Amazon just rolled out Alexa+, its upgraded AI-powered assistant, to the Amazon Music mobile app on iOS and Android. The move represents Amazon's biggest AI push into music streaming yet, giving users conversational music discovery that can create personalized playlists, identify songs from movie quotes, and answer obscure artist questions. With early users exploring songs three times more than with the original Alexa, this could reshape how we discover music.
Amazon just fired its latest shot in the streaming wars, and it's powered by AI. The company announced Tuesday that Alexa+, its souped-up AI assistant, is now available in the Amazon Music app for mobile devices.
The timing isn't coincidental. Just weeks after Spotify integrated ChatGPT into its platform, Amazon's counter-move puts conversational AI at the heart of music discovery. Users with Alexa+ Early Access can now tap the "a" button in their mobile app and ask questions that would have stumped the original Alexa.
"Can you recommend new music that would make me seem cool to my 13-year-old daughter without trying too hard?" That's the kind of nuanced, oddly specific request Alexa+ can handle, according to Amazon's examples. It's a far cry from the rigid "play classic rock" commands of the past.
The early data shows users are hooked. Amazon Music listeners with Alexa+ access are exploring songs three times more than those using the original assistant. Even more telling, users seeking recommendations are listening to nearly 70% more music overall - a metric that should make Amazon's bean counters very happy.
But Alexa+ goes beyond simple recommendations. It can identify that mysterious song stuck in your head using just a few lyrics, or tell you what track played during The Sopranos opening credits. Need a "playlist of 2010s hits that keep me moving fast, starting with a track from Nicki Minaj"? Alexa+ can build that in seconds.
This represents a major evolution from Alexa's original launch. When Amazon first announced Alexa+ in February at its hardware event, the company positioned it as one of the first consumer-focused AI agents - capable of booking restaurant reservations and ordering groceries on users' behalf.
The assistant has already rolled out to more than a million users, though it remains in early access. Amazon is clearly testing the waters before a full public launch, using music as the perfect sandbox for conversational AI.
