Nicki Minaj, Travis Barker, Lindsey Stirling and others will host shows
Amazon has announced the released of Amp, a new app that gives everyone a way to DJ their own live radio shows for free, alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. Currently in public beta, creators can use a catalog of tens of millions of licensed songs from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and a long list of independent music companies, while engaging with their community in real-time — no subscription, additional hardware, or editing skills needed.
“Radio has always been about music and culture,” shares John Ciancutti, vice president of Amp. “But imagine if you were inventing the medium for the first time today. You’d combine what people love about radio—spontaneous talk, new music discovery, diverse personalities, and broad programming — with all that’s made possible by today’s technology. You’d make it so anybody with a phone, a voice, and a love for music could make their own show. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Amp makes it possible for you to grab the mic and run the airwaves. We are creating a new version of radio that will have an infinite dial of shows.”
Nicki Minaj has announced the highly anticipated return of her radio show, Queen Radio, via Amp. Minaj revealed more details of her return during an Instagram Live this week. Fans will also be able to listen to archived shows from Queen Radio on Amazon Music, with more details to be announced soon.
“I’m so excited to be continuing Queen Radio, and to have Amazon as a partner is a dream come true,” Minaj expresses.
Initially launched in 2018, Queen Radio captured the world’s attention thanks to Minaj’s unfiltered banter with fans, candid commentary, celebrity interviews, and release of new music.
In addition, Pusha T, Tinashe, Lindsey Stirling, Travis Barker, Lil Yachty, and Big Boi will also host shows.
Amp is completely free to use. It gives creators access to a library of tens of millions of songs they can use when creating their shows, and the ability to invite live callers to join their programs. Amp is creating built-in discovery and notifications, so listeners can find and follow creators and upcoming shows. Hosts can take callers, with control over who speaks and when. They can pre-plan and schedule their shows, and listen to songs in real time with their audiences. In the future, Amp plans to add even more, including Alexa integrations to social sharing to innovative new search and discovery features that will connect listeners with the creators delivering the content they are looking for on the dial.
