Amazon launches music streaming service in UK

Ecommerce giant Amazon has upped its efforts to battle music streaming service programmes such as Apple Music and Spotify, by launching its Amazon Music Unlimited in the United Kingdom on Monday.

The music library from the US online retailer provides access for customers to over 40m songs, for a monthly price of £9.99.

Amazon has been expanding its reach in recent years, increasingly entering the realms of technology and maximising profits with an emphasis towards its Prime service.

A special discount has been offered for any Amazon customers who have purchased one of the company's Echo smart speakers, who will be able to use the music service for just £3.99 per month.

It represents the latest attempt by Amazon to synchronise its devices and services in a manner quite similar to that of technology giant Apple.

The streaming service will also be made available in Germany and Austria on Monday. The company has yet to confirm how many subscriptions have been sold so far in the US version of Music Unlimited.

"We've been thrilled with customer reaction to the launch of Amazon Music Unlimited in the U.S. last month and we're excited to quickly bring the service to customers in the UK," said vice-president of Amazon Music Steve Boom.

Spotify has been the market leader in a sector which is becoming increasingly saturated with websites and apps which offer free or paid subscriptions to access music.

"If you want a sense of the future of voice-controlled music, go ahead and ask Alexa for a free Amazon Music Unlimited trial, and play around on your Echo," said CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement.

"If you don't know the name of a song but know a few lyrics, if you want to hear songs from a specific decade, or even if you're looking for music to match your mood, just ask. Our U.S. customers love Amazon Music Unlimited on Echo, and we think our UK customers will too."