alexa, please don't stop the music!

What sets Amazon Music app apart from other streaming platforms is that you can commission Alexa to be your personal DJ/music director. Through voice commands, you can instruct her to find certain tracks or albums, form playlists, discover the whole discographies, find lyrics and their interpretation and also musicians' biographies. Alexa can find it all and give a short lecture on the artistic imprint of, let's say, Nirvana.

To enjoy your beloved tracks played on something louder than a phone speaker, you can resort either to the integrated Airplay function or simply apply Bluetooth signal to translates love ballads, symphonies, serenades, Brooklyn hip-hop beats, etc. through the external speakers.

The Bottom Line

Amazon Music does a decent job of providing decent music with a decent audio quality. It allows you to cache certain jams for later listening, offers a gargantuan music collection, supports multi-device synchronization and also employs Alexa's humble services, which can be quite useful while sitting at the wheel.

It's most major drawback is that it has no free, ad-powered option, so the least monthly payment you should expect is about $5 per month.

Amazon Music isn't any worse than its closest competitors and is recommended to be had for all the fans of the Amazon gadgets.