Amazon Music has announced that it will now carry podcasts on the platform. The move follows that of Spotify, which has talked about making podcasts an increasingly important part of its business. Spotify has, of course, also signed some big-money content deals and top names for exclusive podcasts such as Michelle Obama. 

Amazon Music Podcasts will launch initially in the US, UK, Germany and Japan - traditionally strong Amazon territories. Amazon says there are already millions of episodes available from top shows, with more being added all the time. 

Crucially, podcasts will be available on all tiers of Amazon Music and on all devices including Echo, iOS, Android and web so there is no barrier to entry. Naturally, you'll be able to ask Alexa for podcasts by name. 

And, in a move that reflects what Spotify and Apple Music are doing to the market, Amazon says it has signed up music podcast Disgraceland in an exclusive deal for 2021 while there will be exclusive, original shows incoming from musician DJ Khaled, actor Will Smith (a co-production with Amazon-owned Audible), Latin star Becky G and more. 

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"With this launch, we’re bringing customers even more forms of entertainment to enjoy," says Steve Boom, head of Amazon Music. "[We're] enabling creators to reach new audiences globally, just as we’ve done with music streaming. Podcasts, paired with our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, makes Amazon Music a premiere destination for creators."