Amazon has launched a new mobile app named Amp, which allows users to make live ‘radio’ shows, complete with call in requests, back announcements, and the use of Amazon’s huge music catalogue.
“Decide on a show title, create a playlist, and you’re just seconds away from streaming your own radio show,” Amazon explains.
Most crucially, users won’t be required to pay music royalties either, with this feature baked into the app. This means tens of millions of songs from catalogues of Universal, Sony, Warner and PIAS will be available.
Amp is currently in beta mode, but will stream shows hosted by Nicki Minaj, Travis Barker, Outkast’s Big Boi, Pusha T, and music publication The FADER.
“Radio has always been about music and culture,” John Ciancutti, vice president of Amp, said in a statement about the launch.
“But imagine if you were inventing the medium for the first time today. You’d combine what people love about radio—spontaneous talk, new music discovery, diverse personalities, and broad programming—with all that’s made possible by today’s technology. You’d make it so anybody with a phone, a voice, and a love for music could make their own show. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Amp makes it possible for you to grab the mic and run the airwaves.
“We are creating a new version of radio that will have an infinite dial of shows.”
