Amazon and Google Both Launch Ad-Based ‘Free’ Music Tiers

Amazon:

And so, beginning today, customers in the U.S. who do not yet have a Prime membership or a subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited will now be able to listen to an ad-supported selection of top playlists and stations for free with Amazon Music on compatible Alexa-enabled devices.

Google:

Listening to music on your Google Home speaker right out-of-the-box seems too good to be true, right? It’s not! Starting today, YouTube Music is offering a free, ad-supported experience on Google Home speakers (or other Google Assistant-powered speakers).

Seems like the exact same thing from both companies: free streaming, but only using their respective smart speakers (so not on phones or computers), and with ads. Will be interesting to see just how many ads that is.

★ Thursday, 18 April 2019