Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s AutoRip feature is now live. On Wednesday evening, CNET reported that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) would introduce a new service called Auto Rip that would add MP3s of the CDs they bought online and automatically store them in a cloud locker. The service is now live and is currently exclusive to the United States.
It’s important to point out that this new feature doesn’t work with every single CD you purchase. It does work with about 30k albums from popular artists like Adele, Fun, Green Day, Pink, and Taylor Swift as well as popular artists of the past such as Michael Jackson and Pink Floyd. Once the person purchases the CD online, the MP3 songs will automatically show up in the user’s music storage cloud. This new feature also includes music from independent labels which proves that there is something for everyone.
Fortunately, it’s easy to find which CDs are eligible for the free extra, just look for a pair of arrows in blue and green next to the name of the album. For those who buy a CD and then return it, Amazon will charge your credit card for the MP3 album.
CNET adds that this service includes qualifying purchases from the past(as early as 1998).
This new feature may increase interest in compact discs, generate more sales for the company, and create more interest in their cloud service. The online retail giant also hopes that AutoRip will create more competition against Apple’s iTunes and Google Play.
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) users can access their music purchases almost anywhere including the Kindle Fire, computer, iPhone, iPad, Android devices, Samsung television sets, and Roku digital streaming players. Apple revolutionized the music industry with iTunes and for years, they pretty much owned the digital music scene. Whether or not Amazon can dethrone iTunes is something that will remain to be seen.
