Amazon.com has announced storage plans that include unlimited space for music, but only for a limited time. In addition, the online retailer has began offering two enhancements to Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player: free storage for all Amazon MP3 purchases, as well as Apple iPad support for Cloud Player for Web.
For a limited time (Amazon wouldn't say when it will end), if you purchase a Cloud Drive storage plan, you will receive unlimited space for your MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files. This offer is available for even the lowest price plan: $20/year for 20GB of storage. You can purchase a Cloud Drive storage plan and receive unlimited space for music over at amazon.com/clouddrive/manage.
The other two enhancements aren't limited to a certain time period. From now on, you will be able to store all Amazon MP3 purchases for free in Cloud Drive, including future MP3 purchases as well as all purchases made before the launch of Cloud Drive and Cloud Player. That's right: Amazon MP3s will not count against a customer's storage quota.
Amazon has also released Cloud Player for Web on iPad, in addition to supporting Android phones, Android tablets, Macs, and PCs. To access it, just open Safari on your iPad and navigate to amazon.com/cloudplayer.
Four months ago, Amazon launched Cloud Drive, an online service that lets you securely store and access music through your computers and portable devices. Included in the service is Cloud Player, which allows you to search, organize, and play your music files from any computer running Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari for Mac, or Chrome. All customers automatically start with 5GB of free storage to begin uploading their content.
The Android app has been available from day one, letting you access your music on the go. Eventually, Amazon updated the Cloud Player for iOS users with Safari, an experience which isn't quite as nice as an actual app, but it gets the job done.
"Customers are already enjoying Cloud Drive and Cloud Player and now for just $20 a year, customers can get unlimited space for music," Craig Pape Director of Amazon Music said in a statement. "Additionally, we are adding free storage for all MP3s purchased from Amazon MP3, and support for the iPad. Our customers love Cloud Drive and Cloud Player and we’re excited to innovate these services on their behalf."
