Fun Features Highlight the Benefits of Online Shopping over Physical Stores
SEATTLE, Wa (June 11, 1998): Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) expanded Earth's Biggest BookstoreSM today to include music, providing a whole new way to discover the world of music that no mall store can offer.
The leading online bookseller opened its music store at 1 a.m. today along with a major update of its award-winning Web site. The music store offers more than 125,000 music titles--10 times the number the average music store offers--at everyday savings of up to 40%, including 30% savings on the 100 bestselling Amazon.com CDs.
"It's a music discovery machine," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com's founder and CEO. "Using the power of technology and the Internet, we're enriching the music experience for everyone, from casual to devoted listeners alike."
Bezos provided his "Top 10 Reasons to Visit the Amazon.com Music Store":
10. Get that nagging tune out of your head. Before nodding off last night, you heard a new band on The Tonight Show, but when you woke up, you couldn't remember the name of the song--or the band. Amazon.com can tell you. Just visit the Featured in the Media area to find out who has been featured in 20 leading media outlets, including television programs, National Public Radio, magazines, and newspapers.
9. You want to expand your musical horizons. You can learn about our editors' Essential CDs to help you start or fill out a music collection in nearly 60 musical styles, ranging from Alt Country to Acid Jazz to British Pop.
8. Remove the guesswork from buying CDs. You've heard the single on the radio, but you don't know if you want to buy the album. Now you can find out--before spending your hard-earned cash. At Amazon.com you can listen to more than 225,000 song clips from more than 30,000 CDs. So you can decide if you want a CD based on more than just one single and the cover art.
7. Find out what others are saying. Not sure what's worth listening to and what's not? Get help from the music experts at Amazon.com. You can read thousands of reviews by famous music editors (and customer reviews, too) to help you find CDs you'll love--and pass on the ones you won't.
6. Find more bestseller lists. Want to find out what's hot on college radio? What the top Jazz CDs are? With 292 different bestseller lists, Amazon.com lets you know what's hot and what's not. You'll find everything from the Billboard Top 30 to a list of the bestselling Celtic titles. Plus, you'll save 30% on Amazon.com's 100 bestselling CDs.
5. Put names with music. Remember the song but not the artist? You heard a great song on the radio, but you don't know who sings it. Amazon.com allows you to search by song title to find out who sang all of those one-hit wonders of the past--and the latest single you just heard on the radio.
4. Match your music to your mood. You're planning a drive across the country, but you're not sure which music to take. Amazon.com's MoodMatcher recommends the best tunes to keep you rolling from Boston to L.A.--or for any other activity or occasion, from aerobics to cocktail parties.
3. Catch the wave. Can't wait to get the coming collaboration between Billy Bragg and Wilco? Now you can order not-yet-released CDs in advance, and Amazon.com will ship them to you on the release date.
2. Choose jazz by featured instrument. Love the sound of the sax? Favor the flugelhorn? Then find the bestselling Jazz CDs featuring your favorite instrument. You'll find more than 25 lists of top sellers, featuring instruments ranging from the oud to the vibraphone, in Browse Styles.
1. Stay tuned (in). Get up-to-the-minute music news and release dates, exclusive interviews with your favorite artists, compelling profiles, and timely reviews of your favorite music--all by e-mail with Amazon.com Delivers.
The Amazon.com music store was designed with the help of more than 20,000 customers who responded to the company's invitation to "build the music store of your dreams."
And, incidentally, the Amazon.com music store offers 1,195 songs about dreams.
About Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., is Earth's biggest book and music store. Amazon.com offers a catalog of more than 3 million book, music, and other titles, plus easy-to-use search and browse features, e-mail services, personalized shopping services, secure Web-based credit card payment, and direct shipping to customers. Amazon.com has virtually unlimited online shelf space and offers customers a vast selection through an efficient search-and-retrieval interface, as well as streamlined ordering through 1-ClickSM technology. Amazon.com pioneered the concept of syndicated selling on the Internet and has more than 60,000 members in its Associates Program, including AOL.com, Yahoo!, Netscape, Excite, the AltaVista Search Service, the @Home Network, the Prodigy Shopping Network, and iVillage.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, Amazon.com's limited operating history, the unpredictability of its future revenues, and risks associated with capacity constraints, management of growth, and new business opportunities. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997, and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1998, both filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Amazon.com, Earth's Biggest Bookstore, and 1-Click are service marks of Amazon.com, Inc. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.