With Amazon Alexa in the house, you now can issue a vocalization command to order upwardly whatever music you feel like hearing, all without moving an inch from where you are. Playing music is one of most pop Alexa skills.

How to play music through Alexa

The offset affair you have to decide is how you lot want to play your music through Alexa. You lot have two choices:
  • Use a music service provider. This is a 3rd-party service that supplies you with music, sometimes for a fee. Examples include Amazon Music and Spotify.
  • Use your mobile device music. If your music is stored on a smartphone or tablet, you can stream that music through your Alexa device using a Bluetooth connection.

How to link Alexa to a music provider like Spotify

Alexa doesn't have access to music on its own. Instead, you demand to connect Alexa to whatever music provider service you utilize. The services supported by Alexa depend on where you live, but common providers include Amazon Music, Spotify, and TuneIn.

Some music providers crave you to have a special type of business relationship or subscription before they'll let y'all connect to Alexa. For case, you can only connect Spotify to Alexa if you accept a Spotify Premium subscription.

Before Alexa tin can use a music provider, you need to give Alexa permission to admission your account on that provider. This is chosen linking your account, and you need to link each music provider you want to access through Alexa. (The exception here is Amazon Music, which is automatically linked to Alexa when you log in to Amazon using the Alexa app.) Follow these steps to link a music provider to Alexa:
  1. In the Alexa app, cull Carte → Settings. The Settings menu appears.
  2. Tap Music. The Alexa app displays the Music Services screen, which looks similar to the following figure. If the service you desire to utilize requires permission to let Alexa to access your business relationship, you encounter a link to the right of the service. In the figure, for case, you lot see "Link account on Spotify.com" adjacent to the Spotify service.
  3. Tap the link to the right of the service, and then follow the instructions that appear. In most cases, you need to log in to your music service and and so tap the link or button that authorizes Alexa to access your account.
  4. When the link is complete, tap Shut (X) in the upper-right corner of the app. The Alexa app displays a notification to let you know that you can use Settings to change the default music provider.
  5. If you want to change the default provider, tap the notification's Go to Settings.

alexa-music-services An instance of the Alexa app's Music Services screen.

Set up a default music provider, like Spotify, for Amazon Alexa

When you connect the Alexa app to your Amazon business relationship, you get automatic access to Amazon Music, which Alexa sets upwards as your default music provider. Hither, "default" means that when y'all inquire Alexa to play, for example, a song or an artist, Alexa retrieves that music from the default service.

Notation, also, that just because y'all set up one music service as the default, information technology doesn't mean that you can't ever use some other service. For example, if you're using Amazon Music as the default provider, but you also have your Spotify account linked to Alexa, you can still play something from Spotify by including the service name as part of your voice command. For example:

"Alexa, play Camera Obscura from Spotify."

If you're cool with using Amazon Music as your default provider, in that location'due south nada to come across here, then experience free to move on to the next department. If, instead, you lot desire to use a different provider equally the default, you demand to follow these steps to prepare up that provider as Alexa'south default music service:

  1. In the Alexa app, cull Carte → Settings. The Settings menu appears.
  2. Tap Music. The Alexa app displays the Music Services screen.
  3. Tap Cull Default Music Services. The Alexa app prompts you to cull a default music library and radio station service, as shown in the following figure.
  4. Select a music service under the Default Music Library section.
  5. Select a music service under the Default Station Service department.
  6. Tap Done. The Alexa app updates your music settings.

alexa-default-music-service Use the Choose Default Music Services screen to set your music defaults.

Voice commands for controlling music on Amazon Alexa

Okay, now information technology'south time to get downwards, get funky, or get wherever yous end upwardly when you lot listen to your favorite music. Alexa has an extremely long listing of voice commands for playing and decision-making music.

Some notes to bear in mind as you piece of work through these commands:

  • Not all these commands will work on all music services. Near all of them work every bit advertised on Amazon Music, only your results will vary if you lot try them with another provider (such as Spotify).
  • Except where noted, all these commands work on the default music service. To run a command on another service that y'all've linked to Alexa, follow the command with "on [service]," where service is the proper name of the music provider (for instance, "on Spotify").
  • You can replace the discussion song with track or
  • You lot can replace the word music with

How to play music by song, album, or artist

Here are some commands to lodge up music past song championship, album title, or artist proper name:
  • "Alexa, play the vocal [title]."
  • "Alexa, play the song [title] by [artist]."
  • "Alexa, play the album [championship]."
  • "Alexa, play music by [artist]."
  • "Alexa, play popular songs past [artist]."
  • "Alexa, play the latest [artist] album."
  • "Alexa, play that song that goes [lyrics]." (For example, "Alexa, play that song that goes 'Who let the dogs out.'")
  • "Alexa, play the song I just bought."

How to play music by genre

To go Alexa to play songs from a particular music genre, use the post-obit command:

"Alexa, play [genre] music."

For genre, there are dozens of possibilities, but here are the well-nigh popular:

Acoustic Electronic Metal
Alternative Folk New age
Blues Gospel Opera
Broadway Difficult rock Pop
Children's Hip hop R&B
Christian Vacation Rap
Classic rock Indie Rock
Classical International Soundtracks
State Jazz Vocal
Dance Latin World
Easy listening Meditation

How to play music by mood and/or activity

Ane of Amazon Music's most interesting features lets you request music to accommodate a mood (such every bit mellow or upbeat) and/or an activity (such as relaxing or running). Although no definitive listing exists, Amazon claims that it supports more than than 500 moods and activities. Here are some commands you can utilize:
  • "Alexa, play [mood] music."
  • "Alexa, play [action] music."
  • "Alexa, play music for [activity]."
  • "Alexa, play [mood] [activity] music."
For the mood, you can attempt just near any mental state, including angry, chill, energetic, feeling good, happy, joyful, laid dorsum, mellow, relaxed, romantic, distressing, or upbeat.

For the action, try describing merely about annihilation you're currently doing, including cleaning, cooking, eating dinner, going to sleep, meditating, partying, reading, relaxing, running, studying, waking up, working, or working out.

This characteristic more often than not works only on Amazon Music. Also, not every mood, activity, or mood/activeness combo works. Alexa tries to match your asking with an existing playlist that's been created by Amazon, and if no such playlist exists — for example, if y'all enquire for "energetic going-to-sleep music" — then Alexa volition tell you it can't find whatever music to satisfy your asking.

How to play and control playlists

Alexa offers a few commands for creating, populating, and playing custom collections of songs, otherwise known as playlists:
  • "Alexa, create a playlist named [title]."
  • "Alexa, add this vocal to a new playlist named [championship]."
  • "Alexa, add together this song to the playlist named [title]."
  • "Alexa, play my playlist named [title]."
  • "Alexa, shuffle my playlist named [title]."

How to get information nearly music

If you lot want to know data virtually a song, anthology, or artist, Alexa tin can assist. Here are a few commands to try:
  • "Alexa, who sings this vocal?"
  • "Alexa, who sings the song [title]?"
  • "Alexa, who is in the band [artist]?"
  • "Alexa, what yr did [artist] release [song or album]?"

How to discover new music on Alexa

If you're in the mood for something new, here are a few commands you tin can apply to listen to music that's new or outside of what you ordinarily play:
  • "Alexa, play new music."
  • "Alexa, play new music past [artist]."
  • "Alexa, play new [genre] music."
  • "Alexa, play the vocal of the mean solar day."
  • "Alexa, play [artist] station."
  • "Alexa, play some music."
  • "Alexa, play more than songs like this."
  • "Alexa, play songs similar to this."
  • "Alexa, play songs similar to [championship]."
  • "Alexa, play songs similar to [artist]."
  • "Alexa, play some other music I like."
  • "Alexa, play songs I haven't heard."
  • "Alexa, play [artist] songs I haven't heard."

How to rate music on Alexa

Alexa can make better recommendations if y'all tell information technology which songs you like and which ones you dislike. Here are some commands that'll help:
  • "Alexa, thumbs up."
  • "Alexa, I like this song."
  • "Alexa, thumbs down."
  • "Alexa, I don't like this vocal."

How to play pop music on Alexa

If you want to hear the nigh popular songs, hither are some commands that will get you there:
  • "Alexa, play the acme songs."
  • "Alexa, play the peak [genre] songs."
  • "Alexa, play the top songs from the [decade]."
  • "Alexa, play the height songs in [country]."

How to control the book of music on Alexa

To go the music volume just right, here are some commands yous tin use:
  • "Alexa, book up."
  • "Alexa, increase the volume."
  • "Alexa, raise the volume."
  • "Alexa, louder."
  • "Alexa, volume down."
  • "Alexa, decrease the book."
  • "Alexa, lower the volume."
  • "Alexa, softer."
  • "Alexa, set the volume to [number from 1 through x]."
  • "Alexa, volume [number from 1 through 10]."
  • "Alexa, mute."
  • "Alexa, unmute."

How to control playback of Alexa music

While Alexa is playing music, yous can use the following commands to command the playback:
  • "Alexa, end."
  • "Alexa, break."
  • "Alexa, play."
  • "Alexa, resume."
  • "Alexa, next."
  • "Alexa, previous."
  • "Alexa, plough shuffle on."
  • "Alexa, turn shuffle off."
  • "Alexa, turn repeat on."
  • "Alexa, plough echo off."
  • "Alexa, skip dorsum [number] seconds."
  • "Alexa, skip forward [number] seconds."
  • "Alexa, restart song."
  • "Alexa, restart album."
  • "Alexa, restart playlist."

How to access Alexa via the Amazon Music app

If you get your jams through Amazon Music, non merely tin you lot access your music via any Alexa device, merely you can also access Alexa via the Amazon Music app, which is available for iOS and Android. This ways you tin can utilise all the preceding voice commands to command the Amazon Music app. Here are the steps to follow to get started:
  1. Install and so start the Amazon Music app. The app asks you to sign in to your Amazon account.
  2. Blazon your Amazon email address (or mobile telephone number, if you have a mobile Amazon account), type your Amazon password, then tap Sign In.
  3. If yous have two-step hallmark turned on, enter the lawmaking you were sent and then tap Sign In.
  4. Tap the Alexa icon in the bottom toolbar. The get-go fourth dimension you access Alexa, the app asks your permission to use your mobile device'south microphone.
  5. Tap Allow Microphone Admission.
  6. Tap OK (iOS) or Allow (Android). The Amazon Music app is now prepare to have voice commands. Either say, "Alexa," or tap the Alexa icon, and so say your command.
If you want, you can play Amazon Music content through your Alexa device. Hither are the steps to follow:
  1. Tap the Carte icon (the three vertical dots) in the upper-right corner of the Amazon Music app.
  2. Tap Connect to a Device. The Amazon Music app displays a list of available devices, which includes any Alexa devices on your network, as shown.
  3. Tap the Alexa device y'all desire to use for playback. Your Amazon Music content now plays through your Alexa device.

alexa-select-a-device Use the Select a Device to Play Music screen to play Amazon Music through an Alexa device.

The downside to playing your Amazon Music selections through an Alexa device is that you forgo the ability to use Alexa in the Amazon Music app. To get Alexa back on the job in the Amazon Music app, you lot must disconnect from the Alexa device. To practise that, cull Menu→ Connect to a Device, and then tap the Disconnect push next to your Alexa device.

How to play third-party music through Alexa devices

If you have a 3rd-party music provider linked to Alexa, y'all normally ask Alexa to play music from that provider either by specifying the provider proper name in the vocalism command (for instance, "Alexa, play the Chill playlist on Spotify") or by setting up that provider as the default.

However, there's a 3rd method bachelor: You tin use the music provider's app to select your Alexa device as the playback device. For example, in the Spotify app, if you lot choose Settings → Devices→Devices Menu, y'all meet the Connect to a Device screen, which offers a list of available devices that y'all tin use for playback. This listing will await similar to the one shown hither, which you can run into contains a couple of Repeat devices and a Sonos speaker. Tap the Alexa device you want to use and then any music you crank up in the app will play through your Alexa device.

alexa-spotify-connect The Spotify app's Connect to a Device screen, which in this case contains several devices that can exist used for playback.

How to adjust Alexa's music quality

Amazon Echo devices come with a characteristic sure to warm the cockles of sound-geeks' hearts everywhere: an equalizer. If you're not an audio addict, an equalizer is a device for adjusting the sound quality by controlling different sound components. Existent-globe equalizers bristle with obscure settings, but Echo devices mercifully support only three:
  • Bass: This component controls the lowest tones in the music.
  • Treble: This component controls the highest tones in the music.
  • Midrange: This component controls all tones in the music that lie betwixt the bass and treble tones.
You can utilize Alexa to command each of these settings as follows:
  • "Alexa, increase the bass."
  • "Alexa, increase the midrange."
  • "Alexa, increase the treble."
  • "Alexa, decrease the bass."
  • "Alexa, decrease the midrange."
  • "Alexa, decrease the treble."
  • "Alexa, gear up the bass to maximum."
  • "Alexa, set the midrange to maximum."
  • "Alexa, set the treble to maximum."
  • "Alexa, set the bass to minimum."
  • "Alexa, set the midrange to minimum."
  • "Alexa, set the treble to minimum."
  • "Alexa, set the bass/midrange/treble to [number from –vi through six]."
  • "Alexa, reset the equalizer."

If you lot happen to take the Alexa app open, y'all tin also use it to brand blaster adjustments. Choose Devices →Echo & Alexa, tap the Echo device you want to arrange, and then choose Sounds→ Equalizer. Use the Bass, Mid, and Treble sliders to adjust the settings as needed.

If you have an Echo Show or Echo Spot, you tin can mess up, er, pitiful, mess effectually with the sound quality by opening Settings and so choosing Sounds→Equalizer. Use the Bass, Mid, and Treble sliders to accommodate the settings to taste.

About This Article

About the volume author:

Paul McFedries is a true renaissance geek. He has been a developer, consultant, database developer, and website builder. He'due south also the writer of more than 90 books, including top sellers covering Windows, Part, and macOS.

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