Amazon rolls out free, ad-supported music streaming service

Amazon has started rolling out a free tier for Alexa device owners. Users in the US will now be able to use an ad-supported selection of audio tracks and stations without having to pay for Amazon Music. Thye no longer requires to be an Amazon Prime member.

The customers will be able to access global hit and select popular stations. The company is taking a similar approach to Prime Music, which will allow access to 2 million songs to people subscribed to its annual membership. Amazon Music Unlimited, on the other hand, lets you access to 50 million tunes.

Currently, Amazon's existing music streaming services - Prime Music and Music Unlimited have a user base of around 20 million as of 2018. So if the new service has a larger potential audience and would enable Amazon a contender in addition to selling more Alexa-powered speakers.

Besides, the company is also letting third-parties to develop voice skills and create apps for office use with the introduction of Alexa for Business. Members can use one of many Alexa blueprints to create their own voice-enabled commands on Alexa cutting the hassle to write new codes.

Moreover, the company is also working on a pair of its wireless earphones which will go in direct competition with the Apple AirPods. The earphones are said to allow users order stuff from Amazon through voice commands and perform other tasks that require voice commands.

You can also use physical gestures mode to pick or end calls. The same action would also play/pause, or change the audio tracks when music is being played on the earphones.