Artyfile Stream vs Amazon Music
Artyfile Stream vs Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited is a 100-million-song service priced for Prime households; Artyfile Stream is a label’s hi-fi service for its own recordings, with a private locker for your own files and at least €0.03 per stream to rights holders.
For many Prime members Amazon Music Unlimited is the cheapest way to a large hi-res catalogue. Artyfile Stream is not trying to replace that — it adds things Amazon no longer offers.
Where Amazon Music is stronger
More than 100 million songs, HD (FLAC 16-bit/44.1 kHz) and Ultra HD (FLAC 24-bit up to 192 kHz) and a lower price for Prime members (€11.99 instead of €12.99 a month in Germany). Amazon also advertises long free trials for Prime customers.
| Artyfile Stream | Amazon Music Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €9.90 / €14.90 / €19.90 a month for 100 / 250 / 500 streams | €12.99 / month; €11.99 for Prime members |
| Listening model | Monthly stream allowance (a stream counts after 15 s) | Unlimited |
| Best audio quality | Uncompressed WAV studio master, 44.1 or 48 kHz, up to 24-bit | Ultra HD: FLAC 24-bit, up to 192 kHz |
| Catalogue | 850+ recordings produced by Artyfile | 100M+ songs |
| How artists are paid | User-centric pool, at least €0.03 per stream guaranteed | No figure published |
| Your own files | My Music: private locker, 10 / 30 / 50 GB (WAV, FLAC, MP3, AAC) | Not available (upload retired 2018/2019) |
| Try first | Free 30-second previews on the web; no free tier | Free trial for new customers |
Amazon facts from amazon.de and developer.amazon.com; upload history from TechCrunch (secondary). See sources below.
Your own music: gone at Amazon, private at Artyfile
Amazon Music removed the option to upload your own MP3s in December 2017 and stopped playing uploaded files in January 2019. Artyfile Stream’s My Music lets subscribers upload their own CD rips and recordings — WAV, FLAC, MP3, AAC — to a private locker of 10, 30 or 50 GB and play them on web and app. Those plays do not use your stream allowance.
How artists are paid
Amazon does not publish a per-stream figure or a description of its payout model for artists. Artyfile Stream describes its model in its terms (§5.4): each subscriber’s artist pool is shared among what that subscriber plays, with a guaranteed minimum of €0.03 per counted stream.
Questions
- Can I upload my own music to Amazon Music?
- Not any more: Amazon retired uploads in 2017 and stopped playing uploaded files in 2019. Artyfile Stream’s My Music stores your own WAV, FLAC, MP3 and AAC files privately and plays them next to its catalogue.
- Is Amazon Music Unlimited cheaper than Artyfile Stream?
- Per song, usually yes: €12.99 a month (€11.99 with Prime) for an unlimited 100-million-song catalogue. Artyfile starts at €9.90 for 100 streams of its own label recordings and pays rights holders at least €0.03 per stream.
- Which has better sound, Amazon Ultra HD or Artyfile WAV?
- Both are lossless. Amazon Ultra HD goes up to 24-bit/192 kHz FLAC; Artyfile streams its masters as uncompressed WAV at 44.1 or 48 kHz, up to 24-bit — the unchanged file of recordings it produced itself.
Sources
- Amazon Music Unlimited (amazon.de): prices and catalogue, retrieved 27/09/2026
- Amazon Developer: Amazon Music audio formats (HD, Ultra HD), retrieved 27/09/2026
- TechCrunch: Amazon Music ends support for uploaded MP3s (20 Dec 2017, secondary), retrieved 27/09/2026
- Artyfile Terms and Conditions, §5 Artyfile Stream and §6 Artyfile for Artists, retrieved 27/09/2026
Facts checked on 27 September 2026.