Music
Music The launch marks a significant change in Amazon’s music strategy in India, where Amazon Music has historically been included as a bundled benefit with Prime membership at no additional cost.
Amazon
Amazon has launched Amazon Music Unlimited in India, bringing its premium music streaming service to the country for the first time. The new subscription tier offers ad-free listening, on-demand playback, offline downloads, HD audio, and Spatial Audio, positioning it directly against services such as Spotify Premium, Apple Music, and YouTube Music Premium.
Music Prime Music Will No Longer Be the Top Tier
The bigger development is what happens to existing Prime users.
Amazon is restructuring its music service into three distinct tiers. At the top sits the new Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, followed by the Amazon Music experience included with Prime membership. A third tier, Amazon Music Free, will launch soon and offer access to the full music catalogue through an ad-supported experience with limited features.
This means Prime Music is no longer Amazon’s flagship music offering. Instead, users who want the highest-quality audio, unrestricted playback, and premium features will need to subscribe separately to Amazon Music Unlimited.
Music A Strategy Similar to Prime Video
The move mirrors a strategy Amazon has already adopted with Prime Video.
Last year, Amazon introduced advertisements on Prime Video content and began offering a separate paid add-on for users who wanted an ad-free viewing experience.
The new music structure follows a similar approach. While Prime members will continue receiving music benefits, Amazon is now creating a premium tier above the bundled offering and an ad-supported tier below it.
The result is a three-tier ecosystem that gives Amazon more flexibility to monetise music listeners while continuing to use Prime as an entry point.
Music What Amazon Music Unlimited Offers
According to Amazon, Music Unlimited includes access to more than 100 million songs, ad-free listening, offline downloads, HD and Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos) support, and unrestricted on-demand playback.
The company is also offering free trial periods for both Prime and non-Prime customers as part of the rollout.
Music Why Amazon Is Making the Change
The launch comes as competition in India’s music streaming market intensifies, and companies search for sustainable revenue models beyond advertising. The new subscription structure appears designed to capture users across different price segments, from free listeners to premium subscribers. Amazon also finally competes with Spotify to offer Dolby Atmos listening, albeit at an extra cost. On the other hand, Apple Music continues to offer the Dolby Atmos catalogue for no extra cost, still priced at ₹119 per month after the last revision.
For Prime members, however, the biggest takeaway is simple: just as Prime Video is no longer fully ad-free by default, Amazon’s music service is no longer a one-tier experience either. The best version of Amazon Music now sits behind a separate subscription.
