OK , at this point , who does n't have a music streaming service ? According to a new report , Amazon will be entering the crowded field this summer , joining such rivals as Google , Microsoft and Apple in trying to find new , profitable ways for digital users to get their tunes . The company plans to make on-demand music streaming available as part of its Prime service by June or July , according to BuzzFeed , which cited five unnamed music-industry sources in its report . Prime will , at least initially , restrict its music offerings to songs and albums that are at least 6 months old , according to the report . Even with a $ 20 price increase in March that bumped its annual cost to $ 99 , many users already considered Amazon Prime one of the Web 's best bargains . For $ 8.25 per month , members get two-day shipping on many purchases and the ability to borrow Kindle books and watch streaming movies and TV shows for free . Before March , the price of Prime had n't changed since it debuted nine years ago . Free music streaming would be one more reason for people to sign up and , perhaps more important to Amazon , would keep them in the company 's corner of the Internet , where spending money is always just a click away . The move comes as consumer tastes are veering sharply in the direction of streaming as opposed to outright purchases . Digital music sales were down roughly 13 % in the first quarter of this month , according to Nielsen . Meanwhile , revenues for subscription streaming services were up 51 % in 2013 . The market is led by Pandora , the Internet radio service that 's the most popular music-streaming platform in the United States , and Spotify , an on-demand service that has a large following in Europe . But Web heavyweights are muscling into their turf as well . Google Play , Microsoft 's Xbox Music and Apple 's iTunes Radio all offer free streaming or monthly subscription plans . And this week , Apple confirmed plans to buy Beats Electronics and Beats Music . Much of the focus has been on Apple 's pickup of the trendy headphones that millions already use with their iPods and iPhones . But Apple also gets a music-streaming service that , although it has only about 500,000 users so far , has been praised by critics for a suggestion engine that combines a complex algorithm with human curation . Amazon did not immediately respond to messages seeing comment for this report . Opinion : A remedy for Amazon-Hachette fight ?
Amazon will offer free music-streaming on its Prime service , report says . Service would be available by next month but limited to older songs . Amazon would join Apple , Google , others in crowded streaming-music field .