Another day, another dollar: Amazon Music Unlimited is getting a price hike

[Shawn Knight]

Editor's take: A buck here or there isn't going to break the bank but when every single service you subscribe to goes up in cost, it might be time to rethink your subscription strategy. If you are like most, you wake up one day to the realization that you have subs to more platforms than you can possibly justify. Canceling subs to all but the core apps you use the most would make a lot of sense, and you can always cancel and resubscribe as you see fit.

Amazon has become the latest streaming provider to raise the price of its streaming music service. Here's where things currently stand, as best I can tell.

Amazon Music Free is the e-commerce giant's entry-level music streaming service. The landing page notes that no credit card is required, presumably meaning you also don't have to be a Prime subscriber to utilize it.

Amazon Music Prime, meanwhile, is reserved for paying Prime members as one of the subscription's many perks. It affords ad-free listening to Amazon's entire library, and lets you shuffle play any artist, album, or playlist.

The top-tier offering, Amazon Music Unlimited, is more akin to paid offerings from rival streaming services. With it, you get unlimited, on-demand access to Amazon's full music collection with unlimited skips and the ability to listen offline. It is this tier that is going up in price.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which was the first to report on the hike, Amazon Music Unlimited will set subscribers back $9.99 per month moving forward (up from $8.99). The family plan, which includes access for up to six users and previously commanded $15.99 a month, will now be priced at $16.99.

The changes will go into effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing members should see pricing update on their bills starting September 19.

Streaming subscription prices keep going up, and it feels like there is no end in sight. Spotify, the last major holdout, jacked rates last month across the board. Before that, it was YouTube Music Premium, Tidal, and Apple Music. And it's not just music services that are going up. Pretty much every major video streaming platform including Netflix, Disney, YouTube and Paramount have all raised rates in recent memory.

Image credit: Filip

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99811-another-day-another-dollar-amazon-music-unlimited-getting.html

 

[Vrmithrax]

Yah, I stopped using Prime Music when they decided to completely hobble the standard version and force you to pay monthly for basic features that used to be included... Having to pay a fee to download music and listen to a playlist without being forced online and getting other music they decide you should like, for example - even music you bought outright. The basic player just became another Pandora/Spotify/etc. clone. Used to be the music access was a nice bonus and helped to justify the yearly cost of Prime service. But if I have to pay monthly for basic features I need, I will certainly go with a service that has a better player app than Prime Music - easier to overlook its deficiencies when it was free.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

See, I buy these things called "CDs". They're really neat. You buy it, and you can use it as much as you want without a subscription or internet access! Plus, you can take the music form it, and put it on your phone or PC, and listen to it anywhere!

Really revolutionary tech. Wonder if it will ever catch on....

 

[GhostLegion]

See, I buy these things called "CDs". They're really neat. You buy it, and you can use it as much as you want without a subscription or internet access! Plus, you can take the music form it, and put it on your phone or PC, and listen to it anywhere!

Really revolutionary tech. Wonder if it will ever catch on....

I doubt it will catch on when I can purchase the same or better quality online and do the exact same thing. Unless you are one of the people that enjoys collecting them (no shame in that).

 

[RudyBob]

I guess it isn't "unlimited"

 

[RudyBob]

I doubt it will catch on when I can purchase the same or better quality online and do the exact same thing. Unless you are one of the people that enjoys collecting them (no shame in that).

I love the better quality argument. My pictures from the 50's and 60's look great and I think my records, scratches and all sound just fine. In fact so do my KA-Sets

 

[toooooot]

My choice was easy from the very beginning.
I always wanted a service with lossles.
Such options cots a lot back then.
Now I am guessing they cost even more.
Speaking of online services.
Some users reported that youtube threatens to block the player if they keep using adblock.
We might be living last months when youtube stops being free without ads.
And youtube costing considerably more than low tier video services, well that would be regrettable.

 

[loki1944]

My choice was easy from the very beginning.
I always wanted a service with lossles.
Such options cots a lot back then.
Now I am guessing they cost even more.
Speaking of online services.
Some users reported that youtube threatens to block the player if they keep using adblock.
We might be living last months when youtube stops being free without ads.
And youtube costing considerably more than low tier video services, well that would be regrettable.

I lived without internet before and I can do it again. I've actually greatly expanded my offline ability in the past decade. Much larger CD, VHS, DVD, audio casette collection; offline W98SE, 2000, XP, W7 PCs with CD/DVD and offline gog game installers, probably around a 2,000 book library, consoles with cartridges and disks from Atari thru Xbox 360. I have 0 fear of going offline.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

To be fair, subscription prices are just catching up with inflation.

The dollar is worth less now thanks to the Fed.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I doubt it will catch on when I can purchase the same or better quality online and do the exact same thing. Unless you are one of the people that enjoys collecting them (no shame in that).

Where? Streaming services are bitcrushed to reduce bandwidth use. People use services like netflix, get a 4k TV, stream 4k netflix, and think its GREAT.....until they get the same show on a 4k blu ray and realize how much better it looks.

Same goes for audio. I've yet to find a "streaming" service that offers even CD quality audio. Now yes, you CAN purchase the digital version of albums in higher quality, which I frequently do, but that's not a streaming service.

 

[GhostLegion]

Where? Streaming services are bitcrushed to reduce bandwidth use. People use services like netflix, get a 4k TV, stream 4k netflix, and think its GREAT.....until they get the same show on a 4k blu ray and realize how much better it looks.

Same goes for audio. I've yet to find a "streaming" service that offers even CD quality audio. Now yes, you CAN purchase the digital version of albums in higher quality, which I frequently do, but that's not a streaming service.

I said I can buy better quality than CD online and store it locally, I never said stream it. If you want to stream, then buy that quality digitally and stream it from a local server. But my main point was that I can buy high quality audio online and store it locally without resorting to CDs.