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I rarely read the full thread on HN but read this one to see if anyone had mentioned Echo or Alexa-enabled devices. Surprising that no one did, esp given how ma

I rarely read the full thread on HN but read this one to see if anyone had mentioned Echo or Alexa-enabled devices. Surprising that no one did, esp given how many they have sold. We are an Apple household primarily but also have a Google Home and recently bought an Alexa-enabled car charger (Anker/Roav Viva). The only service that will work across the board is Spotify. In that regard Spotify is like Netflix -- available on every device.

ethiclub 9y ago
Not to sanction further consolidation or oligopoly issues, but Spotify has long seemed like a logical acquisition for Amazon. - Fix Prime's song catalogue size issue (still an issue?) - Grab massive market share and upsell/bundle other services - Provide bargaining power to Spotify - Get access to very advanced IP - Integrate with voice ui further (i.e. smarter voice commands including play list creations, complex requests and vague requests) - Clock / alarm integration for music upon wake from echo/dot - Fix profitability concerns of Spotify's revenue stream - Provide high quality music, podcast services etc. alongside their soon-to-be-formidable film offering - Use Spotify's algorithms and data to potentially improve film/tv recommendations and discovery - Provide the gateway to becoming a record label, thereby cutting out the middle men à la netflix/Amazon film strategy of content creation Would anyone more knowledgeable be able to comment further or point out flaws with this theory?
- simongr3dal 9y ago
  I’m definitely not more knowledgeable, but in my experience Amazon hasn’t been as good as e.g. Apple at making their services accessible internationally. It’s getting slightly better now with Twitch Prime and Amazon Prime video, which is in the same category. But I fear being neglected if they made an acquisition.
- noarchy 9y ago
  Prime Music launched in Canada a few months ago, and the catalogue size is very much an issue. It is barely worth using, at this stage.
- andrewaylett 9y ago
  Amazon already have a full-fat music subscription service (at least, they do in the UK) as an upgrade to the limited selection that comes 'free' with Prime. It's similarly-priced to the big three.

ethiclub 9y ago

Not to sanction further consolidation or oligopoly issues, but Spotify has long seemed like a logical acquisition for Amazon. - Fix Prime's song catalogue size issue (still an issue?) - Grab massive market share and upsell/bundle other services - Provide bargaining power to Spotify - Get access to very advanced IP - Integrate with voice ui further (i.e. smarter voice commands including play list creations, complex requests and vague requests) - Clock / alarm integration for music upon wake from echo/dot - Fix profitability concerns of Spotify's revenue stream - Provide high quality music, podcast services etc. alongside their soon-to-be-formidable film offering - Use Spotify's algorithms and data to potentially improve film/tv recommendations and discovery - Provide the gateway to becoming a record label, thereby cutting out the middle men à la netflix/Amazon film strategy of content creation Would anyone more knowledgeable be able to comment further or point out flaws with this theory?

simongr3dal 9y ago
I’m definitely not more knowledgeable, but in my experience Amazon hasn’t been as good as e.g. Apple at making their services accessible internationally. It’s getting slightly better now with Twitch Prime and Amazon Prime video, which is in the same category. But I fear being neglected if they made an acquisition.
noarchy 9y ago
Prime Music launched in Canada a few months ago, and the catalogue size is very much an issue. It is barely worth using, at this stage.
andrewaylett 9y ago
Amazon already have a full-fat music subscription service (at least, they do in the UK) as an upgrade to the limited selection that comes 'free' with Prime. It's similarly-priced to the big three.