Universal Music Group has finally become the third major to license Amazon Prime Music, 15 months after the streaming service launched in the US.
MBW understands that the hold-up was due to UMG wanting to strike a deal based on a revenue share of Prime subscriptions, but Amazon was unwilling to agree.
It appears that only a portion of UMG’s catalogue will be now available on the service in the US and UK markets.
A selection of Sony and Warner material has been available on Amazon Prime since it launched, alongside a handful of independents.
Users will now be able to find Universal Music artists such as Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, Of Monsters and Men, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Ellie Goulding, Drake, Lorde, Jessie J and Eminem.
However, Amazon Prime’s catalogue is still expected to only amount to a few million tracks – compared to Spotify and Apple Music’s 30m+ licensed catalogues.
“WE ARE PLEASED TO MAKE A SELECTION OF OUR CATALOGUE AVAILABLE ON PRIME MUSIC.”
FRANCIS KEELING, UMG
It also appears that music from the two biggest pop stars on the planet, Adele and Taylor Swift, will remain unavailable.
In addition, a wide selection of popular Jazz and Classical albums from Universal Music artists will now be available for Prime members.
“Prime Music has already become a top destination for streaming music in the U.S. and U.K., and we are thrilled today to make it even better by growing our selection with Universal Music artists,” stated Steve Boom, VP of Digital Music for Amazon.
“From chart topping artists like Lady Gaga to legendary musicians such as Tom Petty and Nirvana, we know our Prime members will love listening to all the additional music that’s now available as part of their membership.”
“We are pleased to make a selection of our catalog available on Prime Music,” said Francis Keeling, Universal Music Group’s Global Head of Digital Business.
“With Amazon’s tremendous reach and consumer appeal, we are delighted to build on our relationship by making Universal Music’s world-class artists available to Amazon Prime members.”
IPrime Music is available via the Amazon Music app on iOS, Android, Fire devices, Amazon Echo, or on the Web at www.primemusic.com.
