E-commerce giant Amazon on Wednesday announced the launch of its podcast platform, which will include exclusive programs, a further sign that the industry is maturing.
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For its debut, the conglomerate, an online commerce and data storage giant, will soon offer podcasts by music producer DJ Khaled and a program produced by actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
The platform will be accessible, at no additional cost, to Amazon Music subscribers, according to a statement.
Amazon Music is available, in a restricted version, to subscribers of the Prime service.
In the United States, the unlimited subscription, which offers access to a catalog of 60 million songs, costs $ 7.99 per month for Prime customers and $ 9.99 for others.
Besides the United States, the podcast platform has been launched in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
Amazon was already a major player in the audio world through its subsidiary Audible, audio book juggernaut and even producer of some original podcasts.
But with this announcement, it gives itself additional visibility and invests the ground occupied so far by Apple and Spotify.
Historically only positioned as a hosting platform, Apple took the plunge in July and now produces several podcasts of its own.
Like Apple and Spotify, Amazon is playing the double card of hosting platform, open to all producers, and original content, to attract listeners.
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Amazon wants to make Amazon Music "
a destination of choice for creators,
" Steve Boom, vice president of Amazon Music, said in the statement.
Amazon Music claims more than 55 million subscribers worldwide, a spokesperson told AFP.