Amazon is continuing at least one of its podcast-inspired video projects. The company has ordered a second season of Lore, an anthology show exploring the origins of urban legends and myths. Continue Reading
Amazon Music has hired Dan McCarroll as global head of originals and artist relations. McCarroll joins the company after leaving his post as president of Warner Bros. Records last year. In the new role, he will be responsible for leading the team making exclusive, global music programming for Amazon. Continue Reading
Amazon is continuing to mobilize for an expansion into India. The latest development is Amazon Prime Music extending its deal with Warner Music Group to offer the label’s catalog to listeners in that market. According to The Economic Times, this marks the sixth deal to expand the Prime Music library that will be available in India. Continue Reading
Amazon is adding a useful new function to its Alexa-enabled devices. Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music listeners can now build playlists through voice controls. The feature rolls out today on any device with Alexa built in. Continue Reading
Amazon has shared its financial results for the fourth quarter and the fiscal year 2017. “Our 2017 projections for Alexa were very optimistic, and we far exceeded them. We don’t see positive surprises of this magnitude very often — expect us to double down,” Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said. Continue Reading
Amazon announced that it will launch its Echo smart speaker line in Australia and New Zealand. Pre-orders for the devices begin today, and the first shipments are expected in early February. In addition the company is rolling out Amazon Music Unlimited in those two markets starting February 1. Continue Reading
The Amazon Alexa voice control platform will be getting integrations with Windows 10 PCs from multiple manufacturers. HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer all said they will have Alexa support in some of their laptops and desktops being released this year. The companion app for using Alexa on those machines is slated for release in the spring of 2018. Continue Reading
Amazon is eventually ending its service that offers cloud storage of MP3 files. The Amazon Music Storage is projected to shut down in January 2019, but an exact date has not been shared yet. There are two important details in this announcement. Continue Reading
Several tech companies have pitched the European Commission to request limits on behavior from Apple and Amazon that they claim are anti-competitive. Spotify CEO and Co-founder Daniel Ek and Deezer CEO Hans-Holger Albrecht both signed the letter to EU regulators asking for “a level playing field” that prevents some tech giants from “regularly abusing their advantaged position.” Continue Reading
Amazon Music Unlimited and the Amazon Echo have rolled out into 28 new countries. The on-demand streaming subscription service debuted in the United States in October 2016, and Amazon made voice controls and smart speaker access central components of using the music platform. It even offers tiered pricing for people who are part of its Prime program and who own an Echo device. Continue Reading
Google and Amazon are at odds over access, marking a very public division between two tech giants that could cause interruptions for consumers. The two companies had appeared to resolve a question around access to YouTube on the Amazon Echo Show in late November, but Google has reversed course. Today, Google announced that it would not allow YouTube access on either the Amazon Echo Show or the Amazon Fire TV. Continue Reading
Amazon announced a new option for its Alexa voice-activated assistant designed for companies and enterprise operations. Alexa for Business can assist with tasks such as starting conference calls, scheduling meetings, and ordering office supplies. Continue Reading