Eight years after its initial launch in India, Amazon Music is modifying its operational structure within the country. The audio streaming service, previously accessible solely to Amazon Prime members, is now being offered as a separate product called Amazon Music Unlimited.
Non-Prime subscribers will pay Rs119 (approximately $1.25) monthly, while Prime members will pay Rs99 (approximately $1.05) per month for access to ad-free listening and the ability to download music for offline playback. These benefits, formerly included with Prime subscriptions, will no longer be available to Prime members beginning on July 2.
On the same date, Amazon Music will also introduce a free, ad-supported listening tier featuring shuffle-based playback in India. Both Prime and non-Prime users can trial Amazon Music Unlimited, which includes higher sound quality options (HD, Ultra HD and Spatial Audio including Dolby Atmos), for six and three months respectively.
The Rs119 monthly fee for Amazon Music Unlimited matches Gaana’s subscription price and falls between JioSaavn’s Pro plan at Rs99 and Spotify’s Premium Standard offering, which was reduced to Rs139 (approximately $1.45) last month.
This shift to a range of customer options—a free tier, the existing Prime tier, and the Unlimited tier—follows a period of slower subscriber growth in India over the past two years. Rishabh Gupta, country head of Amazon Music India, stated in November 2025, “We’ve always looked upon it as, how can we make it a sustainable business in the long run?”
Industry observers anticipate varied reactions, with rights owners likely to welcome the price increases while expressing concern over the introduction of a free tier, as they continue to advocate for a greater shift towards paid subscription models to support the growth of India’s recorded music market, which has lagged behind other regional markets. This is a trend who actually owns African music distribution in 2026 are also watching closely.
The move also comes at a time when the industry is seeing new financial models emerge, such as LabelWorx’s $10M Indie Electronic Fund.
