- Anthony
Apple Music Vs Amazon Music are both top music streaming services, but which one will be your customers’ preferred service in 2023? In the following article, Hookeaudio will show you the difference between Apple Music and Amazon Music to see which one can provide you with the best service.
Apple Music launched in 2015, while Amazon Music came to market in the fall of 2016. Both Apple and Amazon have tremendous resources behind them.
Contents
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is a music streaming service that Amazon owns and developed. The service, then called “Amazon MP3“, was launched in 2007.
It had 2 million and 180,000 artists. At that time, it was the first digital music download site to offer DRM-free music. Music consumers now have an easy way to purchase MP3 files from record labels such as EMI Music or Universal Music Group.
Amazon MP3 became Amazon Music Prime in 2016, which provided a free streaming service that Prime members could use. In 2016, Amazon prime Music Unlimited was created.
Amazon Music Unlimited was upgraded to provide three subscription tiers, more music, and Alexa integration. Later, an additional HD tier was added that provided high-resolution lossless audio. However, this tier was merged into Amazon Prime Music Unlimited in May 2023.
Amazon Music currently has more than 75 million and 55 million subscribers as of July 2023.
Apple Music
iTunes existed before Apple Music. It was an all-in-one music app, which allowed users to buy songs rather than entire albums. It was a major player in prime music consumption during the 2000s until design problems hampered it.
Apple was launched in 100 countries in June 2015 to simplify the complex world of iTunes. Apple offers prime music streaming as well as 24-hour radio programming. Beats Electronics and Beats Music were acquired by it in 2014. In its first year, the service had 11 million subscribers.
Lossless Audio quality, Spatial Audio are two of the latest additions to Apple. Existing subscribers can upgrade for free. This new feature provides high-resolution audio with true multidimensional sound and clarity.
Apple had 72 million of subscribers as of July 2023 and more than 75 million songs in its catalog. Since June 2020, however, no official update has been made on Apple Music’s latest subscriber count.
Apple Music Vs Amazon: Side by Side Comparison
UI or Design
Apple Music’s interface is different from its competitors. It has a simple layout with essential features. The tabs at the bottom of the mobile app offer an easy navigation experience: Library, For you, Browser, Radio station, and Radio, for You offers a variety of playlists, albums, and artists that are tailored to your tastes.
It also includes the most recent music/albums you have listened to. The desktop software can sometimes crash, but the app runs more smoothly.
The interface is a bit like the leading music streaming services on the market. Although the interface is navy blue-glazed, it’s more intuitive than Apple Music and Spotify, and it’s a lot slower and more clunky.
It is divided into four main sections: Browse (the smartphone app replaces this with an Alexa), Recents, My Music and Store, and four sub-sections below: Home, Recommended Stations, and Playlists. To hide or show your playlist, you can either minimize the panel or open it. You can search your unlimited service, music library, and store using the search bar.
The artist page is my favorite: you’ll see a large image at the top once you have found your favorite artist. Below, you’ll see his most famous songs, albums, and related playlists. You can scroll down to see the entire image.
The Amazon Music UI looks more appealing at first glance, but Apple is my favorite. I love Apple Music’s lily-white background, making it easier to see what you are looking for, especially the interface for specific artists.
Content
Both platforms offer more than music tracks and have extensive libraries. Which platform delivers the most variety and quantity? Let’s see.
Amount of Music Content
Apple Music and Amazon Music both have more than 75 million in their respective libraries. Thanks to licensing agreements with major record labels, you’ll find all the biggest hits on both platforms.
Amazon Music has a similar music collection to Apple Music, but Amazon Music emphasizes ‘popular’ content. This is not surprising considering that Amazon Music was once described as a mainstream streaming service for mainstream music fans.
You’ll see fewer categories in Amazon Music’s Search section. Twelve categories include the most famous music genres and feature playlists such as Rap Rotation, Pop Culture, and All Hits. The app also ranks the playlists based on what is most popular.
Amazon Music doesn’t exclude niche or independent music. It’s up to you to find what you are looking for and actively search for it on Amazon Music. They’re not prominently displayed on the app.
Apple Music is a great place to discover new music, thanks to its impeccable content curation.
The majority of Apple Music’s music selections can be found in the ‘Browse’ section. It contains over 100 categories. Some are pretty distinct, such as Indigenous Australia or Kayokyoku, essentially early post-war Japanese pop. Each category has playlists that flesh out the genre and lead users to deep dives.
Mainstream fans can keep up with the latest releases via playlists such as Today’s Hits and New Music Daily.
There are plenty of options for niche or independent tastes. Apple Music’s Indie section contains a wealth of content, including artist playlists, playlists, and stations. The Indie Essentials section already contains about 40 playlists. This is just a tiny portion of the category.
Content Variety
Some streaming apps also offer audiobooks and podcasts. Apple doesn’t offer either on its Music app, unfortunately. Apple Podcasts and Apple Books will be required to provide such content. Apple Music and Amazon Music, on the other hand, does offer podcasts. However, audiobooks can be found at Amazon’s Audible.
Both platforms offer a unique mix of podcasts and audiobooks.
Amazon Music, which hosts approximately 70,000 podcast titles, is a part of its music library. This section includes a wide range of genres, including Science and True Crime to Arts and Business.
Amazon Music also offers video content. However, it is significantly less than Apple Music. You can find music playlists curated by year or genre, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive sessions such as the Prime Day Show.
Some interviews are available, like Adrian Younge’s Invisible Blackness. However, the talk-show format isn’t as frequent or as frequently produced on Apple Music.
Amazon Music’s live feature, available only via the mobile software, is very cool. It allows musicians from all over the globe to stream their Twitch streams through the Amazon Music app.
Apple Music doesn’t have podcasts, but it has a lot of video content. It’s enough to merit a separate category in the app’s “Browse” section. You’ll find playlists for music videos, stylized lyrics videos, and live performances. A
pple Music TV subscribers can now watch a 24-hour streaming music video via Apple Music TV. This feature was launched in late 2020.
Apple Music is not just about videos. It is also a leader in radio. Apple Music has three main stations: Music 1, Music Hits, and Music Country. All of these were broadcast live to over 165 countries. Apple Music’s radio experience can be accessed via international stations for updates on sports and news.
Music Library
Amazon Music Unlimited, as mentioned, expands the song library from a paltry 2 million to more than 75 million. Not to mention Amazon’s abundant supply of podcasts.
Apple also has over 75 million and its podcast platform. You won’t find any platform-exclusive releases on Apple.
Music Quality
Apple has always kept the technical details of its streaming private. However, we do know that songs saved for offline listening are 256kbps AAC files. Amazon Music streams at 320 kbps.
Even if you have the best podcast headphones, it would be difficult to tell the difference. It would help if you also mentioned that your choice of playback device has a more significant impact on sound quality than bitrates or sample rates. If you only want to listen to high-quality tracks, Apple Music or Amazon Music are pretty close.
It’s also a dead heat in their respective lossless formats. Apple Music lossless and Amazon Music HD, which are now part of Amazon Music Unlimited, offer the option to choose between CD-quality 16bit/44.1kHz or Hi-Res 24bit/192kHz formats. For the best quality, you will likely need the Best external DAC. This guide will help you locate and set up Hi-Res music for your iPhone.
Subscriptions and Plans
A single Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per monthly in the United States. Prices may vary in other countries or territories. You can access Apple Music’s music catalog, download music and Amazon Music videos to listen offline, and have access to exclusive releases and back catalogs of Apple Beats 1 radio shows.
It depends on how many Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions you purchase. The streaming music service is $7.99 per month or $79 per annum if you are already an Amazon Prime member.
Prime membership with an Amazon Echo pay $3.99 per month. However, the subscription is only tied to one device. It’s $9.99/month for everyone else.
This is the same price as Apple Music. You get unlimited skips and offline listening to Amazon’s 50 million song music collection when you subscribe.
Apple Music Unlimited, Amazon Music Unlimited both offer student subscriptions at $4.99 per monthly. Both require that you sign up using credentials from your educational institution.
The streaming services offer a family plan for $14.99 per month, allowing six people to access the services with a personal account.
Apple Music members can share iTunes purchases, as well as music catalog content. However, all family members must use the same credit card to make all App Store purchases under Apple’s Family Sharing program.
Apple Music Unlimited and Amazon Music Unlimited memberships automatically renew every month. However, you can cancel the renewal at any time. Your subscription will continue until the end of your current billing cycle.
Streaming Quality
Apple Music will now support Spatial Audio as well as Lossless Audio starting in June 2023. These features are free to Apple Music subscribers. These features will significantly enhance the Apple Music listening experience.
Spatial Audio will combine Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio to create an immersive, multi-dimensional audio environment that artists can mix music. Spatial Audio has been available on Apple TV since 2005. Now it is available for Apple Music audio content.
The best music Apple will upgrade its entire music catalog to Lossless Audio using the ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), which preserves all details in the original audio file. Apple Music subscribers can now hear songs precisely the way the artists recorded them in the studio.
Lossless Audio will launch with 20 million. All 75 million will be available in Lossless Audio by 2023.
Standard Lossless tiers start at CD quality. It is 16-bit at 44.1 kHz and goes up to 24-bit at 48 kHz. Hi-Res Lossless tier is also available at 24bit 192 kHz. However, Hi-Res Lossless will require an external digital-to-analog converter.
Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers now have access to Amazon Music HD, a high-fidelity streaming service free of charge, in response to Apple Music’s lossless announcement.
Amazon Music HD was previously $14.99 per month ($12.99 Prime membership), compared to Amazon Music Unlimited, which costs $9.99 per month.
Apple Music streams lossless audio at 256kbps AAC across all devices ( especially is Android devices). Amazon has not yet revealed the bitrate of its library. However, it is generally agreed that the user audio quality options (low/medium/high) range from 48 Kbps to 320 Kbps.
Except for audiophiles, most listeners won’t notice any difference in the highest-quality streams. However, Amazon Music’s ability to choose the bitrate can be helpful if you are concerned about your cellular data.
Social Media
Spotify is the best social media integration platform, and neither Apple nor Amazon Music can match Spotify. Amazon is still the most advanced.
The Amazon app allows you to post songs directly to any social network you choose, in addition to creating shareable hyperlinks that you can post anywhere you like.
Apple Music also allows you to create sharing links quickly. It lets you share songs with other registered users via AirDrop but does not have the immediate appeal of Amazon Music’s social media sharing. Permanently close the app and switch to another one to paste the link.
Price
Apple Music has three tiers. There are $9.99 per person, $4.99 per student, and $14.99 for up to six family members. This price is standard for music streaming and is comparable to paying money to purchase singles or albums from iTunes.
Apple Music offers a 3-month free trial, which will allow you to experience all the features of Apple fully. You can cancel your free trial anytime you’re not satisfied.
Amazon Music Unlimited is available for $9.99 per person, $14.99 per family (share with six family members), and $4.99 for eligible students.
Amazon Music Unlimited Standard Tier will cost $7.99 per month if you are a Prime Member.
Amazon and Apple Music are very different. You only need to pay $3.99 per month for one Echo device (Echo Show or Echo Look, Echo Dot Echo Spot Echo Plus, Echo Plus, Echo Plus) powered by Amazon’s Alexa AI assistant.
Amazon will cost $9.99 per month for Prime members if you wish to use Amazon Music on more than one Echo or any other device.
Ease in Use
The interface of Amazon Music is straightforward to use. It has a navigation bar located at the top of the desktop app instead of a sidebar.
It contains links to your Home feed, personal library, podcasts, and other helpful information that makes it easy to navigate through the app.
The Search section and the Library sections have sorting filters prominently displayed. This makes it easy for listeners to find what they are looking for.
Amazon offers a comprehensive drop-down menu that is available on both mobile and desktop apps. You can access many functions from the same window without leaving it.
Apple is a standout among the many dark-themed music streaming apps. It retains its clean, minimalist design on mobile and desktop.
It is minimalistic and simple to use. The app has a sidebar that lets you create and edit playlists and jump between sections. You can also customize the sidebar on mobile and desktop, so you can choose which playlists or filters you want to show or hide.
Apple Music’s drag-and-drop feature allows you to transfer content to different playlists quickly. Like Amazon, the menu you see when you right-click on an album or song is packed with functions that allow easy management of your content.
Both apps are pretty easy to use. Apple Music’s sidebar is a little more interesting.
This little feature gives users a quick overview of all sections within the app. This makes it simple to navigate, even for novices. A customizable sidebar makes it easy to organize what you can see and do on the app.
Recently, We have reviewed the difference between Spotify vs pandora and youtube music vs Spotify, if you are also caring about these apps, let us show you which should you choose:
Other Features
Both platforms share some other features. Both apps include an equalizer, which allows users to fine-tune the sound. Both apps have lyrics and song credits integrated. Amazon Music has an additional feature called X-ray on the now playing screen. This highlights relevant information about the song or artist.
DJ Mode is another feature Amazon recently introduced. This play music is like a hosted listening experience that artists and DJs lead. The playlist is intended to provide listeners with more information about the artists and their musical influences.
Apple bring out a similar feature, which puts the spotlight on the people and stories behind the music. It’s not just a playlist. There is an entire section dedicated to it.
Listeners can find playlists such as Behind the Songs, Song Book, and On the Session, which highlight the session musicians, producers, and songwriters behind the songs they love in Apple Music’s “Behind the Songs” section.
Apple has a few additional cool features that you won’t find on Amazon. Spatial Audio by Dolby atmos provides an enhanced listening experience.
Apple Replay summarizes your most-listened-to songs over the year. Stylists encourage speech articulation improvement for people with speech-sound disorder (SSD).
Apple has more content than you might expect, which makes it even more worthwhile. Spatial Audio will be a favorite of audiophiles. Spatial Audio will be a hit with audiophiles. Hardcore music lovers will love the carefully-curated section Behind The Songs.
The addition of “Stylists” is an exclusive feature that you won’t find on streaming apps. This feature gives Apple a more excellent value.
Conclusion
The way to tell the difference between Amazon and Apple music is by looking at how much they cost. Apple is free, and you don’t have to pay for an annual subscription, but if you want to download songs and albums and use them offline, you will need to pay for the subscription.
Amazon Music is only $3.99 a month and does not require a membership. Apple and Amazon both offer different things and have different pricing structures.
So, Which is better?
In our opinion, the accessible version of Apple Music is a little better than the paid version of Amazon Music. We’ve used both platforms and find it frustrating how much Apple Music charges for music when the free version allows you to download songs without having to pay anything at all.
