In another blow to iTunes, Amazon has announced that iPhone and iPod Touch users can now use their devices to buy MP3s from Amazon’s mobile website.
According to Vice President of Amazon Music, Steve Bloom, customers had been requesting the ability to buy music directly from their devices.
The newly optimized MP3 Store is built on HTML5 making it compatible with Apple devices and Safari web browsers, which can’t load Flash-based sites.
Once a song is purchased from Amazon’s MP3 Store, it is available for immediate playback or download and is stored free of charge in the user’s Cloud Player.
MP3s purchased from Amazon.com, past or present (see Amazon’s New Auto Rip Service: Free MP3s Even On Prior CD Purchases for details) do not count against a user’s Cloud Player storage limit.
Shoppers will have access to over 22 million songs, some for 69¢, and albums for as low as $5. A number of artists who aren’t as well known and looking to share their work offer songs for free.
Can iTune shoppers save money by switching to Amazon?
Taking a look at prices, we found that the Lady Gaga album Born This Way is $12.95 at Apple’s iTunes store. Singles from the album are $1.29. At Amazon, the same album can be purchased at $9.99, and singles from it are 99¢.
Taylor Swift’s hit album Red (currently #1 on Amazon’s MP3 Best Sellers list, and #2 on iTunes Top 10 list) is $14.99 at iTunes, $12.99 at Amazon. Singles from the album are $1.29 at iTunes, 99¢ at Amazon.
But Amazon’s MP3 prices are not always cheaper. When it came to Justin Timberlake’s new single, Coat & Tie (currently #1 on iTunes, #14 at Amazon) we found that both stores have it priced the same, $1.29.
In our limited research, we found other songs and albums tied, price wise. But in no case did we find Amazon with a higher price
Customers who purchase MP3s from Amazon Music can access their Cloud Player libraries from a number of devices including: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android phones and tablets, Kindle Fire, Roku, Sonus, and web browsers.
Will you switch to Amazon’s new store for MP3s? Tell us why or why not in the comments section below!
Have A Question? Ask Jessica!
-
Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica, the Consumer Press AI, can I help you with a consumer question?
