Amazon just announced that it is launching support for podcasts on Amazon Music. Access to the podcasts will be free and on top of that, Amazon is also rolling out its own original shows. The service is being rolled out in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan for now.
The initial episodes of Amazon's originals will feature famous personalities like DJ Khaled, Becky G, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Dan Patrick, and others. Some of the popular programs that will be part of the podcasts include Crime Junkie, What A Day, Radiolab, Revisionist History, Planet Money, Ear Hustle, Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer, and Stuff You Should Know.
DJ Khaled is expected to host ''The First One'' where he would interview his favorite artists and talk about their music journeys. Becky G will host “En la Sala” to discuss social and political issues, sports, and other things with famous celebrities from the music and entertainment industry. “The Scene with Dan Patrick'' will be hosted by Dan Patrick, where he will break down and discuss famous scenes from movies and TV shows.
Amazon's new podcasts will be available on its Music apps on both mobile devices and desktop. The podcast catalogue could be browsed by category and trailers of the podcasts will also be available to watch. Users will be able to stream all Amazon podcasts on Alexa devices as well.
The podcast industry has started to receive more attention over time in the recent years. A lot of streaming services have been using podcasting as a way to promote their platforms, including tech giant Apple, that launched its own podcast originals only recently.
In a statement regarding the launch of Amazon's podcasts, VP of Amazon Music, Steve Boom, said that the company has launched podcasts to bring its community even more forms of entertainment to enjoy, along with enabling creators to reach new audiences around the world.
Amazon has launched its podcasts after its recent addition of Twitch Live Streaming to Amazon Music. ''Podcasts, paired with our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, makes Amazon Music a premiere destination for creators”, Boom said.
