Amazon is tipping it toe into the saturated online music streaming business by launching ‘Prime Music’ – its own service that will be available free for subscribers of Amazon Prime. It launched on Thursday (June 12) with over 1 million songs from some of the world’s most popular artists, including Beyonce, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna.

Amazon

In fairness, Spotify probably doesn’t have much to sweat about given Amazon are pretty open about not focusing on new releases given its limited catalogue. The company does not have a deal with Universal Music Group, meaning Music Prime users will not have access to the likes of Kanye West, Katy Perry or Taylor Swift.

“We're not claiming to have full coverage at this time,” Steve Boom, Amazon's vice president of digital music, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

“We don't view this as a zero-sum game - we think people will continue to listen to multiple music services,” Boom added, “I don't need them to stop using another service, but to also use my service.”

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Amazon’s streaming service will go head-to-head with the likes of Spotify, Pandora, Beats Music, Rhapsody and Google Play Music. The company hopes to poach users with its ad-free interface and promises unlimited streaming, as well as pre-programmed playlists and personalized recommendations.

“There are millions of people who want to buy and own music; there are also people that don't want to buy and own music. It's going to vary so widely," Boom said. "We won't know the answer to that question until months after and we see how consumers are reacting."

Prime Music could be another feature in Amazon’s cap – who recently announced a huge multi-licensing deal with HBO for its Instant Video service. The deal means customers will have access to the likes of The Sopranos, Deadwood, Big Love, Six Feet Under and The Wire.

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