Amazon is setting itself up to rival Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal with its own music streaming service.
Citing two sources with knowledge of the matter, Reuters reported on Friday that the service will cost $9.99 a month and will likely launch late this summer or early fall. The company is currently in the process of finalizing licenses with record labels.
Though Amazon already offers Prime subscribers streaming access to a limited media library, the new service will provide a more competitive music catalog. It’s also intended to help bolster the appeal of Amazon’s new hands-free and voice-controlled speaker, Amazon Echo. In addition to playing music and audiobooks on command, the device serves as a home controller, turning on lights and adjusting thermostats.
Amazon has been increasing efforts to move away from its annual subscription model to include more options for users to subscribe on a monthly basis. Just this April, the online retailer — which is responsible for the hit original series “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” — began offering a monthly subscription to its TV and movie collection, Prime Video, to compete with Netflix.