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Billie Eilish has taken part in Amazon Music‘s docu-performance series, Songline, this week, delivering a live version of her Hit Me Hard and Soft standout ballad, “Skinny.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “People say I look happy/ Just because I got skinny/ But the old me is […]

Amazon Music is updating its “Unlimited” subscription tier to give subscribers in the U.S., UK and Canada access to audiobooks from Audible’s library of one million-plus titles, the company announced on Tuesday (Nov. 19).
With the new perk, Amazon Music Unlimited follows in the footsteps of Spotify, which revamped its subscription offerings earlier this year to include a bundle of songs and audiobooks together. Though Spotify angered songwriters and publishers by arguing it didn’t need to pay the full mechanical royalty rate since it offered multiple royalty-earning services in one, it appears that Amazon Music will work with publishers to determine new rates privately. According to a statement by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the trade organization is “optimistic” about Amazon’s new offering and is “engaged” with the company in a “respectful and productive way” to find a compensation model for publishers that “will not decrease revenue for songwriters.”

Subscribers to AMU’s individual plan and primary holders of family plans are entitled to one audiobook of any length per month, a perk that continues even after each billing cycle. For those whose appetite for audiobooks exceeds the one-per-month offer, additional titles can be acquired through Audible via monthly subscriptions or a la carte purchases. 

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The additional perk comes without an increase in price — for the time being. Steve Boom, vp of audio, Twitch and games, said Amazon’s strategy is be “to add new things to the product” that add value and later “figure out what the right pricing strategy is in the long term.” In the U.S., AMU costs $9.99 for Prime members and $10.99 for non-Prime subscribers, both less than Spotify’s $11.99 monthly fee and, for non-Prime subscribers, equal to to Apple Music’s $10.99 price.  

Spoken-word content has already proven a valuable complement to music. After AMU added podcasts in 2020, subscribers embraced having both music and spoken-word content in the same app, noted Boom. “The convenience of having both music and spoken word in the same app has proven really effective. It makes logical sense to bring audio books into it as well.”

Audiobooks will not be made available to Amazon Music Prime, the tier included with a basic Prime subscription, or Amazon Music Free, a free option with playlists, radio stations and podcasts. 

The concept of “bundling” multiple services together has become a hot-button issue for songwriters and publishers. At the start of March, Spotify Premium subscriptions, including family and duo tiers, were quietly reclassified as bundled offerings, with both music and audiobooks included in the plans.

According to the stipulations of Phonorecords IV — the government-regulated guidelines that dictate the mechanical royalty rates for streaming from 2023-2027 — bundled services can qualify to pay out a lower royalty rate for publishing given that subscription dollars must be split between multiple services (in this case, books and songs). As a consequence, Billboard calculated that publishers and songwriters will earn an estimated $150 million less in U.S. mechanical royalties than previously expected in the 12 months following the change.

At the time, NMPA’s CEO/president David Israelite said he would “declare war” on Spotify — and he subsequently launched a multi-pronged effort to stop the streamer. This included sending Spotify a cease and desist for unlicensed lyrics, video and podcast content; filing a legislative proposal with both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Judiciary Committees; and filing a Federal Trade Commission complaint. Around the same time, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC) sued Spotify for “improperly” classifying these tiers as bundles.

“We are optimistic about the new Amazon bundle,” Israelite told Billboard in a statement. “Amazon has engaged with the music publishing and songwriting industry in a respectful and productive way, unlike Spotify. We expect this new Amazon bundle will not decrease revenue for songwriters. Unlike Spotify, Amazon is looking at music creators as business partners and seeking to have a deal in place before the first round of royalty payments. This is in stark contrast to Spotify who is trying to pervert the compulsory license and slash what they pay songwriters.”

The NMPA and Amazon Music have not yet reached a final agreement.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Looking for the best way to stream unlimited music that’s ad free? Well, Amazon has a deal for music lovers, especially those who want free music.

The retail giant is offering new subscribers three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free. But act fast and sign up now — this limited-time deal runs from Monday, Nov. 11, to Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.

After the free trial is over, Amazon Music Unlimited goes for $10.99 per month. However, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, the premium music streaming service goes for $9.99 per month.

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Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video and Prime Gaming; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day and Black Friday — and more.

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Amazon

A Limited-Time Deal

Amazon Music Unlimited

Expires: Jan. 10, 2025

The streaming services boasts more than 100 millions songs from thousands upon thousands of recording artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billy Eilish, Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Hozier, Tyla, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and others.

Meanwhile, Amazon Music Unlimited is streamable on Apple iPhone, Apple iPad and Android smartphones and tablets via mobile apps, while the service is accessible through various web browsers and smart home devices with the Amazon Alexa voice assistant.

Sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited three-month free trial below.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

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Source: Amazon Music Live / Prime Video
One of the most popular streaming concert series is back in a big way. J Balvin, Big Sean and Halsey will perform on the third season of Amazon Music Live.

Source: Amazon Music Live / Prime Video
On Tuesday (Oct. 8) the streaming giant announced the return of AML. Season three will not only feature genre-spanning artists but also bring together both sports and music fans with the performances to follow Thursday Night Football. Slated to take the stage are the likes of Big Sean, J Balvin, Halsey and Jelly Roll. The “One Man Can Change the World” rapper will headline the second episode on October 24. As expected he is taking this opportunity to highlight the culture in a unique way. As a nod to the rich history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Big Sean will be joined by The Blue and Gold Marching Machine and The Fellowship Gospel Choir—the band and choir from renowned HBCU, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Additionally, the venue will feature a HBCU themed tailgating event via the Amazon Music Yard Fest.

Each episode of Amazon Music Live will stream live from Los Angeles and air exclusively on Prime Video and Twitch. Actress Liza Koshy will host the festivities online and interview all the headlining artists before each set. Tickets to the popular concert series can be requested here.
Source: Amazon Music Live / Prime Video

Ayra Starr always envisioned herself as the “Black Hannah Montana.” But in her new Amazon Music documentary Dare to Dream, which Billboard can exclusively reveal premieres Thursday (Aug. 1), fans will be able to take a closer look at Ayra the global Afrobeats star and Oyinkansola the Beninese-Nigerian girl.
Directed and produced by HOMECOMING, the 23-minute short film explores how Starr made her dreams come true. Dare to Dream captures her international journey, traveling between her birthplace of Cotonou, where she eventually returns to a swarm of eager fans; her homebase of Lagos, where her musical career started after signing to Don Jazzy‘s iconic Mavin label; London, where she’s sold out shows; and Los Angeles, where she attends the 2024 Grammy Awards after scoring her first nomination for best African music performance with her 2022 hit single “Rush.”

“I’ve always wanted to do this to inspire African girls all over [the world], Black girls, girls in general to keep going and do what they believe they were born to do. I’m just a regular African girl, you understand. And I’ve come this far, and I want them to feel like, ‘Oh, I can relate to that,’” she told Billboard following her documentary premiere, adding that she started filming Dare to Dream almost one year ago. While watching the full doc for the first time on Tuesday evening (July 30) at The Culver Theater in California for the official premiere, she kept thinking to herself, “Hmm, I like that angle. I should’ve shot more like that.”

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Starr hopes Dare to Dream isn’t the last time you’ll see her on the silver screen. When asked to choose what her first movie role would be during the doc’s Q&A portion, she responded, “I want to be in a high school movie, like the ones we grew up watching, like a Euphoria type. I feel like I would play that so well — the main mean girl.” The audience erupted in laughter before she continued: “That’s what I want to do. I would eat that role up! It would come so easy for me…. I’m not a mean girl at all, but I grew up watching Sharpay [Evans in High School Musical] and Maddy [Perez in Euphoria], just like the mean girl that’s never that mean. They’re just real. You know when women know what they want… I want to be that woman.”

Dare To Dream is currently streaming on Amazon Music’s YouTube channel and app. It will be available to stream on Prime Video in the coming weeks.

Starr is also the first Afrobeats artist to be named Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist, an emerging artist program that champions new talent early on in their careers through enhanced playlist support, social media campaigns, an Amazon Music Original song, marketing opportunities and bespoke editorial content. The Breakthrough Program has previously featured rapidly rising stars like Chappell Roan and Benson Boone.

“Ayra Starr was an obvious choice for our latest Breakthrough artist. A one-of-a-kind talent leading the exhilarating world of Afrobeats, her early successes have already been thrilling,” said Alexis Cueva, artist relations for Amazon Music, in a press statement. “With Ayra joining the Breakthrough family, we’re excited to support her as she continues to garner worldwide acclaim and represent Nigeria’s music scene on the global stage.”

Watch Dare to Dream below.

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Source: Rebecca Sapp / Getty
In an exclusive interview with Amazon Music’s Phylicia Fant, HipHopWired got to talk about her love of music, her career journey and her motivation.
As Black Music Month is underway, we have an appreciation of the artists who bring us the music that we remember as well as those who’ve worked to support those artists in their careers through their own visionary efforts. Phylicia Fant, who is currently serving as the head of music industry partnerships at Amazon Music, is definitely one of those figures.

Before taking that role the Marietta, Georgia, native forged a sterling career as the former head of urban music at Columbia Records and the vice president of publicity and lifestyle at Warner Records after rising as a public relations genius working with numerous artists including Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse with her firm, The Purple Agency, in 2008. HipHopWired got the opportunity to speak to Phylicia Fant about the significance of music, the connections, and how it helped her understand and utilize “the pivot” on her career journey.
HipHopWired: What was your first moment of true connection with music? And how did that love direct you to work in the music industry through public relations?
Phylicia Fant: I think true connection always comes from—I won’t say always, but I think if you grew up in the church, then you’re connected to music in the church. That is something that I think when parents are trying to find activities for you to do. My dad is a deacon, and my mom is a deaconess. My great-grandmother on my dad’s side was a pastor, which was rare for females in the South. So music was always kind of in your life. Now, I can’t sing at all. [Laughs] Okay, I will make sure I say that. But you know, they’re always nice to kids.
But what you recognize in those moments is a certain emotion. Even if you’re not the best singer, there’s nothing like that energy where you get up, you sing in front of the church, and they support you, right? It’s that kind of conversation. And then when the soloist comes out, and they bring people to tears, you understand the effects of music in that way. That’s the immersive experience.
My dad played piano as well, so he would have vinyl in my room growing up. And then my first concert was seeing Michael Jackson with my parents. So I’ve always had parents who kind of kept me in different spaces of music and culture, and I think between church, between the vinyl that was placed in my room strategically, which was Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and the first Sugar Hill Gang record, those are the kinds of ways you will discover music though you may not understand it [then].

What I’ve learned over time is the importance of the pivot and how many times I have pivoted, but at the same time, within those pivots, how I still am true to what I love at my core.
How’s it been so far in your role at Amazon Music in terms of expanding all that the platform has to offer? What challenges and successes have you faced?
I always get nervous with the word challenges, because I think they are more or less about challenges than pushing yourself into a different thought process, right? If you grew up in the label system like I did, then it’s always been very much art as sport, right? So how do I relate to an artist who has to deal with criticism, has to deal with their own personal schedules, their own personal lives? How do I build trust with that artist? So the trust factor kind of leads me into the Amazon conversation in that, while we are a tech company, the principle is to make sure we are making sure the consumer is happy. 
So, the consumer being the person that’s listening to the music, but also the consumer, as I think we expand that definition to the artists and to the people that we collaborate with, to have a symbiotic relationship of how data and music can come together for the greater good of how we expand music for people. So the benefit of me being on this side is, while I am always “artist first” and have been, it’s great for me to know what products are being made to make that experience that much better. And that’s not something I’ve really thought about until I got here, right? You look at it as, “Oh, it’s just streaming.” But then you realize it’s much more than streaming.

How you share music, or how you use music, what technology is, is created for you to be able to have that maximum experience to even think about what it means to actually collect music and create a playlist. I wasn’t thinking about that type of conversation inside a tech company. You just think these things are there. And because they’re there, when you recognize what it takes to get these things off the ground, there becomes a respect for the type of collaboration behind the scenes that makes your music experience seamless.
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
So that takes me to this next question in terms of your path and being a Black woman who’s carved out such a brilliant path in the industry. For those that are coming up, what’s the most important thing to you that you share with those who inquire about making their own way?
It’s funny because I just got off the phone with one of my mentees, and she was talking about how she loves sports and how she doesn’t know how to get into sports. I said that what I’ve learned over time is the importance of the pivot and how many times I have pivoted, but at the same time, within those pivots, how I still am true to what I love at my core. At the core, I love music. And what you recognize in loving music is that the music extends to different places.
So my career evolved, because I recognize where music could take me. It wasn’t just within the walls of a concert, it was now in the walls of an arena, it was Fashion Week, first row. Taking people like JoJo and Lindsay Lohan to fashion week, when the city was at its peak and living in New York, you recognize different ways to use it to carry you in different spaces. 

And so once you realize that your core passion can also expand those doors, and you don’t see it as a linear situation, then the pivot becomes more fascinating. It doesn’t become easier. But it becomes fascinating in the sense of, “Oh, I can take this thing that I love, I can open up different doors.” I can understand music from a seat perspective and see what it’s like to have a song placed on television.
Because now I understand how music works in film. I understand music works with intelligence. “Oh, I can get this artist’s song played in the stadium, like Lil Nas X, and see how people react. And see this song becomes a chance for Texas Tech before they get ready to play the game because it pumps them up. I can look at who was curating music for fashion shows when I was in New York. So it still stems from music. But music opened doors for me to go into all these different spaces because I recognize music is universal for a reason.
It is Black Music Month, and I couldn’t end this interview without asking you for your favorite artists that we should be checking for if we aren’t already – like what would be on your select playlist?
It’s such a unique thing because I think about – like, I love Andra Day because I think she has a richness. I worked with Amy Winehouse and I think the ability to blend jazz and R&B and all those conversations is great. But I also love Tommy Richmond’s new song “Million Dollar Baby” because I love what the HBCUs and the Divine Nine’s step teams have done with that song and how you can take one song and it becomes a movement and become also a self-esteem booster at the same time. So there’s different artists I think for different reasons, different moods that I really like. I gotta think about that. 
I think that people don’t know this artist named Q live on Columbia Records, who’s R&B. I think Durand [Bernarr], you might know him as a backup vocalist like I do, but his voice is just rich. It’s absolutely phenomenal. I’m really proud of the R&B space, like Muni Long – even though the song became viral on TikTok I like her ability to be bold and kind of say what’s on people’s minds, which is why I think I’m excited about music right now where I think a couple of years ago, I was frustrated because I do think we are looking for our next superstars. 

But, you know, I’m also an old-school girl. Never gonna not want to hear Marvin Gaye and Prince. They inspire me all the time. Those are staples on my playlist as well as Stevie Wonder. It’s just a place to take me to. I love Mariah Carey, you know, I’ll never not love her. So I think it’s that constant lens of past, present, and future, which I think is ironic because of our campaign which is called “Forever The Influence.” And if you think about people like Uncle Charlie [Wilson], who will pop up on a Don Tolliver record, who I also love. So I think it will always be a combination of past, present, and future, and I’m excited about the future, but these are the artists that have stuck out to me.

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Source: Amazon Music / Amazon Music
Kendrick Lamar gave fans everything they wished for, and more. The Compton rapper’s Pop Out show went down on Juneteenth at The Forum in Inglewood, but was streamed worldwide via Amazon Prime, bringing the Los Angeles vibes, and Drake slander, to the globe.
Billed as The Pop Out: Ken & Friends Concert, the star-studded cameos did not disappoint. Tyler, The Creator, YG and even the good Dr. Dre were just several of his high-profile guests. And really, you knew you were in for a time when Kendrick started his set by performing “Euphoria,” which the crowd seemed to know word for word.

K. Dot hit fan favorites like “King Kunta” and “Be Alright,” but the guest artists that really got the crowd going were from his hometeam Black Hippy contingent that includes Jay Rock, who performed “Money Trees,” Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q, who performed “Collard Greens.”

But the best was saved for last, with Kendrick Lamar asking Dr. Dre (who performed “California Love”) to do him one last favor before he left the stage, and that was to kick off the DJ Mustard-produced, Drake diss track “Not Like Us.”

K-Dot proceeded to run back the song a smooth fives times (six if you count it playing when he finally left the stage_, with the crowd, and surely the home audience, too, rapping along bar for bar. As expected, the “A-mnor” line was a crowd favorite, with Kendrick simply letting the venue hold the moment the first time, and mimic Neo’s fame bullet-time motion from The Matrix the second time.
However, the truly epic moment was Kendrick inviting various rappers who repped different sets of Crips and Bloods, as well as NBA stars Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, onto the stage, “This sh*t making me emotional. we been f*cked up since Nipsey died,” said Kendrick. “We been f*cked up since Kobe died.”
If you know anything about LA gang culture, you know Kendrick pulling that off and keeping everything peace was major. The moment was captured in an epic photo and encapsulates the influence Kendrick Lamar has on culture.
Check out the reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Up show, that kept trending for hours after it conclusion, in the gallery.

After delighting fans with her flashy new Michael and Janet Jackson-nodding “Alright” music video, Victoria Monét is keeping the Black Music Month celebrations going with an appearance in Amazon Music‘s new Save The Music: Inspiring Music’s Next Generation documentary (June 18) alongside frequent collaborator D’Mile.
The latest in a string of programming in honor of Black Music Month, Save the Music follows Monét and D’Mile as they visit public school students at Brooklyn’s Transit Tech High School, gifting them valuable insight on the music industry and providing them musical equipment and a D’Mile production masterclass.

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The Transit Tech students are undoubtedly learning from the best. D’Mile’s work with R&B stars such as H.E.R. and Lucky Daye have earned him several Grammys and an Academy Award for best original song, while Monét picked up her first three Grammys earlier this year thank to her acclaimed Jaguar II album. D’Mile produced every track on Jaguar II — save the Kaytranada-helmed “Alright” — earning him and Monét a shared victory for best R&B album.

The journey back to the classroom was also a trip down memory lane for D’Mile, who recently re-teamed with Monét for “Power of Two,” a new original song for Disney+’s The Acolyte. “I used to cut class just to stay in band class or my school gospel choir almost all day,” he muses. “I met my now wife at jazz choir class. My favorite memories are the friends I made there, they were all like-minded and talented. I’m still great friends with and still playing or working with [them] professionally in some way. It’s a bond you can’t replace.”

Firmly rooted in R&B, Jaguar II finds the two musicians exploring the vast expanse of Black music, dabbling in reggae, house, hip-hop and soul. Save the Music: Inspiring Music’s Next Generation grants both D’Mile and Monét the space to reflect on the importance of Black Music Month and take part in the sacred traditions of educating younger generations on their cultural history.

“So many genres stemmed from Black artists and musicians: rock and roll, country, disco, house, R&B, soul, techno, rap … the list goes on,” notes Monét. “I love that there’s a month dedicated to educating others on and celebrating Black music, but my hope is that in general, music by Black artists is celebrated in all genres one day. Motown was a breeding ground for so many incredible Black musicians and icons (from The Jacksons to Diana Ross to Stevie Wonder to Smokey Robinson) who truly made quality, POPular music.”

Fittingly, Monét and D’Mile chose to record a new version of “Hollywood,” the penultimate Jaguar II track, for Save the Music. Earning a Grammy nod for best traditional R&B performance, “Hollywood” is a prime showcase of the cross-generational appeal of Black music. The track features the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as Monét’s adorable two-year-old daughter Hazel Monét Gaines. The new acoustic version of “Hollywood” strips away the grandiosity of the original’s cinematic drum-heavy arrangement, making for a much more intimate and introspective affair.

“I knew I wanted to keep in all the organic elements from the original,” reveals D’Mile. “Which was interesting because about 90% of the song already was organic. But sometimes when you do something as simple as just taking drums out, you start hearing things that you want to be heard more. You get to focus more on some of the string work or even background vocals on the song. It was as simple as taking the groove out and just holding down the chords and letting everything else shine.”

Just as she does on “Hollywood,” Monét’s music is both a love letter to Black music history and a way for her to expose her fans to styles and influences from decades past. The music video for her breakout hit “On My Mama” exalts ’00s Southern Black culture, while Jaguar II standout “How Does It Make You Feel” recalls the classic soul of The Isley Brothers. “Some of my first memories are of the music my mom would play around the house and that helped shape me as I grew older,” she says. “‘My Girl’ by The Temptations is already my daughter Hazel’s favorite song – I’ve played it since I was pregnant with her. Great music really can stand the test of time.” 

The reimagined version of “Hollywood,” whose creation is documented in Save the Music, can be streamed in full exclusively on Amazon Music, where the mini-documentary can also be viewed starting Tuesday (June 18).

Amazon Music has announced a new AI-powered playlist feature that allows users to turn text prompts into entire playlists. Called Maestro, the offering is still in beta and available only to a small number of Amazon Music users on all tiers in the United States on iOS and Android. It can be found on the […]

As introspective, guitar-based songs from artists including Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves continue proliferating streaming consumption and music charts, Amazon Music aims to capture this cultural surge with its newly launched playlist Bonfire, which started globally on Friday (April 12).
The playlist will launch with more than 50 songs, focusing more on mood than genre and capturing a cross-section of artists such as Mumford & Sons, Bryan, Dylan Gossett, Boygenius, Kahan, Musgraves, Lizzy McAlpine and more.

“This is a huge movement,” Emily Cohen, country programming lead for Amazon Music, tells Billboard. “We’ve seen storytellers bubble up and connect with our listeners, artists like Zach Bryan and Hozier. For us, we see what customers are into and double down on what they love. We felt it needed to be in one place where people could listen to these artists together. It’s creating a true collection of ‘Bonfire’ songs. Artists don’t want to be put in a box or be defined, so it’s an amalgamation of country, alternative and indie-folk that is bubbling up.”

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Among the songs initially part of the playlist are Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” Kahan’s “Stick Season,” Musgraves’ “Deeper Well,” Hozier’s “Too Sweet,” The Red Clay Strays’ “Wondering Why,” Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met,” Black Pumas’ “More Than a Love Song,” and the Joy Oladokun/Chris Stapleton collaboration “Sweet Symphony.”

“Listening to this, it is elemental and outdoorsy in its vibe,” Cohen says. “They are all sonically connected. I think a unique thread through all of these artists is they are authentic. You know who they are through their songwriting and fans react to that.”

The playlist is highlighted by Big Loud Records artist Charles Wesley Godwin’s new Amazon Music Original cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Godwin released his latest album, Family Ties, last year.

Amazon Music

“I believe Gordon to have been one of the greatest songwriters of our time and felt this opportunity with Amazon Music was perfect to shine a light on one of his most popular songs a little over 50 years after its original release date,” Godwin said via a statement. “Hopefully, through this version that me and the guys recorded, a new generation of music listeners can be introduced to Gordon’s music and become fans of his themselves.”

Godwin is set to debut his rendition of the song when he performs at the annual Stagecoach Festival on Sunday, April 28. Music fans can watch the performance as the festival will be livestreamed on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Prime Video. The Morgantown, West Virginia, native will open shows for Luke Combs’ stadium tour in 2024. In addition to Stagecoach, Godwin will perform at festivals including Bourbon and Beyond, as well as Bonnaroo.

“He’s an incredible songwriter,” Cohen says. “He’s such a powerhouse. He’s becoming his own version of Bruce Springsteen onstage, rock and country—he’s an embodiment of what we’re trying to achieve with this playlist.”

“It’s such an honor to be included in a playlist like this with so many amazing artists,” Godwin added in a statement. “Keeping company like this is all I ever could have wished for when I set out on this path of music. ‘bonfire’ is so fitting for those special moments in life when we’re enjoying the company of our friends and family.”