Amazon Music Unlimited Launches In India, Offers 6 Months Of Free Ad-Free Music

New Delhi: To strengthen its presence in the music streaming market, Amazon has launched Music Unlimited service in India. Through this premium platform, users will be able to listen to ad-free music. Along with the launch, the company has also offered six months of free access for select customers.

What will customers get?

The Unlimited plan offers over 100 million songs and top podcasts available on-demand. In this, you will get the benefit of ad-free listening, offline download and special audio with HD, Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos. The company claims that it will provide studio-quality sound. Prime members will have to pay Rs 99 and non-prime members will have to pay Rs 119 per month. There will be auto-renewal after six months and three months free trial.

What has changed for Prime members now?

Earlier, Prime members used to get ad-free music and offline download facility on Amazon Music. Now limited ads have come in the music plan included in Prime and the download option has been removed. However, the entire catalog of 10 crore songs will still be available on-demand without any extra charge. If Prime members want, they can upgrade to Unlimited by paying Rs 99 and can get a free trial for six months.

What will free users get?

The company is also going to introduce 'Amazon Music Free' tier soon. It will be completely ad-supported and will have limited features. But users will be able to access the entire music catalog. This means that now you can listen to Amazon Music even if you don't have Prime, you just have to listen to advertisements in between.

Why was the three tier system introduced in India?

Rishabh Gupta, country head of Amazon Music India, said that in 2018, the service was launched only with Prime because the market was quite fragmented at that time. Features like X-ray features, lyrics, videos and livestreams were added over the last eight years. Now with increasing digital and smartphone penetration, the need for a different product for each segment was felt. Therefore, apart from Prime customers, other users are also being targeted.

How tough is the competition in the Indian market?

India's music streaming market is already saturated with platforms like Spotify, JioSaavn, YouTube Music and Apple Music. All companies are focusing on price, audio quality and bundle offers. Amazon's Rs 99 plan is currently one of the cheapest premium audio plans. Analysts believe that the six-month free trial will help in increasing the user base.

How will users get the benefit?

Amazon says that the new structure will make the choice easier for users. Those who want only basic music can choose the free or prime plan. Those who want high-quality audio and downloads, go for Unlimited. The new tiers go live from June 2, 2026, while the free tier will arrive in July. Users can change plans from the Amazon Music app or website.