Using Amazon Music Family plan with shared Echo devices. Can it be done?

[nitsuj3580]

I've been Googling this and can't seem to find a concrete answer. I'm thinking of upgrading my Amazon music subscription to the family plan. Between my wife, myself, and multiple kids, one account isn't cutting it anymore. Multiple people want to play music at the same time and can't with one account. What I'd like to know is we have Echo devices in many common areas to play music. With the family plan, is it possible to easily switch accounts on an Echo device? For example, my wife is playing music with her account on the Echo in the basement, but then moves to the kitchen and wants to use her music account on the Echo show in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the kids go down to the basement to play and want to use one of their accounts on the basement Echo to play their music. The basement Echo would need to switch from my wife's account to the kid's account.

I've read some mixed things about Amazon households potentially being able to switch accounts but haven't found anything using the Family music plan account within households.

Does anyone do this with their family successfully? Thanks!

 

[nakedfrog]

Maybe try Amazon CS chat?
No idea here, I already pay for Prime, I'm not going to pay a music subscription fee on top of that, I'll just put that money towards buying music outright.

 

[Muadib]

Maybe try Amazon CS chat?
No idea here, I already pay for Prime, I'm not going to pay a music subscription fee on top of that, I'll just put that money towards buying music outright.

It will cost you more in the long run if you truly buy music. I no longer use Prime music, as they don't support Roon, but there are other options.

 

[nakedfrog]

It will cost you more in the long run if you truly buy music. I no longer use Prime music, as they don't support Roon, but there are other options.

I'm not sure I understand your first sentence. I can pay to rent music and own nothing, or I can pay to buy music, and own something?

 

[Muadib]

I'm not sure I understand your first sentence. I can pay to rent music and own nothing, or I can pay to buy music, and own something?

How much are you paying to own music?

 

[nakedfrog]

How much are you paying to own music?

On average, I'd say $5-10/album.

 

[Muadib]

On average, I'd say $5-10/album.

I was paying $9.99 a month when I had Amazon music. It’s now $7.99 a month for me if I give it another chance, and I can listen to 70 million songs. Why would I buy at that price?

 

[nakedfrog]

I was paying $9.99 a month when I had Amazon music. It’s now $7.99 a month for me if I give it another chance, and I can listen to 70 million songs. Why would I buy at that price?

I guess that's fine if you're good with paying that forever to have access to your music. To me, it makes more sense to pay once and have access for probably as long as I live. I can assure you that there are probably at least 30-50 million of those 70 million songs I have no interest in ever hearing

 

[MrSquished]

I was paying $9.99 a month when I had Amazon music. It’s now $7.99 a month for me if I give it another chance, and I can listen to 70 million songs. Why would I buy at that price?

I use the same rationale. I am quite picky with music so there are very few albums I would find worth buying anyway. If I find a track I like, odds are I may find one more on the album that's ok or good too, if that. I could just buy the tracks individually, but it's still not worth it. It's $1.29 for a single track on Amazon from a band I like, Young the Giant. Currently I have my main playlist which is about 400 songs, that would cost me over $500 if I bought and paid for each track. Then I'd have to download them to each of my 3 main devices. So that $500, that's 50 months of Tidal at 9.99 a month so four years. Then I have other smaller playlists or sometimes just like to go listen to Zep or Floyd or Yo-Yo Ma or some other stuff - so that adds up too. Then I like to play track radios and discover new tracks to add to my main playlist. In another four years I'll probably have hundreds more tracks added to my playlists.

The other thing about renting music - I just fire up my laptop and it's all right there too. Ditto with my phone. It's just seamless transition between my 3 main devices - desktop, laptop, phone. Playlists are updated across my logins, and you can download music to the phone to avoid data usage if as well. Can't beat the convenience.

I guess that's fine if you're good with paying that forever to have access to your music. To me, it makes more sense to pay once and have access for probably as long as I live. I can assure you that there are probably at least 30-50 million of those 70 million songs I have no interest in ever hearing

Agreed. Probably out of those 70 million there are 60 million I won't like.

 

[Muadib]

I guess that's fine if you're good with paying that forever to have access to your music. To me, it makes more sense to pay once and have access for probably as long as I live. I can assure you that there are probably at least 30-50 million of those 70 million songs I have no interest in ever hearing

Unless you are content with hearing the same songs over & over, then you will be paying forever too. Thinking about it, there are genres of music that I have no interest in, country for example. That narrows the field for me too.