Amazon Music's full library is now free to Prime members — but there's a catch

The Amazon Music icon appears on an iPhone home screen
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Amazon Music just got a whole lot better — and unlike last month's Apple Music price hike, you're not going to paying a penny more at Amazon.

In an email to the press, Amazon announced that "Amazon Music has expanded its offering for Prime members, bringing them a full catalog of 100 million songs and the most top podcasts available ad-free, at no additional cost to their membership." 

And that's great. It's huge, in fact. Amazon Prime members can now access 50x as much music, since accounts were formerly limited to 2 million tracks. Previously, you had to pay for Amazon Music Unlimited (which we would not be surprised to see Amazon discount on Black Friday) to get that full library.

An Amazon Prime membership costs $14.99/month or $139 a year. Amazon Music Unlimited costs $8.99/month on top of that.

There is one caveat to Amazon's music news, and the fine print comes right after Amazon's initial announcement: "Prime members can shuffle play any artist, album, or playlist, plus stream a selection of All-Access playlists on demand." So while you can now stream every song in the Amazon Music library, you won't be able to stream exactly the song you want when you want to hear it. Select "All-Access" playlists will offer on-demand streaming that isn't stuck on shuffle-mode.

In other words, Amazon Music Shuffle Mode  basically now presents Prime members with the entire music catalogue — with whole artist discographies, albums and playlists —  but only puts a shuffle button, not a play button, at your disposal.

That's not the only news of the day: Amazon Music is now taking ads out of "most top Podcasts." This is, it says, "the largest selection of ad-free top podcasts available," and the announcement includes podcasts from CNN, ESPN, The New York Times and the whole Wondery catalogue (with shows like My Favorite Murder, Smartless and How I Built This). There's also another new feature: Podcast Previews, which lets you get "a short, digestible soundbite from a podcast episode," so you can check out a show before you commit to a whole episode.

Analysis: Amazon Music is still looking to get you to pay more

This expanded music library feels like Amazon's latest gambit to get people to cough up $9 per month for Amazon Music Unlimited. Now that you'll be aware of Amazon's full library, you may want to have instant access to any song you want.

Otherwise, you're waiting for the song you want to play, and that's just a slightly better version of listening to the radio. 

But the big news is that Amazon Music no longer cuts out 98 million songs. Essentially, aside from different playlists, Amazon Music is very similar to the Spotify Free tier, provided you have Prime.

Amazon Music Unlimited also gives you higher fidelity and spatial audio streaming options. 

Next: Here's why some Amazon Music users are saying the service is a shambles

TOPICS
Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

Read more
Amazon Music Unlimited branding for Dolby Atmos content
Amazon follows Spotify and raises the prices of its music streaming service
What is Amazon Prime
What is Amazon Prime? Everything you need to know
Listing image for best music streaming services (L-R) the Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal logos
Best music streaming services in 2025
The Prime Video logo is on a TV next to an Amazon smart speaker and a plant
How to get Prime Video for free
Apple Music logo in white on a red background
You can get 6 months of Apple Music for just $2.99 right now — here's how
How to Cancel Amazon Prime
How to cancel Amazon Prime (and when a new free trial kicks in)
Latest in Prime Video
Cruel Intentions on Prime Video
Amazon cancels 'Cruel Intentions' after one season on Prime Video
Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean in "Enemy of the State"
This action-thriller with Will Smith and Gene Hackman just crashed Prime Video’s top 10 — now's the perfect time to stream it
Nina Oyama and Kate Box in Deadloch
One of my favorite shows on Prime Video has been totally overlooked — and it's got 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
Prime Video logo appears on a tablet surrounded by a can of soda, spilled popcorn, headphones and a cactus
7 new to Prime Video movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes
Christopher Briney as Conrad and Lola Tung as Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty
Prime Video top 10 shows — here’s the 3 worth watching right now
Betty Gilpin as Crystal May Creasey in "The Hunt"
5 must-watch thriller movies you can stream for free on Prime Video
Latest in News
HomePod with display concept render
Apple HomePod with display now rumored for late 2025 launch
The Apple Watch Series 10 on display at the device's launch in September 2024
Apple Watch sales plummet 19% as smartwatch market declines for first time
Google's Project Astra working on prototype smartglasses in an advertisement
Google just acquired this eye tracking company — hinting at the return of Google glasses
iPhone 17 Air render
iPhone 17 Air could be just 5.5mm thick — but 9.5mm when you throw in the camera bump
Sterling K. Brown in Paradise
Hulu top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
iPhone 16
Hoping for a new iPhone 16 color? Here's why that's looking unlikely