Amazon Debuts Amazon Music HD Streaming

Amazon Music has launched Amazon Music HD, a new “lossless audio” tier of music with more than 50 million songs in high definition, and millions of songs in Ultra High Definition, the highest quality streaming audio available. HD streaming songs featre a bit depth of 16 bits and a sample rate of 44.1kHz (CD quality), while Ultra HD songs will feature a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate of up to 192 kHz.

The new service is available for $12.99/month for Prime members and $14.99/month for Amazon customers, or an additional $5/month for current subscribers to the individual or family plans. Amazon Music HD is available to stream in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan

“We spoke with many artists while developing Amazon Music HD, who were excited about the potential for fans to be able to stream their favorite music, and hear it as it was originally recorded,” said Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music. “From rock to hip-hop to classical and pop, we believe listening to music at this level of sound will make customers fall in love again with their favorite music and artists. As we usher in a new listening experience for our customers and the industry, we’re combining the convenience of streaming with all of the emotion, power, clarity and nuance of the original recordings.”

Songs like Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” and St. Vincent’s “Digital Witness”, are also now available in Ultra HD, revealing nuances that were once flattened in files compressed for digital streaming. Legendary albums including Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue become revelatory new experiences, almost as if the listener is sitting in on these storied studio sessions.

“Earth will be changed forever when Amazon introduces high quality streaming to the masses,” said rock icon Neil Young. “This will be the biggest thing to happen in music since the introduction of digital audio 40 years ago.”

Amazon Music HD is compatible with a wide variety of devices, including desktop, mobile (iOS & Android), select Echo devices, Fire TV, and Fire Tablets. Amazon Music HD is also compatible with many third-party devices, including most products from Denon and Marantz with HEOS Built-in, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, Sonos, McIntosh, Sennheiser, and more.