Amazon Music has dealt a major blow to high-res music streamers, Tidal, Deezer and Qobus with the announcement that users of their 70 million song service will now have access to high-res content for free.
Amazon High Res (HD) tracks will deliver a minimum sample rate of 44.1 kHz which is often referred to as CD-quality, and an average bitrate of 850 kbps”.
Their Ultra High Definition (UHD) tracks, on the other hand are 24-bit, ranging from 44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz, and an average bitrate of 3730 kbps.”
Apple Music recently added lossless audio at no extra charge the big difference is that in Australia Amazon Music is $4.99 a month on a single eligible Echo or Fire TV device, Apple Music is $11.99 a month while Tidal is $25 a month for UHD content. The Amazon Music Unlimited service costs $9.99 per month outright, or $7.99 per month for Prime members.
The big question now is whether Tidal Deezer, Apple and Qobuz will convince customers to keep paying extra for its lossless and hi-res audio content when Amazon Music UHD is free.
Amazon Music HD gives you access to 70 million songs in CD-quality and hi-res audio – double the bitrate of many standard music streaming services. Tempted? You can get a 3-month free trial to try out the service.
I have been using Amazon Music for several years after trialling Spotify, Google Music and Deezer, the service is excellent. I access it at home via an Echo speaker and my car via Android Auto which can be accessed via the BMW in car menu.
Amazon has been in the music streaming business for well over a decade, first with its Amazon Prime offering, and then with its fully-fledged Apple Music and Spotify rival, Amazon Music Unlimited.
As of late last year, it has also gone a step further by taking on the likes of Tidal and Qobuz with its own CD-quality and hi-res music streaming tier. And, you guessed it, this is the service we’re talking about: Amazon Music HD.
You can access Amazon Music HD through three different avenues: a web browser, a dedicated desktop app or through an Android or iOS mobile app – although it’s worth noting that you can’t actually stream CD-quality music or hi-res tracks on the web browser mode.
