Newsletter
Amazon Music has just added support for podcasts.
Much like many of the other streaming music services out there. Amazon Music has decided to jump on the Podcasts bandwagon too.
According to Amazon Music’s VP, Steve Boom, “our customers’ listening habits are constantly evolving, and we know they’re looking to us to provide them with a rich experience rooted in music and entertainment.” Boom continued by stating that “with this launch, we’re bringing customers even more forms of entertainment to enjoy, while enabling creators to reach new audiences globally, just as we’ve done with music streaming. Podcasts, paired with our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, makes Amazon Music a premiere destination for creators.”
Which podcasts are available?
Amazon says that popular shows like Crime Junkie, What A Day, Radiolab, Revisionist History, Planet Money, Ear Hustle, Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer, and Stuff You Should Know are available now.
It also notes that millions of episodes from top shows, with more being added all the time. So it’s not as simple as Amazon Music becoming a podcast-catcher, like with PocketCasts or Google Podcasts. But more about Amazon Music actually adding support for them.
That also means that Amazon Music is going to add some exclusive podcasts, like Disgraceland, which is a narrative storytelling highlights tales of getting away with murder and behaving badly. Disgraceland will be premiering in February 2021.
There are other exclusives coming too, including a new podcast from DJ Khaled, called “The First One”. It’s a new audio experience hosted by DJ Khaled. And developed by Amazon Music and the Springhill Company. DJ Khaled will be interviewing his all-time favorite artists about the hits that made them iconic and eventually legendary.
Why bring podcasts to Amazon Music?
Podcasts have been gradually becoming more and more popular in the past five years or so. But, with the global pandemic going on, and most of us still stuck at home, many are turning to creating and consuming podcasts. Including many celebrities that you never would have thought would have time to do a podcast.
For Amazon, it’s about adding more content. Adding exclusive content that is going to get people to use its service over competitors. Like YouTube Music, Apple Music and Spotify. This is the same tactic that Spotify is taking on as well, with paying Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama millions for their podcasts to be exclusive to their platform.