Amazon’s Alexa Plus is coming to Music – and it’s free for everyone

According to The Verge, Amazon is building its new Alexa Plus AI assistant directly into the Amazon Music app starting today. The integration is available immediately for customers in the Alexa Plus Early Access beta program across both iOS and Android platforms. All Amazon Music subscription tiers now have access to this generative AI assistant, which can handle obscure music queries and complex recommendation requests. Users can ask for songs they can’t remember by lyrics or where they heard them, get chart position data, or request music based on specific eras and moods. The AI can even exclude unwanted content – like asking for ’90s pop but no boy bands. This represents Amazon’s first major integration of its upgraded Alexa technology directly into its music streaming service.

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The streaming wars just got smarter

Here’s the thing – this move puts Amazon directly in competition with Spotify’s AI DJ feature, but with a crucial difference. While Spotify’s AI is more about curated radio-style listening, Amazon’s approach seems more conversational and query-based. You’re not just getting a playlist – you’re having a dialogue about what you want to hear. And the fact that it’s available across all subscription tiers? That’s huge.

Basically, Amazon is using music as the entry point to get people comfortable with their more advanced AI assistant. Smart move, really. Most people interact with music streaming daily, so it’s the perfect testing ground for more sophisticated AI interactions. But here’s my question: will this actually get people to use Alexa more, or is it just another feature that most people will ignore?

Who benefits and who doesn’t

The immediate winner here is obviously Amazon Music subscribers who’ve been frustrated with basic search functionality. Being able to find that song you only remember one line from? That’s a game-changer for casual listeners. And the ability to exclude genres or artists you hate from recommendations? That’s something even the big players struggle with.

But the real play here is broader. Amazon needs people to actually use Alexa Plus to train their models and prove the technology works. Music is low-stakes, high-engagement territory. If they can nail this, it builds trust for more important AI interactions down the line. The losers? Probably smaller streaming services that can’t afford to develop this level of AI integration. This is becoming an arms race, and not everyone has Amazon’s resources.

Look, we’re seeing every major tech company pushing AI into their existing products right now. Amazon’s approach of starting with music feels more practical than some of the flashier AI demos we’ve seen. It solves actual user pain points rather than just being tech for tech’s sake. Whether people actually use it consistently? That’s the billion-dollar question.