Upload Songs to Amazon Music Unsupported Format

Amazon'due south Alexa isn't equally hospitable every bit it once was to people who adopt to buy music instead of just signing upwards for a subscription service such as Spotify–or Amazon's own service.

Although Amazon used to let users upload their personal media collections for playback on Echo speakers, it discontinued that feature a few years ago. The motion effectively stranded folks who own big personal music collections from ripped CDs and downloads.

Fortunately, some workarounds exist. To play your own MP3s (or music encoded in other formats, such as FLAC) on the Repeat or other Alexa-uniform speakers, you can use Plex or My Media Server for Alexa, both of which allow you lot to stream songs you've stored on another device. These services aren't as full-featured or as easy to use as Amazon Music was, but at least they still let you access your music drove with vocalisation commands.

Here's how to keep the music playing:

To have Plex play your music files on an Amazon Repeat, you'll need a media server device that is always on and can run Plex Media Server. That can include a desktop computer (running Windows, MacOS, or Linux), a NAS (network-attached storage) box, or an Nvidia Shield Television Pro box.

Streaming your music this way does have some limitations:

• Whole-home music is not supported, so y'all can heed on only one speaker at a fourth dimension
• You can't set Plex every bit the default streaming service, and you must utilise specific syntax (either "Alexa, ask Plex…" or "Alexa, tell Plex…") to play your songs each fourth dimension.
• Responses from Plex take slightly longer than Alexa's built-in music services.

Still on board? Hither's how to set up Plex for Alexa music playback:

1. Sign up for a gratuitous Plex account, which is required to apply the service with Alexa.

two. Download Plex Media Server to the device where your music files are stored, and follow the installation instructions. During this process, you'll be prompted to specify the folder where your music is located.

three. Visit app.plex.tv to launch Plex from any phone, tablet, or computer.

4. In the left sidebar, select Settings.

Jared Newman / IDG

5. In the settings menu, select Remote Access from the left sidebar, then select Enable Remote Access. (Plex says this isn't necessary if you lot're running the latest media server software, but nevertheless suggests information technology anyway.)

six. If yous didn't set your music binder during installation, return to the main menu. Under the Libraries section of the left sidebar, highlight Music, printing the "…" icon, then select Edit. Apply the "Add folders" card to show Plex where your music files are located.

Jared Newman / IDG

vii. Now that you're done setting up Plex, install the Plex skill for Alexa, either direct through the web or by searching for "Plex" under the Skills section of the Alexa mobile app.

Jared Newman / IDG

8. Sign into your Plex account, then hit the "Authorize" button.

9. With your Alexa device, say "Alexa, Inquire Plex to alter my server." If yous only take one server, Alexa volition set it automatically. Otherwise, listen for the list of server numbers, and answer with the one you lot'd like to utilise.

At present, you can use Plex to play your music collection on the Amazon Echo. Plex'southward support page has a list of voice commands you can utilize, only here are some useful ones:

• "Ask Plex to play music past [artist proper noun]"
• "Tell Plex to play the album [anthology name]" (This tends to only piece of work if yous don't say the artist's proper noun equally well.)
• "Ask Plex to play the song [song name]"
• "Shuffle mode on"
• "Enquire Plex what I should heed to."
• "Tell Plex to play some music."
• "Ask Plex to throw down some phat beats." (Seriously, information technology works.)

You lot can also say "Side by side rails," "Previous track," "Pause," "Play," and "Cease" without having to say "ask Plex" kickoff.

My Media is like to Plex, in that information technology requires setting upward a media server device for streaming your music files to the Repeat. It also has some of the aforementioned restrictions: Whole-dwelling streaming isn't supported, and you must employ specific "Ask My Media…" syntax to showtime listening.

Simply My Media does have some advantages: It tin index playlists from iTunes and play music by genre, and it also offers a workaround (albeit a somewhat clunky one) for multi-room music playback.

On the downside, the service isn't free like Plex. Yous tin can effort it for seven days, only after that it costs $5.l per twelvemonth for a single media server and access from upwardly to two Amazon accounts, $11 per twelvemonth for ii media servers and five Amazon accounts, and $16.50 per year for v media servers and 25 Amazon accounts. (You can try information technology free for seven days without any credit bill of fare info.)

Here's how to set it upwards:

1. Download My Media for Alexa, run the installation file, and go through the setup process. (If you choose not to launch the My Media for Alexa Panel later installation completes, find and launch it in your program list to continue setup in your spider web browser.)

2. In the My Media for Alexa Console, click the green Next push button, sign into your Amazon account and select Allow on the next page.

3. Select "No" when asked if you'd like to automatically download sample media.

4. On the left sidebar, select Picket Folders, then hit the Add Folder push button. Select the folder or folders where your songs are stored.

Jared Newman / IDG

5. Install the My Media skill for Alexa, either directly through the web or by searching for "My Media" under the Skills department of the Alexa mobile app.

vi. Optional: To automatically share iTunes playlists with My Media For Alexa, open up iTunes, then go to the Preferences menu. Click the Advanced tab, then select "Share iTunes Library XML with other applications." Return to the My Media for Alexa console, select 'iTunes Library" from the left sidebar, and click "Index iTunes Library." Choose the binder where your XML files are located (typically /Users/[username]/Music/iTunes on macOS and C:Users[username]MusiciTunes on Windows).

Now, you can use My Media to play songs on the Echo or other Alexa devices. Hither are some voice command examples:

• "Ask My Media to play music by [artist]."
• "Ask My Media to play the album [album] by [creative person]."
• "Ask My Media to play the song [song] by [artist]."
• "Ask My Media to play my playlist."
• "Ask My Media to play [genre] music."
• "Ask My Media to plough shuffle [on/off]."
• "Ask My Media to plow loop [on/off]."

You tin as well say "Next rail," "Previous track," "Suspension," "Play," and "Stop" without having to say "ask My Media" first.

The multi-room music workaround: To make whole-dwelling audio piece of work with your personal music collection, you must configure one of your Repeat speakers to automatically trigger playback on several Alexa devices at once. Here's how to do that:

1. Open up the Alexa app on your phone and select the "Devices" tab.

two. Select the room where you'll be talking to Alexa.

3. Nether the "Speakers" heading, select "Change."

4. Check off all the other speakers where you want to play music.

Unfortunately, you'll have to go back and uncheck these speakers if yous simply want to play on a unmarried speaker again, only it's worth the actress trouble if you're settling in for a long listening session. (While this workaround should theoretically piece of work with Plex as well, I was simply able to go it working with My Media.)

Selection 3: My Pod

For a quick-and-dingy way to play private songs or playlists through Alexa, check out My Pod. This website lets you drib in a link to any folder on Dropbox, Google Drive, or Amazon Drive, and then play the songs from that folder with a voice command.

The free version is quite limited, though—y'all tin can merely shop a maximum of 10 tracks—and you lot must pay $three per calendar month or $35.50 per year for unlimited links. Users with extensive collections should strongly consider Plex or My Media instead, only My Pod can work for playing a small number of songs in a pinch:

1. Create a folder in Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon Drive, and then share the folder to create a link that y'all tin copy. (Note: My Pod merely plays songs in alphabetical order. To rearrange the society of songs, y'all'll need to add together rails numbers to the first of your file names in each folder.)

2. Visit mypodapp.com and select Become Started, then Sign in with Amazon. Enter your account credentials, and select "Allow" at the next page.

3. Click the "Shorten Link" choice in the left sidebar. Paste your link into the field and click "Shorten."

Jared Newman / IDG

iv. Install the My Pod skill for Alexa, either directly through the web or by searching for "My Pod" under the Skills section of the Alexa mobile app. Then click "Allow" in the prompt that appears.

v. Use the phonation command shown on My Pod's website to play the contents of your link. (It should exist a small string of numbers.)

Jared Newman / IDG

While My Pod also allows you to proper name your folders instead of identifying them by number, I had problem getting this to work reliably. Again, setting a media server is a much better option if you lot want to pick and choose from your library with voice commands.

The nuclear option: Cheerio, Alexa

If whatsoever of this seems like too much hassle, consider investing in a dissimilar speaker ecosystem instead.

With Google Home and Nest speakers, you lot can use Plex and diverse other apps to stream your personal music drove, including in multi-room speaker setups. You tin can also employ AirPlay-compatible speakers such every bit Apple's HomePod Mini to easily play music from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You lot won't become the same voice command options equally above, just overall you'll become a setup that's somewhat more amenable to the music y'all own. And if you want the ultimate experience in multi-room audio, consider Sonos speakers.

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Source: https://www.techhive.com/article/583189/how-to-play-music-you-own-on-an-amazon-echo.html

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