If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you already know that you get free shipping, free music, books and games, etc. It’s a great deal, I think. Yes, I own Amazon stock but that’s my only link to the company, other than the fact that I buy a lot of stuff on their special days.
With Prime you get the basic Amazon music. It allows you to play a single stream on any device in your home, in your car or on your mobile device. While it doesn’t allow you to specify an artist, you can ask Alexa to play that artist and ‘similar artists’. Need Gord Lightfoot to start your day? Ask Alexa to play ‘Gord Lightfoot and similar artists’. That works perfectly.
While you are limited to one stream at a time, there is a workaround if you want to play music at home and while you’re out walking. Besides Amazon Music streams, you can ask Alexa to play a radio station. That radio stream is independent of the Amazon Music stream so this choice allows two separate choices for you.
Step 1: Choose a straight music stream for your home or your mobile devices. A ‘straight music’ stream is one of the multitude of Amazon stations or playlists. These offer you a series of songs in one genre, let’s say Classic Rock.
Step 2: On the other device that you have lined to Amazon, either your mobile device or the Echo Dots or TVs in your home, choose a real but online radio station. I love Radio Paradise, for instance. Great music, no ads and user supported.
Here’s my setup. I leave Radio Paradise playing through the many Echo Dots around the house, all for the plants, you understand. But it’s also a free burglar keeper-outer, too. If someone hears music through the front door or a window, they think someone is at home, right? Once the Dots are playing, I get Amazon Music streaming on my phone while I do my daily walk around the neighbourhood. Choices are usually Ultimate Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Lounge and Bar or My Favourites. Cool, huh?
When you have music playing, ‘like’ it and Alexa will remember that it’s one of your favourites. At the end of the year, a favourites playlist is made for you in December so you can relive the moments until next year.
I hope this explains things for you. If you have questions or comments, use the form below. I’d love to hear your input.
Cheers!
Brian Mahoney
December 12, 2024