Still hanging on to vinyl? You’re not alone. There are plenty of music aficionados and audiophiles out there who can’t bear to part with their spinning discs from yesteryear, sometimes even when they no longer own the record players to enjoy them.
Well, here’s a little good news then: Now you can snag digital versions of those records for free if you purchased them on Amazon. The AutoRip service, which launched for CD owners earlier this year, allows users to match up the music they own on physical media and download or stream them as MP3s via Cloud Player. Like for CDs, the service extends to titles that go as far back as 1998 and continues for any new vinyl purchased from here on out.
That’s no small matter: According to Nielsen Soundscan, vinyl LP sales are hot again, with the industry moving 4.6 million units last year. And popular artists, like Justin Timberlake, turning attention to the beloved old-school medium doesn’t hurt. Last Friday, the singer hit Twitter and Instagram to send fans on an Easter hunt for signed vinyl copies of his latest album, The 20/20 Experience.
The Cloud Player app is available on iOS, Android owners (including Kindle Fire users) can grab the Amazon MP3 app.
Amazon AutoRip Extends to Vinyl—Customers Now Receive Free MP3 Versions of Vinyl Records Purchased From Amazon—Past, Present and Future |
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| Customers who purchased vinyl records from Amazon dating back to 1998 will find MP3 versions automatically added to their Cloud Player libraries – free of charge
AutoRip eliminates the challenge of making a digital copy of your vinyl records SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 3, 2013– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced it has extended its popular AutoRip service to vinyl records. AutoRip was introduced in January of this year to give customers free digital copies of CDs they purchase. Starting today, when customers purchase an AutoRip vinyl record, a digital copy of that music will be automatically added to their Cloud Player libraries where it will be available, free of charge, for immediate playback or download. Customers no longer need to go through the hassle of making a digital copy of a vinyl record. Additionally, customers who have purchased AutoRip records at any time since Amazon first opened its Music Store in 1998 will find digital copies of those albums in their Cloud Player libraries – also for free. Thousands of records, including titles from every major record label, are available for AutoRip, and more titles are being added all the time—just look for the AutoRip logo. “AutoRip has been wildly popular with customers since it launched earlier this year,” said Steve Boom, Vice President of Digital Music for Amazon. “It’s a fun experience to suddenly find CDs you purchased just today—or 15 years ago—added automatically and free of charge to your digital library. We’re thrilled to extend this experience to vinyl records. Many of our music customers are vinyl fans and it’s traditionally been very difficult to make digital versions of vinyl records—now customers can enjoy the albums they buy wherever they are, not just when they have access to a record player.” AutoRip features include:
AutoRip for vinyl is available for industry-wide top-sellers and customer favorites like “Babel” by Mumford & Sons, “The Lumineers,” by The Lumineers, “Unorthodox Jukebox,” by Bruno Mars, “All that Echoes,” by Josh Groban, “Greatest Hits – Chapter 1,” by Kelly Clarkson and “Alabama Shakes,” by Alabama Shakes. AutoRip for CDs launched in January of this year. Here’s what customers said:
Customers can sign up for a free Amazon Cloud Player account by visiting www.amazon.com/cloudplayer or by downloading one of our free apps from the Amazon Appstore for Android, Google Play or the iTunes Appstore. AutoRip for vinyl is the latest in a series of new digital music features from Amazon launched in recent months. Recently, Amazon announced a new Cloud Player for iPad app, just following the launch of an Amazon MP3 store optimized specifically for iPhone and iPod touch. Earlier this year,Amazon announced Cloud Player integration in Ford SYNC Applink-equipped vehicles, giving customers access to their Cloud Player libraries while on the road. Last year, Amazon launched Cloud Player apps for iPhone and iPod touch, Sonos, Roku and Samsung TVs. The company also introduced scan and match technology that enables customers to import music into Amazon Cloud Player by scanning their iTunes and Windows Media Player libraries and matching eligible songs on their computers to Amazon’s music catalog. All matched songs – even music purchased from iTunes or ripped from CDs – are delivered in high-quality 256 Kbps audio and are made available instantly in customers’ Cloud Player libraries, making it even easier for customers to enjoy their entire music collection anywhere. The Amazon MP3 Store now offers more than 23 million songs and everyday low prices on best-selling albums, many starting at $5. For more information about AutoRip visit www.amazon.com/AutoRip. |