Amazon Closes Down Its Live Radio App, Amp

Amazon has made the decision to close down its live radio app Amp, which was introduced as a competitor to Clubhouse, nearly 18 months after its launch. Amp allowed users to take on the role of a DJ, offering commentary while playing tracks.

Steve Boom, the head of digital music at Amazon, circulated an internal memo explaining that the choice to shut down the platform was reached after extensive deliberation regarding the company's future investments, as Bloomberg reported.

Despite its introduction in March 2022, the app failed to garner significant user growth, with reports indicating that it had around 700,000 monthly active users in July, although Amazon disputed these figures. Data.ai, an analytics company, reported that Amp had accumulated 1.3 million downloads over its lifetime.

Last year, Amazon initiated substantial layoffs that affected nearly half of Amp's workforce. Additionally, the app struggled to attract users to sign up for Amazon, with records revealing only a few thousand sign-ups, according to documents reviewed by TechCrunch in July. Amazon sought to capitalize on the live audio trend that gained momentum during the pandemic.

Upon its launch, Amp boasted shows featuring prominent artists like Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, Tinashe, Lindsey Stirling, Travis Barker, Lil Yachty, and Big Boi, as well as well-known personalities like Tefi Pessoa and Nikita Dragun, and popular radio hosts including Zach Sang, Kat Corbett, Christian James Hand, and Guy Raz.

The company even established a creator fund in September 2022, allocating "millions of dollars" to compensate show creators through monthly rewards.

However, in the post-pandemic landscape, live audio apps have struggled to sustain user interest. Both Meta and Spotify abandoned their real-time audio ventures last year, redirecting their resources elsewhere. Reddit also discontinued its live audio product, Reddit Talk, in March.