U.S. Futures Steady as Rate-Cut Bets Rise on Soft Labor Data 
Dollar Holds Steady as Markets Shift Focus to 2026 Rate Cut Expectations 
China’s Services Sector Posts Slowest Growth in Five Months as Demand Softens 
Airbus Faces Pressure After November Deliveries Dip Amid Industrial Setback 
Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature 
Tesla Expands Affordable Model 3 Lineup in Europe to Boost EV Demand 
Microchip Technology Boosts Q3 Outlook on Strong Bookings Momentum 
Asia’s IPO Market Set for Strong Growth as China and India Drive Investor Diversification 
YouTube Agrees to Follow Australia’s New Under-16 Social Media Ban 
Airline Loyalty Programs Face New Uncertainty as Visa–Mastercard Fee Settlement Evolves 
Japan’s Nikkei Drops as Markets Await Key U.S. Inflation Data 
Asian Currencies Edge Higher as Markets Look to Fed Rate Cut; Rupee Steadies Near Record Lows 
Oil Prices Hold Steady as Ukraine Tensions and Fed Cut Expectations Support Market 
IKEA Launches First New Zealand Store, Marking Expansion Into Its 64th Global Market 
BOJ Governor Ueda Highlights Uncertainty Over Future Interest Rate Hikes 
Amazon Music announced it has expanded its Prime benefit for members. The music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon said on Tuesday, Nov. 1, that all Prime members will now be able to enjoy more free music as it raised the number of free songs from two million to 100 million in shuffle mode.
In addition, Amazon Music is also offering ad-free podcasts at no extra cost on the Prime membership fee. This is surely a sweet benefit laid out for members of its subscription service. As per Fox Business, the ad-free catalog for Prime members was very limited before the announcement of this updated perk.
The move is part of the streaming platform’s content expansion plan, and for the podcasts, Amazon Prime members will get to view most of the leading podcast's content without any advertisement for uninterrupted viewing. Some of the premium shows include Keke Palmer’s new original podcast "Baby, this is Keke Palmer" and "MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories."
Moreover, Amazon Music revealed that the decision to upgrade the Prime benefits came after customers demanded full access to all the music catalogs. Their requests were heard, and now members can easily shuffle play any music artist, album, or playlist.
Then again, it was mentioned that there is still an option to further upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited to avail of on-demand access, which offers spatial audio with song lists in HD and Ultra HD.
Meanwhile, Amazon raised its annual membership fee to $139 in February this year. This was previously just $119, and for monthly Prime membership, it is now $14.99 from the original $12.99. This means that paying monthly is more expensive since the total is almost $180.
“When Amazon Music first launched for Prime members, we offered an ad-free catalog of 2 million songs, which was completely unique for music streaming at the time,” Amazon Music’s vice president, Steve Boom, said in a press release.
He added, “We continue to innovate on behalf of our customers and to bring even more entertainment to Prime members, on top of the convenience and value they already enjoy. We can’t wait for members to experience not only a massively expanded catalog of songs but also the largest selection of ad-free top podcasts anywhere, at no additional cost to their membership.”
Photo by: Bastian Riccardi/Pixabay
