Amazon Prime Music launched in India: Here’s how it compares with top music streaming apps

Amazon on Wednesday launched its Prime Music service in India. Amazon Prime Music will be available as part of the company's Prime membership. On mobile, it is available as "Amazon Music" for both Android and iOS platforms. This service is also accessible on desktop and web player, Fire TV sticks and Echo devices. Amazon Prime membership is available at ₹999 per year.

The entry of Amazon Prime Music in India pits it against the international and local players. There are many apps like Apple Music, Google Play Music, Saavn and Wynk Music which already offer free music streaming and paid memberships as well with a wide library of regional and global songs. Here's a comparison between Amazon Prime Music and other music streaming apps available in India.

Amazon Prime Music

Amazon Prime Music comes bundled with Prime membership which essentially makes the service cost ₹999 with validity of 1 year. Along with Prime Music, you get access to other Prime benefits like Prime Video, same-day delivery on orders, special offers and discounts, and more. Amazon Prime Music offers ad-free music in over 10 languages spanning across different genres like retro classics, pop, rock, electronic, among others.

Amazon Prime Music app also comes with the company's AI assistant, Alexa. You can simply tap on the Alexa icon on the app and give commands like - "Play Hindi songs", "Play 80s Rock", "Play Shape of you", and "Play Workout mix". You can also download unlimited songs on Amazon Prime Music to listen to them offline. Another advantage is that Prime Music will be available across Amazon's products and even on the web.

Apple Music

Apple Music is one of the firsts to offer paid music streaming in India. Apple Music app is available on Android and iOS. Apple Music is available at a monthly subscription rate of ₹120. However, Apple offers family plans which can be shared among five members, and student plans starting at ₹60 per month.

One slight drawback here is that to use Apple Music, you will need an Apple ID. With Apple Music's subscription, you can stream full songs online and download them for offline listening as well. In addition to songs, Apple Music also gives members access to exclusive podcasts, videos, TV shows and films.

Google Play Music

Google Play Music is a recent entrant in the music streaming scene in India. Google Play Music is a subscription-only app meaning you can't stream songs for free. Google Play registration needs to be done using a Google account and the subscription charge is ₹99 per month. Google Play Music offers a free one-month trial which you can avail after entering your payment details for further subscription.

Google Play Music subscription will be automated once the free trial ends, but you can end it anytime you want. Google Play Music's subscription is restricted only to streaming songs online. If you wish to download music from this app, you will need to purchase them. The prices vary according to different songs, with most of them amounting to ₹18 per song.

Saavn

Saavn is one of the most popular Indian music streaming apps. Saavn allows users to stream music for free on its Android and iOS app and on the web as well. It also offers subscription starting at ₹95 per month. There are different packages also which come with discounts. Here, subscription allows users to download music from Saavn on their phone.

Wynk Music

Wynk Music is Airtel's music streaming app which gives its users free subscription. This includes free and unlimited downloads, and subscriptions to Hello Tunes as well. Non-Airtel users can download Wynk Plus which offers unlimited downloads at ₹120 per month. Wynk Music allows users to listen to music in patchy internet connectivity by decreasing the audio quality.