pandora-amazonAmazon and Pandora are closing in on licensing agreements with the world's largest record labels to launch their own streaming music services later this year, reports Financial Times.

Both subscription-based services are expected to cost $9.99 per month, a price that has become the industry standard, and compete with heavyweights like Apple Music and Spotify.

Amazon's offering could launch as early as September, according to the report, while Pandora is said to be making progress towards debuting its service later this year.

Reuters first reported Amazon's plans to launch a standalone streaming music service in June, followed by a Recode report last week claiming the online retailer is also working on a $5-a-month subscription music service that will be exclusive to owners of the company's internet-connected Echo speaker.

Amazon currently sells individual songs or albums through Amazon Music, while Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Amazon music, playlists, and radio stations for free, but the selection is limited compared to Apple Music and Spotify.

Pandora's ambitions to launch its own subscription music service, likely based on its acquisition of "key assets" from Rdio in 2015, were first reported by The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. The company plans to offer two price tiers by also slightly tweaking its existing $5 per month ad-free option with select new perks like skipping songs and offline listening, the report said.

Pandora currently offers customers in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand the ability to listen to free, ad-supported radio stations centered around particular artists or songs, rather than offering on-demand listening like Apple Music. By offering only randomized, radio-like stations that prevent users from playing specific songs, it has been able to bypass licensing agreements with major record labels.

Top Rated Comments

Traverse Avatar
115 months ago
I'm getting subscription fatigue...Microsoft Office, Adobe, Apple Music, Spotify, Dropbox, Pandora, Amazon

I understand the benefit from a corporate perspective, but still. Plus, you have all of these different music subscriptions and then "exclusives" to each one. It's annoying for the end user.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
115 months ago
Had to get to the second paragraph before it was clear they weren't working together. May want to include "independently" in the headline.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xero9 Avatar
115 months ago
One of the biggest advantages Apple Music (and even Spotify to some degree) has is it isn't limited to just the US.

Unless Pandora and Amazon can expand outside of those borders, it's no dice for me at least.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mlody Avatar
115 months ago
I feel that in a couple years (maybe sooner?) the music streaming business is going to shrink to 2-3 services from where it is now. I do like the option of choices, but too many gets a little overwhelming.
I am with you on this one. Even if Amazon, Google, and Apple were bleeding red for the music service, they will continue to offer it because they are loaded with cash and will be able to absorb the loss, if any. Any other company will only die or get bought up cause they won't be able to sustain losing money to compete with the three giants.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Iconoclysm Avatar
115 months ago
I am equally interested in a "high-quality audio" subscription, but I will miss the audio jack. Syncing my phone to a wireless product can in no way be more intuitive than simply plugging something in. And then there is the sound quality itself. It's not good enough for Woz, and it's not good enough for me either.
That's the entire point of using the Lightning port to plug in headphones. They can actually be better sounding than your current 3.5mm headphones if they include their own DAC and can be noise cancelling without a need to be charged.

If Apple builds AirPlay enabled wireless earbuds, they will sound far better than Bluetooth as well. I'd wait and see, as Woz is going to do.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozuka Avatar
115 months ago
Hopefully Apple will start a High Quality Audio Subscription soon.
Would also help to hype the Lightning Port Audio on the new Iphone that noone really wants at the moment..

But then again, people will still miss the old Audio Jack
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

WWDC25 Live Coverage Feature 1

WWDC 2025 Apple Event Live Keynote Coverage: iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors is on hand for the event and we'll be sharing details and our thoughts throughout the day. We're expecting to see a number of software-related announcements led by a design revamp across Apple's platforms that will also see the numbering of all of...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 9 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
liquid glass

Apple Announces All-New 'Liquid Glass' Software Redesign Across iOS 26 and More

Monday June 9, 2025 10:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a complete redesign of all of its major software platforms called "Liquid Glass." Announced simultaneously for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and CarPlay, Liquid Glass forms a new universal design language for the first time. At its WWDC 2025 keynote address, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi said "Apple Silicon has become dramatically more powerful...
iPadOS 26 Apple Newsroom

Apple Says iPadOS 26 is Compatible With These iPad Models

Monday June 9, 2025 11:22 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the iPad models listed below. iPadOS 26 features a new Liquid Glass design, a menu bar, improved app windowing, and more. iPadOS 26 supports the following iPad models:iPad Pro (M4) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) iPad Air (M2 and later) iPad Air (3rd generation and...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Says These 13 Vehicle Brands Will Soon Offer iPhone Car Keys

Monday June 9, 2025 2:38 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote today, Apple said that 13...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 hero 250609

Apple Announces iOS 26 With 'Liquid Glass' Design, Live Translation, Overhauled Phone App, and More

Monday June 9, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC announced iOS 26, introducing a comprehensive visual redesign built around its new "Liquid Glass" concept, alongside expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities, updates to core communication apps, and more. Liquid Glass is a translucent material that reflects and refracts surroundings to create dynamic, responsive interface elements, according to Apple. The new design language...