Apple Music coming to Amazon's Echo speaker range on December 17
Owners of the Amazon Echo device range will soon be able to listen to Apple Music through the smart speakers, the retailer advises, with Apple's streaming music service expanding its reach to the Alexa-powered audio hardware starting from the week of December 17.
Announced via the Amazon corporate blog, Apple Music subscribers will be able to make requests to Alexa to play from Apple Music's catalog of 50 million songs through the Echo devices. Aside from individual artists and songs, users will be able to request any playlist made by Apple Music's editors available on the service, as well as expert-curated radio stations from different genres, and even to listen to Apple's digital radio station Beats 1.
To use the facility, users have to enable a new Apple Music skill in the Alexa app, followed by linking their account.
While the skill will be made available from December 17, it is unclear if it will apply only to users in the United States at launch before a wider rollout, or if Echo devices in other countries where Apple Music is also available will also gain the support at the skill's launch.
"We are committed to offering great music providers to our customers and since launching the Music Skill API to developers just last month, we've expanded the music selection on Alexa to include even more top tier services," said Amazon Devices senior vice president Dave Limp. "We're thrilled to bring Apple Music - one of the most popular music services in the U.S. - to Echo customers this holiday."
While Apple Music wasn't previously supported by the Amazon Echo via Alexa requests, the workaround to play Apple Music tracks effectively used the Echo as a Bluetooth speaker. The addition of the Alexa Skill will enable verbal requests through Amazon's digital assistant, but it won't enable other ways of playing music, such as by adding AirPlay support.
Considering the Amazon Echo range is competing with Apple's own HomePod, the addition of Apple Music onto a rival platform may seem unusual, but it offers a number of benefits to many users. For Apple, it significantly increases the number of devices that can stream Apple Music, as Amazon has a considerable existing install base of the Echo, Echo Dot, and other models.
Amazon will benefit from having even more music service options available to consumers on the Echo range, along with Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and others.
For consumers, this presents the opportunity to add numerous Apple Music-compatible speakers to their home, and in the case of the Echo Dot, at a far lower cost than buying a HomePod. While unclear, it is also possible the feature will work with other speakers and devices that use Alexa from third-party vendors, including Sonos and Bose.
News of the new skill arrives shortly after the two companies made a deal to make new Apple products available on Amazon from Apple directly and authorized resellers from January 4.
Announced via the Amazon corporate blog, Apple Music subscribers will be able to make requests to Alexa to play from Apple Music's catalog of 50 million songs through the Echo devices. Aside from individual artists and songs, users will be able to request any playlist made by Apple Music's editors available on the service, as well as expert-curated radio stations from different genres, and even to listen to Apple's digital radio station Beats 1.
To use the facility, users have to enable a new Apple Music skill in the Alexa app, followed by linking their account.
While the skill will be made available from December 17, it is unclear if it will apply only to users in the United States at launch before a wider rollout, or if Echo devices in other countries where Apple Music is also available will also gain the support at the skill's launch.
"We are committed to offering great music providers to our customers and since launching the Music Skill API to developers just last month, we've expanded the music selection on Alexa to include even more top tier services," said Amazon Devices senior vice president Dave Limp. "We're thrilled to bring Apple Music - one of the most popular music services in the U.S. - to Echo customers this holiday."
While Apple Music wasn't previously supported by the Amazon Echo via Alexa requests, the workaround to play Apple Music tracks effectively used the Echo as a Bluetooth speaker. The addition of the Alexa Skill will enable verbal requests through Amazon's digital assistant, but it won't enable other ways of playing music, such as by adding AirPlay support.
Considering the Amazon Echo range is competing with Apple's own HomePod, the addition of Apple Music onto a rival platform may seem unusual, but it offers a number of benefits to many users. For Apple, it significantly increases the number of devices that can stream Apple Music, as Amazon has a considerable existing install base of the Echo, Echo Dot, and other models.
Amazon will benefit from having even more music service options available to consumers on the Echo range, along with Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and others.
For consumers, this presents the opportunity to add numerous Apple Music-compatible speakers to their home, and in the case of the Echo Dot, at a far lower cost than buying a HomePod. While unclear, it is also possible the feature will work with other speakers and devices that use Alexa from third-party vendors, including Sonos and Bose.
News of the new skill arrives shortly after the two companies made a deal to make new Apple products available on Amazon from Apple directly and authorized resellers from January 4.
Comments
We are 12 months ahead.
Maybe you could correct the headline and the text
i use Spotify for my music. I use it because it works everywhere - it’s good apple are taking steps in the right direction but I am sure they will never support the breadth of devices Spotify does, and will never be on google home.
I do agree though Apple should open up the API like Spotify does to make third party integration easier.
As for Apple Music and the Echo it’s no surprise at all. The iPod started out exclusive to Apple and iTunes became cross platform later. If Apple wants to grow in the services area then they must go cross platform. Apple’s customer base will still buy Apple products. I bought an Echo just to see what it was all about and it’s not all that superior a product. It’s just relatively cheap and cheap has never doomed Apple in the past even with pundits predicting it would.
Seriously, could this be the start of the end of Amazon Prime Music? It was always inferior and probably only done to keep the license fees payable to Spotify low.
I would normally agree with this statement fully, but have to admit that I just opted for an Echo Plus 2nd Gen on Black Friday, as I still can't justify the cost of the HomePod in comparison. The larger Echo is 'good enough' for music and I couldn't wait any longer for a meaningful feature update to Apple's speaker - Support for multiple AppleIDs, greater control over notifications and the family's shared calendars/reminders etc. Ultimately, the HomePod will always be a no-go until my wife can ask Siri to 'Play BBC Radio 2,' although that's not Apple's fault of course!
Apple Music on Echo is great news, though - I just cancelled my subscription in favour of the almost-free trial of Amazon Music Unlimited when I bought the new speaker. It's a very good app and service, and obviously works great with the Amazon hardware, but I would rather go back to Apple Music just because of everything else in our house being in Apple's ecosystem.
I don’t mind paying for the playback devices and I don’t mind paying for the streaming service. But I do mind having to pay redundantly to direct my streamed content to multiple devices that I own, even if I can only stream to a single device at a time. If the stream is tethered to a specific device then the device should be provided as part of the streaming service.
Unlike many, I consider limitations on the number of concurrently active streams to be fair and have no problem with metering, as long as you can purchase more capacity if needed, for example, in a commercial setting. I have no problem with everyone in the business getting a fair deal.
So why is Apple allowing it?
I replaced the fourth with an Echo Spot for the kitchen (was $89 - 25% off for trading in one of my Echo Spots), so I can see who's at the front door (I have a Ring 2 Video Doorbell) if I'm cooking (I can't do that with anything Apple offers using just my voice). I can also use the Echo Spot to monitor my cameras outside the house and in our 2-year-old's room.
I may eventually upgrades to the Echo Show (second generation) with the built in smart hub for the kitchen, as its screen is far larger, but I'm not to keen on having that much "screen" in the kitchen. Depends on how low the price goes though
From the USA Today exclusive report:
"From the Amazon Alexa app on your phone, you can select Apple Music and link the account to an Echo, just as you might do via the app with Spotify or other streaming options. If you choose to make Apple Music the default music service, Alexa will play the song, artist or playlist of your choice upon request, or for that matter Apple’s Beats 1 radio, without your having to direct Alexa specifically to Apple Music. If Apple Music is not the default, you’d have to say, “Alexa play X on Apple Music.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2018/11/30/alexa-welcomes-apple-music-amazon-echo/2151574002/
Its not an alexa skill. so you do not need to say alexa play the pixies on apple music