Amazon announced on Tuesday that Alexa+, its upgraded assistant powered by AI, is coming to the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android devices.
The feature is currently available across all Amazon Music subscription plans, but is only available for users with Alexa+ Early Access. (To access Alexa+, tap the “a” button in the lower right corner and ask your question using the built-in microphone on your phone. )
The introduction of Alexa+ to Amazon Music aims to create a more conversational approach to music discovery. Unlike the previous version of Alexa, which only responded to basic commands, Alexa+ is designed to engage in natural dialogue.
Users can ask specific and obscure questions, such as queries regarding an artist’s influences or exploring deeper meanings behind songs. It can also help recall a song’s title by providing lyrics you remember or even mentioning the movie it was featured in.
Additionally, Alexa+ can create personalized playlists tailored to specific requests, such as “Make a playlist of 2010s hits that keep me moving fast, starting with a track from Nicki Minaj,” the company suggested.
Some other examples the company provided include: “Can you recommend new music that would make me seem cool to my 13-year-old daughter without trying too hard?” and “What’s the song that plays during the opening credits of ‘The Sopranos’?”
Alexa+ was initially announced in February at the company’s hardware event and is positioned as one of the first consumer-focused agent tools on the market. This assistant can perform actions on a user’s behalf, such as booking restaurant reservations and ordering groceries.
While Alexa+ is still in its early stages and not yet widely available to the public, it has already rolled out to more than a million users.
The company reported that Amazon Music listeners who have tried the feature are exploring songs three times more with Alexa+ than with the original assistant, and those seeking recommendations are listening to nearly 70% more music.
In light of Spotify’s recent integration with ChatGPT, this could be a strategic move by Amazon to compete with the music streaming giant and showcase its own AI investments. Amazon Music has already incorporated numerous AI features into its app, with the latest additions being weekly AI-generated playlists, AI-assisted search, and “Explore,” which helps users learn more about their favorite artists.
