Amazon launched its Spotify rival in the UK

Amazon is making its Amazon Music Unlimited music streaming service available to people in the UK, a month after it was launched in the US.

The on-demand service, which launched in the UK on Monday, comes with a catalogue of 40 million songs and thousands of playlists, making it a direct rival to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.

Amazon Music Unlimited is £7.99 for Amazon Prime users, who pay £79 a year for a bundle of Amazon services, or £9.99 a month for those without an Amazon Prime subscription. Amazon is also giving people who own one of its Echo speakers the opportunity sign up to Amazon Music Unlimited for £3.99 a month, although they'll only be able to access the service on one dedicated Echo device.

In order to make the Echo device that bit more appealing, Amazon has taken a number of steps to improve the music listening experience on Echo devices. The company's virtual assistant, which sits inside Echo devices and is known as Alexa, has been taught how to help you figure out what song you have in your head. If you read out lyrics to the song then Alexa should be able to tell you the name of the song and who that song is by.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said in a statement. "If you don't know the name of a song but know a few lyrics, if you want to hear songs from a specific decade, or even if you're looking for music to match your mood, just ask. Our US customers love Amazon Music Unlimited on Echo, and we think our UK customers will too."