Amazon Echo goes on sale in Australia and New Zealand next month
At the tail end of 2017, Amazon announced that both its unlimited music service and Echo speaker would head to 28 more countries. This packaged expansion seems to be their theme in 2018, as the company stated both would be coming to Australia and New Zealand early in the new year. Today, it confirmed that Amazon Music Unlimited would launch in those countries on February 1st with Echoes on sale at select retailers early that month.
While the rollout might be good for Australians and New Zealanders who want Echoes for themselves, it’ll be harder for Amazon to wean them off other music streaming services, like Spotify, which has been available in Australia since 2012. At the least, Amazon Music Unlimited is priced competitively. Australian and New Zealand users can subscribe to all three tiers: The Echo-only $5AUD monthly entry plan, the Individual for $12AUD and the upcoming Family Plan that splits an $18AUD bill between up to six people. Australian customers can pre-order an Echo with shipping starting in early February, but New Zealanders must pick them up in stores.
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