Amazon challenges Apple and Spotify with streaming service

London

AMAZON.com Inc on Wednesday launched a music-streaming service with subscriptions at US$3.99 a month for owners of its Amazon Echo speaker, sending the industry towards more flexible pricing after years of US$9.99 subscriptions.

"Amazon Music Unlimited", lets users access a catalogue of songs on demand, like Spotify and Apple Music. Subscriptions to play music on the Echo cost US$3.99 per month; for access beyond that, subscriptions cost US$7.99 a month for members of Amazon's Prime shipping and video service, and US$9.99 for non-members.