Amazon’s Amp is reinventing radio

Does the world need another social music app? According to the folks at Amazon Amp, the answer is an ecstatic “Yes!”

A guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix.

Remember Clubhouse? Near the beginning of the pandemic, Clubhouse became the hot social media platform people needed in their lives, offering drop-in audio conversations and unique access to celebrities. The hype was so great that virtually every major digital company has tried to copy Clubhouse’s success, and Amazon is no exception. 

This month, Amazon gave the world Amp, a clubhouse competitor with one unique feature: music licenses. Unlike Clubhouse and all of its knock-offs, Amp users can choose from millions of free-to-use songs to include in their broadcasts. In other words, it gives people the ability to host their own radio show without ads or fancy equipment. Users can even take calls from their audience. 

Cool as it may be, the idea behind Amp is not necessarily new. As host James Shotwell explains in this Music Biz update, the concept of turning everyone into a DJ has been tried multiple times over the last decade. Each time, a small portion of the population adapts to the new technology, but everyone else ignores it. Eventually, over time, the hype dies, and people move on. 

Will Amp be an exception to this trend? Can Amazon give the world a good reason to download another social media app? Let’s discuss.

James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.