Amazon Launches New Podcast Service

 The other shoe finally dropped. After months of speculation of “will it or won’t it?” Amazon has launched a new podcast service. Announced in a press release this morning, Amazon Music will launch podcasts in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan, across all tiers of service at no additional cost.

Amazon also announced new, original shows produced exclusively for Amazon Music and hosted by creators including DJ Khaled, Becky G, Will Smith, Dan Patrick, and more.

Amazon Music customers can access podcasts in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, on Amazon Echo devices, and at music.amazon.com/podcasts.

 

“Our customers’ listening habits are constantly evolving, and we know they’re looking to us to provide them with a rich experience rooted in music and entertainment,” said Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music in the press release. “With this launch, we’re bringing customers even more forms of entertainment to enjoy, while enabling creators to reach new audiences globally, just as we’ve done with music streaming. Podcasts, paired with our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, makes Amazon Music a premiere destination for creators.”

Popular podcasts such as Crime Junkie, Radiolab, Revisionist History, Planet Money, Ear Hustle, and Stuff You Should Know will be available with more podcasts being added according to Amazon.

Amazon Music will also soon be the exclusive home of the music-meets-true-crime podcast, Disgraceland, a show exploring the criminal antics and connections of some of the world’s favorite musicians, from the Rolling Stones to Tupac. Disgraceland’s narrative storytelling highlights tales of getting away with murder and behaving badly, chronicling some of the craziest criminal stories surrounding some of the most interesting and infamous pop stars. Disgraceland will arrive exclusively on Amazon Music in February 2021.

“Partnering with Amazon Music allows me to really give my listeners what they’ve always asked for: more Disgraceland content,” said Jake Brennan, host of Disgraceland and cofounder at Double Elvis Productions. “Through this partnership with Amazon Music, we’re enhancing the future of the show for fans, expanding our output of content by moving to an ‘always on’ weekly schedule, which will translate to more episodes for listeners on a more consistent basis.”

Amazon Music has also partnered with creators to produce original, exclusive podcasts. Coming soon, customers will be able to listen to “The First One,” a new audio experience hosted by DJ Khaled. Developed by Amazon Music and the Springhill Company, in “The First One” Khaled will interview his all-time favorite artists about the hits that made them iconic and eventually legendary.

“I’m recording my podcast with the greatest musicians of all time, and with some of my best friends who also happen to be the most iconic artists on the planet,” said DJ Khaled. “We’ll talk about fame, fortune, life, and success. These stories are here to motivate you because everybody starts from somewhere, from the ordinary to extraordinary. Before you get to another one, you got to get to ‘The First One,’ only on Amazon Music.”

Also coming to Amazon Music is a brand-new multimedia podcast hosted and curated by superstar Becky G, featuring audio and corresponding video broadcast on Amazon Music’s Twitch Channel. Titled “En la Sala,” every week, you’re invited to join Becky G as she calls on some of the biggest names in music and entertainment, her familia and friends, to discuss Latinx pride, women empowerment, LGBTQ+ rights, relationships, politics and sports, all while unpacking the most important issues facing the Latinx community today. Developed by Amazon Music and Gema Productions, Becky G has also dedicated each episode to a nonprofit organization related to the theme of the week.

Long-time Broadcaster Dan Patrick and IMDb will soon give movie fanatics exclusive interviews with top Hollywood stars in his new show, “That Scene with Dan Patrick.” Produced in collaboration with IMDb, this new podcast will dissect memorable scenes from some of the biggest films and television series. And coming soon to Amazon Music and Audible, is a project from Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Audio, a co-production with Audible.

Podcasts are now available to stream on all tiers of Amazon Music at no additional cost, including free access on Echo, web, and in the Amazon Music mobile app. To learn more, or to add your own podcast to Amazon Music, visit amazon.com/podcasts.

Amazon’s announcement continues a trend of large companies diving into the podcast space with aggressive marketing and content strategies. Spotify, Sony Music, Vox and others are battling for positioning in the podcast industry.

A recent report on podcast listening from Westwood One reveals a growing listener base and increases in daily listening time.

Advertising dollars recently topped one billion dollars and celebrities from other entertainment fields continue to enter the podcasting space.

What remains to be seen is the response -if any- from Apple, Spotify and Vox.