Rod Stewart has released a track exclusively via Amazon Music. Photo Credit: Amazon Music
Are we witnessing the return of music streaming exclusives? Possibly, as Amazon Music has added a pair of Originals, one from Rod Stewart ahead of his Glastonbury performance next week.
The music platform put out separate releases about the projects, which mark the latest in a line of Amazon Music Originals. First up is Jim Burgess’ disco remix of Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” This existing effort is now available exclusively via Amazon Music.
“I’ve always loved this remix and I’m so glad it’s now widely available as an Amazon Music Original,” weighed in Stewart. “Jim Burgess did the business on it, he was one of the best in the game and it still sounds as good now as it did back then. It’s perfect for those long summer nights and I challenge anyone not to dance to it, it’s just impossible!”
In addition to that spin (including a six-minute version and a distinct radio edit) on the 1978 classic, Amazon Music is also the only place where fans can access the studio version of Erykah Badu’s “Echos 19 (mix 122).” This streaming exclusive went live on the heels of an Amazon Music-sponsored livestream concert delivered by Badu at Dallas’ Bomb Factory.
Even on their own, two exclusives arriving on one DSP simultaneously would raise questions. Chief among them: Is platform-specific music becoming a thing again? As many know, it’s been a while since the majors nixed the practice due to concerns about a possible negative impact on paid-listening adoption and consumer sentiment.
After all, nobody wants to cough up for ad-free music just to find that their favorite acts’ songs are solely hitting a different service. But a lot has changed in the interim. Premium adoption is quite strong in several established markets, and platforms are competing with different kinds of exclusives in any event.
Apple Music, for instance, has the standalone Classical app (and some exclusive tracks to boot), and Spotify is dipping its toes into the exclusive-concert waters. The trend isn’t confined to music apps themselves, either. Spotify offered free tattoos at a concert experience in late 2024, and Yung Gravy recently visited the “Amazon Music Tattoo Studio.”
Bearing this in mind, Amazon Music Originals aren’t new, but amid reports that the platform is losing a bit of subscription ground in the U.S., they’re seemingly becoming more frequent.
Besides the tracks noted above, Amazon Music closed out April by adding three country exclusives from Stagecoach performers Dasha, Flatland Cavalry, and Sierra Ferrell.
Then, May saw the DSP confirm Dasha as its latest Breakthrough artist – on top of releasing Originals covers from Myles Smith (a rendition of U2’s “Beautiful Day”) and Darren Kiely (The Killers’ “When You Were Young”), both of whom are signed to Sony Music.
In short, it’ll be worth monitoring the exclusives embrace – and the market-share byproducts thereof – throughout the remainder of 2025 and beyond.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.