SEATTLE (Hypebot) – Amazon has moved from investor in AmieStreet to owner with an acquisition made public today. But don't expect Amazon to embrace the dynamic pricing model anytime soon, as the internet giant appears to be shutting the store down. The team will now shift focus to Songza, says Joshua Blotuch of AmieStreet.
"As of September 22, 2010, all AmieStreet.com pages will be forwarded to Amazon.com and you will no longer be able to use AmieStreet.com or any of its services," read an email sent to users this morning. All active AmieStreet.com customers will receive a $5 credit to the Amazon MP3 store.
Some may see the move as a failure for dynamic pricing in music. Under AmieStreet's model, download prices were determined by fan interest rewarding those that discover new music early.
However, when asked if dynamic pricing of music had a future, Boultuch replied, "To the extent people are buying music a la carte, variable pricing is a great way to price digital music because it empowers listeners while maximizing sales for artists."
Now the Amie Street, Inc. team will concentrate its efforts on ramping up their social music streaming service, Songza.
Currently in beta, the new Songza.com service gives users the ability to create their own internet radio stations from a library of over 8 million songs and to collaborate on group stations around shared interests. Examples include a Mad Men Tribute station, a Georgia Southern University station, and Yelp's Miami Office station.
