Updated Amazon Cloud Player Includes New Scan and Match Technology
Amazon.com today announced Cloud Player licensing agreements that bring updates to Amazon Cloud Player.
The agreements are with Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and more than 150 independent distributors, aggregators and music publishers. Amazon's scan and match technology gives users a fast way to get all of their music from their computers to the cloud. Cloud Player users can then enjoy their music on their favorite devices, including Kindle Fire, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android devices and any web browser, and soon, Roku streaming players and Sonos home entertainment systems.
New Cloud Player features include:
- Amazon MP3 purchases - including music that users purchased in the past - are automatically saved to Cloud Player, which means that users have a secure backup copy of the music they buy from Amazon, free of charge.
- Amazon scans users' iTunes and Windows Media Player libraries and matches the songs on their computers to Amazon's song catalog. All matched songs - even music purchased from iTunes or ripped from CDs - are instantly made available in Cloud Player and are upgraded for free to high-quality 256 Kbps audio. Music that users have already uploaded to Cloud Player also will be upgraded.
- Any users with a Kindle Fire, Android device, iPhone, iPod touch, or any web browser - and soon, a Roku streaming player or Sonos home entertainment system - can play their music anywhere.
Cloud Player is available in a Free tier and a Premium tier. Cloud Player Free users can store all MP3 music purchased at Amazon, plus import up to 250 songs from their PC or Mac to Cloud Player, all at no charge. Cloud Player Premium users can import and store up to 250,000 songs in Cloud Player for an annual fee of $24.99.
Amazon Cloud Player is automatically integrated into Kindle Fire and the new Cloud Player features will be automatically delivered to Kindle Fire users over the next few days.
Starting today, Cloud Drive will be used for file storage and Cloud Player will be used for music storage and playback - each service will offer separate subscriptions. Users can still use Cloud Drive to store any of their files in the cloud and access them from any web browser or by using the Cloud Drive Desktop Apps. Users can store up to 5GB free and storage plan prices have been lowered to start at $10 per year for 20 GB.
New Cloud Player features include:
- Amazon MP3 purchases - including music that users purchased in the past - are automatically saved to Cloud Player, which means that users have a secure backup copy of the music they buy from Amazon, free of charge.
- Amazon scans users' iTunes and Windows Media Player libraries and matches the songs on their computers to Amazon's song catalog. All matched songs - even music purchased from iTunes or ripped from CDs - are instantly made available in Cloud Player and are upgraded for free to high-quality 256 Kbps audio. Music that users have already uploaded to Cloud Player also will be upgraded.
- Any users with a Kindle Fire, Android device, iPhone, iPod touch, or any web browser - and soon, a Roku streaming player or Sonos home entertainment system - can play their music anywhere.
Cloud Player is available in a Free tier and a Premium tier. Cloud Player Free users can store all MP3 music purchased at Amazon, plus import up to 250 songs from their PC or Mac to Cloud Player, all at no charge. Cloud Player Premium users can import and store up to 250,000 songs in Cloud Player for an annual fee of $24.99.
Amazon Cloud Player is automatically integrated into Kindle Fire and the new Cloud Player features will be automatically delivered to Kindle Fire users over the next few days.
Starting today, Cloud Drive will be used for file storage and Cloud Player will be used for music storage and playback - each service will offer separate subscriptions. Users can still use Cloud Drive to store any of their files in the cloud and access them from any web browser or by using the Cloud Drive Desktop Apps. Users can store up to 5GB free and storage plan prices have been lowered to start at $10 per year for 20 GB.
