Amazon today launched a public beta of “Amazon MP3,” a new digital music download store featuring a la carte DRM-free MP3 music downloads. Amazon MP3 has over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists represented by over 20,000 major and independent labels. Amazon MP3 complements Amazon.com’s existing selection of over 1 million CDs to now offer customers more selection of physical and digital music than any other retailer.
“Amazon MP3 is an all-MP3, DRM-free catalog of a la carte music from major labels and independent labels, playable on any device, in high-quality audio, at low prices,” said Bill Carr, Amazon.com Vice President for Digital Music, in the press release. “This new digital music service has already been through an extensive private beta, and today we’re excited to offer it to our customers as a fully functional public beta. We look forward to receiving feedback from our customers and using their input to refine the service.”
Every song and album on Amazon MP3 is available exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) software. This means that Amazon MP3 customers are free to enjoy their music downloads using any hardware device, including Macs, PCs, iPods, iPhones, etc.; organize their music using any music management application such as iTunes; and burn songs to CDs.
Most songs are priced from 89 cents to 99 cents, with more than 1 million of the 2 million songs priced at 89 cents. The top 100 best-selling songs are 89 cents, unless marked otherwise. Most albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99. The top 100 best-selling albums are $8.99 or less, unless marked otherwise.
Every song on Amazon MP3 is encoded at 256 kilobits per second.
Customers can purchase downloads using Amazon 1-Click shopping, and with the Amazon MP3 Downloader, seamlessly add their MP3s to their iTunes or Windows Media Player libraries.
Amazon MP3 has over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists, including 50 Cent, Alison Krauss, Amy Winehouse, Ani DiFranco, Arcade Fire, Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ella Fitzgerald, Feist, John Coltrane, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban, Koko Taylor, Lily Allen, Madeleine Peyroux, Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Morrissey, Nelly, Nickel Creek, Nirvana, Norah Jones, Paul McCartney, Philip Glass, Pink Floyd, Pixies, Radiohead, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, Spoon, Stevie Wonder, The Chemical Brothers, The Decemberists, and The Rolling Stones.
Independent labels offering their catalog of music for the first time as DRM-free MP3s include Alligator Records, HighTone Records, Madacy Entertainment, Sanctuary Records, Rounder Records, Righteous Babe Records, Sugar Hill Records, and Trojan Records.
Amazon MP3 beta is here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Winston” for the heads up.]
It’s too bad Amazon chose to use the dinosaur format MP3 instead of the much more efficient AAC format which provides higher-quality results with smaller file sizes and better decoding efficiency (requiring less processing power for decode) than the old MP3 format. Besides that unfortunate format choice and the need to run the Amazon MP3 Downloader application, this looks good (based solely on the press release, as we haven’t tried it).
By the way, users who like this Amazon store can thank Steve Jobs; it’s due to his call for DRM-free music that this even exists. It’s past time that the other music labels who are still clinging to DRM (cough, Middlebronfman, cough) face the music.
Apple could learn that the way to have the most support from Record companies execs is to give them variable pricing.
This is not to say that I agree with it, but this is clearly the record companies attempting to sticking a fork in Apple’s eye.
Sorry but in the 256 range, I prefer MP3 to AAC. 256MP3 vs. 128AAC? MP3 wins hands down. MP3 may be old but it sure isn’t finished yet.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon’s online music store is #2 in market share behind only iTunes in the near future. Kudos for Jeff Bezos and the gang to offer DRM-free music and not follow the dying Windows Media Doesn’tPlaysForSure Subscription technology like every other failed iTunes wannabe like VirginDigital, URGE, MyCokeMusic, etc. But then again, if it wasn’t for Steve-O’s brave open letter, Amazon probably would have rolled out a “me too” product.
Oh, and Universal Music Group is putting a lot of their artists and songs on Amazon. This is actually good: in case UMG/Apple talks fail and UMG pulls their songs from iTunes, we’ll have Amazon to fall back on for our legal music needs.
@MTS – I couldn’t agree more. I’d rather have a format that will play on just about anything, anyway.
“Thomas Fitzgerald states that older songs will sell from 99 cents to $1.94, which sets a precedent of selling older songs for more, not less, money. This is especially revealing.”
Not really, go into any record store and you will find that new music is always sold for less than old music. This is not a new tactic.
LOL!
Yea… everyone’s gonna dump their iPods for a Zune cuz it has a square button with rounded corners. ‘Squircle’… simply fascinating!
AGS (Adaptive Guesstimate System)… love that one.
Not biting… just funnin’
I’m sure Craig Ferguson is going to have fun with that one… it’s crackalakin!
I must say I like what Amazon has done.
I second those who have said this wouldn’t have happened without Steve J. calling for DRM free music. He set the agenda.
A question. Will this commitment to DRM free music pay off or just allow more piracy. I think (hope) that we will continue to see people buy more music this way. The success of iTunes has proven that if you give people a convenient, easy, economical way to buy music, they will. Most people want to do the right thing.
Interesting that the music labels are arguing with Apple over pricing, when iTunes charges more than Amazon, particularly for DRM-free songs. What will Universal and the other record labels say now?
Meh! Not quite competition! Is it honestly productive to go back and forth between iTMS and Amazon to find some of the same songs to save a dime? At least eMusic gift cards have like 30 songs for $15, I can see a plus there. Other sites like:
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http://www.dancetracksdigital.com/
https://www.beatport.com/
http://www.junodownload.com/
feature diverse genres, and music you won’t find anywhere.
The real fact is, if consumers do their homework, real competition would form as complementary stores that enter different markets, not overlap one another.
Ever been to parts of Brooklyn with a bodega on every corner?
Yes, literally 4 bodegas on each corner at an intersection. People also call that ‘competition’, I call it absurd, and splitting profits. Of course when I found out three of the four also sold drugs it began to make sense
Regardless of whether or not the Amazon store is a sucess, Apple has set the ground rules.
No. 1 Rule: Files will be DRM-free (MP3 or ACC) or they will be Fairplay encoded, but NOT WMA or Real! Everything will play on your iPod but not everything will play everywhere else.
No. 2 Rule: Keep things cheap or die.
No. 3 Rule: Keep things simple or die.
No. 4 Rule: MS will not rule digital media standards.
what is the benefit to the music companies? Everything about this store has been described as “the end of the music industry”, yet, here it is.
I cannot decipher any usefulness by this move other than to say “fsck you, Steve Jobs”. I can’t see any meaning or purpose behind it than that. (“that” being “not allowing Apple to have the same kind of store.. the kind of store they’ve been asking to have now for years”)
Are they that petty? I can’t believe that…
something is going on here.
This is what Mac users have been wanting — the recognition that we exist.
The iPod was created as Mac only for a reason — because all other MP3 players were Windows only. Apple saw an opportunity, and jumped on it. When the player proved to be a major hit, Apple rolled it out for the Windows world as well.
Same with iTMS — all other online audio stores were Windows-only; with iTMS, it didn’t matter if you were on a Mac or Windows machine, you could still get purchase music.
If this service is a hit, and if they keep track of how many people are purchasing from Macs (a good reason to download that Amazon MP3 downloader), that will show Amazon that they’ve got a consumer base to tap, and will speed up Mac access to other products like movies and TV shows.
It’s Microsoft who has been the real monopoly — and this service will prove it.
(Oh, and I just scored “The Best of the Boston Pops” for $2 less than iTMS — and as for the larger file size, just gives me more of an excuse to get that 160GB iPod classic.
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To my ears (at least) 256 kbs MP3 is superior to 128 kbs AAC. I encode all my music either at 192 kbs AAC for ipods and Apple lossless for use on my stereo systems. I haven’t used the iTunes store for precisely the reason that the music is (mostly) encoded at 128 kbs, which doesn’t sound good enough (especially at high notes and soundstage). I’m not bothered by about FairPlay.
This Amazon store is a real challenge to the iTunes music store. But I’m sure Jobs will do something to keep up. The buying experience at Amazon is just as good as the buying experience at Apple or iTunes. DRM-free means that the Amazon store will be the first major store iPod users can use besides the iTunes music store. Don’t forget that iTMS started at fewer than half a million songs and grew from there.
This can only be good for us.
This actually sounds like a decent service. Way to go Amazon, and kudos to you for actually paying attention to what people want!
I’m very surprised there ain’t a single free download, as there are on iTMS. So, until there is, not for me. Yeah, a trial beta should have some freebies.
COMPETITION IS GOOD
Ok, I own three Macs, three iPods and I’ve been on Macs for quite some time.
I’m sorry Mr. Mac Fan Bois, but competition is GOOD. I, for one, will consider the new DRM-free MP3 store for the occasional album. I stopped buying from iTMS over two years ago (and I do have quite an extensive collection of DRM’d iTMS songs) because DRM was so, not cool.
To me, the fact that it’s MP3 and not AAC is not that big a deal, especially not at 256kbps. I’m sorry MDN, your “take” is wrong this time around!
I’m getting this message when trying to purchase:
We are sorry…
We could not process your order because of geographical restrictions on the product which you were attempting to purchase. Please refer to the terms of use for this product to determine the geographical restrictions.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
@The MacDaddy
“I’m sorry MDN, your “take” is wrong this time around!”
How dare you say that you would considering buying from someplace other than iMS. This is MDN. Get it straight, everything that anyone sells other than Apple is “junk” or “crappy”. No other company makes anything worth buying…… You must be a Windows troll…
I dunno about you guys but I’d gladly pay .10 to .20 cents more for a lower quality, DRM laced file than a high quality, DRM Free file from “Crappy” Amazon…
Hey , if Steve says it’s best to buy from iTunes, that’s where I’m buying from (and so will all other fanboy who Love STEVE)…..
Woooooooo Hoooooooo Steve!!!!!!!!!!!! Let piss off some more providers and lose some more content!!!!!
@ vlad & the other steve jobs:
You two are very short-sighted. The benefit to the music companies comes if they can split the download market between Amazon and Apple. That’s why Amazon is being allowed to underprice iTunes. Then the music companies will threaten to leave one for the other in order to get their variable rates and package pricing. This means in the long run they will RAISE the prices of the songs you want. And they will use digital watermarking to go after file sharers. This is not a good day for consumers.
PreDrag said
“It is definitely a healthy competition for Apple. Unlike Amazon, though, which must compete on prices, as retail is its only business, Apple can afford to even take a loss on iTunes if it wanted to, in order to compete.”
Interesting take predrag, I was actually thinking just the opposite
Amazon is selling for .10 less than Apple, but how much are they giving up to do it! Are they only getting between .05-.07 for each song? Are they selling them at cost with no profit at all just to become an Apple competitor thats not a failed laughing stock right out of the blocks.
Think about it, wasn’t Amazon the original sell it below cost, we’ll make it up on volume? Looks at the similarities between Apple and Amazon, both have the computer firepower and backroom server infra structure to pull this off with no problem. Neither are counting on the store to be a profit maker, they just need the ability to get people to the money maker. Apple, to the iPod/ Apple store, and Amazon, to the… Amazon website, to buy iPods, Zunes, computers or underwear, in short anything. Apple didn’t start out with 6.5 million songs in the iTunes store when it first opened. If fact it has over double what the iTunes store opened with. Amazon is the ONLY digital music store competitor to iTunes Music Store.
A couple of other people have poo-pooed MP3 (MDN) be that as it may, the vast majority of music on iPods is probably MP3. I’d bet over 60% of the 10 million iPod owners rip from CD to iTunes and encode in MP3, not AAC/MP4
Go Amazon! (Breathe slowly, say it, competition is GOOD!) rinse repeat
They have RADIOHEAD!
Why the hell is it not available in iTMS??? This really looks very promising. I think this might be my new place to buy tunes.
Apple has nothing to fear while Amazon is US only.
“Apple has nothing to fear while Amazon is US only.”
Hmm, I don’t know about that. The number of times I find music on ITMS US that I can’t find on ITMS Canada… pretty frustrating stuff.
But, they have to expand outside of the US. From everything I’ve seen, this is the best, most open music source I’ve seen yet. And it works for Linux users! Hell’s freezing over…