Amazon Echo speakers and Music Unlimited head to 28 more countries
Amazon's music service is still playing catch-up, but it gets a big boost today.
It took Amazon a while to get its streaming music strategy truly off the ground -- its Music Unlimited service, with competes with Spotify, Apple Music and the like, only launched last fall. But today, both Music Unlimited and the Echo smart speaker lineup are expanding in a big way: Amazon has announced that both are available in 28 new countries, most of which are found across Europe and South America.
Pricing for Music Unlimited will vary by area, but Amazon says it'll offer the same three plans it currently does -- including an Echo-only plan, the standard individual plan for smartphones, computers and other devices and a family plan for multiple users. Amazon's also not discussing pricing for Echo hardware, as that also will vary from country to country. But launching both the hardware and service at the same time is a smart move, as the company says its music service is designed with voice control in mind. Of course, Spotify and the like work just as well, but having both the Echo and Music Unlimited available at the same time will ensure new customers can use their new speakers to their fullest extent.
