From the Editor’s Desk: Merch in Amazon Music is an add-on that makes sense

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Source: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central

At this level, many, if not most of us, have a music streaming service that we’re fairly comfy with. Whether we’re utilizing free, ad-supported variations or paying for a month-to-month or annual subscription, as soon as we have settled in and began constructing playlists and letting the algorithms study from our behaviors to recommend new content material, it is fairly dang laborious to encourage us to select up and transfer to a different platform. Of course, that’s by design, so what is a streaming service to do to encourage new signups and switchers? It has so as to add new, revolutionary, or no less than fascinating options.

Spotify was one among the first music streaming providers to include podcasts into its app, a characteristic that was finally adopted by different providers like Amazon Music. I’ve been an Amazon Music subscriber for a number of years now, in half as a result of I’ve benefited from its AI attending to know what I like and partly as a result of as a Prime member, I get a pleasant little low cost that saves me almost $30/12 months over Spotify.

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At first, I was critical of Amazon Music including new options to its app like podcasts, reside Twitch streams, and music videos, however finally I came to like and even appreciate the feature stuffing — to some extent. But after I heard that Amazon Music was going to start out promoting artist merchandise (merch) in the app, I used to be certain that I’d hate the thought. But you already know what? Not solely do I not hate this new providing, I feel Amazon pulled it off tactfully and tastefully.

Amazon Music Merch on the net

Amazon Music Merch Shop Web

Source: Amazon

Amazon’s web site is all about e-commerce, so it isn’t a horrible shock to seek out artist merch on the market there. What is new, nevertheless, is that yow will discover all of it on a devoted web page referred to as the Amazon Music Artist Merch Shop. This store options an assortment of merchandise, from t-shirts to hoodies, from collector’s version C.D.s and vinyl information to telephone equipment like PopSockets and instances. Heck, you possibly can even get Pink Floyd child onesies in case you are so inclined!

The merch is sorted by style, product kind, and artist, but it surely’s mainly simply Amazon.com search outcomes when you click on via. There is nothing actually new right here — only a repackaging of current merchandise (although there are some “Amazon Exclusives”).

Amazon Music Merch in the app

The addition of artist merch in the Amazon Music app is nonetheless comparatively new, which made all of it the extra (pleasantly) shocking that it wasn’t plastered throughout the house display, very similar to podcasts, movies, and Twitch streams have been. In actuality, Amazon did a extremely good factor and buried the merch hyperlinks on artist sub-pages in the app. In different phrases, to seek out an outdated Queen live performance t-shirt or Blackpink tote, you simply seek for that artist in the app, after which you possibly can scroll down to seek out hyperlinks for his or her related merchandise.

According to its official press release:

Artist merchandise will now seem in the Amazon Music app on collaborating artists’ pages, side-by-side with their songs, albums, reside streams, and music movies. By seamlessly tying artist merch and music collectively in the app, followers in the U.S. can now simply store a genre-spanning choice of merchandise, a majority of which is out there with Prime delivery for Prime members…

I’m pleasantly stunned to say that Amazon really appeared to drag it off. It did seamlessly combine these buying experiences into its Music app. Even I needed to do some deep-diving to seek out it (partially as a result of I solely skimmed the press launch at first and did not take note of the place the merch was situated). Die-hard followers will both hear about it in the press or uncover it on their very own, however informal listeners or customers of the app most probably will not even discover the addition, a lot much less be bothered by it.

I feel it will be actually cool if, in addition to working with fashionable artists on Amazon merch exclusives and collaborations (one thing it is doing now), Amazon might permit up-and-coming and impartial artists the choice to promote their merch via the app and get a minimize of the proceeds. Artists of all stripes depend on merchandise gross sales at live shows and occasions for a big portion of their earnings/income, so this may very well be a win-win scenario for everybody — artists, followers, and, after all, Amazon. Particularly throughout pandemic instances when followers aren’t capable of see their favourite artists in individual and spend cash on t-shirts and memorabilia, in-app purchases like this may very well be an effective way for artists to reinforce their earnings.

As the app and repair have continued to evolve, I nonetheless select Amazon Music as my most popular music streaming service and assume it is amongst the finest streaming music apps on Android. Not solely is it gunning for the top two players in the field in Spotify and Apple Music, it is well-positioned to overtake them at some point.

What do you assume?

Does the addition of artist merch in Amazon Music make you any much less possible to make use of the app, or do you assume it is a cool secret perk? I’m genuinely curious! Let me know in the feedback or over on Twitter @jeramyutgw.

— Jeramy

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