Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Amazon Music isn't even close to catching Spotify, despite 55M listeners

It's getting pretty close to Apple Music, though.

Alison DeNisco Rayome Managing Editor

Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Home team. She is a co-lead of the CNET Tips and We Do the Math series, and manages the Home Tips series, testing out new hacks for cooking, cleaning and tinkering with all of the gadgets and appliances in your house. Alison was previously an editor at TechRepublic.

Expertise Home Tips, including cooking, cleaning and appliances hacks Credentials

National Silver Azbee Award for Impact/Investigative Journalism; National Gold Azbee Award for Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team; National Bronze Azbee Award for Web Feature Series

See full bio

Alison DeNisco Rayome

Jan. 22, 2020 1:01 p.m. PT

2 min read

screen-shot-2019-09-17-at-11-33-49-am — Screenshot: Ty Pendlebury/CNET

Amazon Music has passed 55 million customers globally, the company announced Wednesday -- putting it far closer to Apple Music's 60 million subscribers, as reported earlier by the Financial Times. This number includes Prime members who listen to the music service for free as part of their membership, along with Amazon Music Unlimited, HD, and Free tier members.

The "substantial majority" of Amazon Music customers are in one of the paid tiers of service, an Amazon spokesperson told CNET. Apple counts people with free trial accounts in its subscriber tally.

Subscriptions to Amazon Music Unlimited grew by more than 50% last year, the company said. The streaming service has tried to differentiate itself from competitors like Spotify and Apple Music by offering Amazon Music HD, a streaming tier that includes high-resolution versions of the platform's 50 million-plus tracks.

Amazon Prime subscribers can listen to 2 million songs on Amazon Music as a part of their membership, and can upgrade to the HD plan for an extra $8/month. Otherwise, a regular Amazon Music Unlimited subscription starts at $4/month for one device, while Amazon Music HD subscriptions start at $13/month. People who do not have a Prime membership or an Amazon Music subscription can still listen to some ad-supported music free.

Despite the growth, Amazon Music has a long way to go before it catches up to Spotify's 113 million subscribers.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Originally published Jan. 22 at 1:01 p.m. PT. Update, 4:15 p.m. PT: Added information from Amazon.