Another Clubhouse Clone Is Dead: Amazon Is Shutting Down Live DJ 'Amp' App

pcmag.com:

Amazon's music-focused spin on the Clubhouse audio app is shutting down.

The company initially launched its live radio DJ Amp app in 2022 with broadcasts from guest hosts like Nikki Minaj, Jason Lee, Draymond Green, and other celebrities. However, as interest in audio-only apps waned, Amp struggled to stay afloat, resulting in layoffs in 2022.

Now it's shutting down for good. According to Bloomberg, Steve Boom, Amazon's digital music lead, announced the shutdown in an internal memo. It comes amid a series of similar cutbacks at Amazon over the last year that have affected multiple divisions.

“This decision was not made quickly or easily,” Boom said. “It only became clear after months of careful consideration determining the investments Amazon wants to make for the future.”

The app let people go live and entertain their followers. Unlike Clubhouse and its talk-based chatrooms, however, Amp focused more on music and talk radio-esque shows than public chats. The idea, Amazon said last year, was to create "a new version of radio that will have an infinite dial of shows." But it's hard to compete with the a la carte listening of music streaming services.

Amp had some limitations that made it difficult for would-be DJs to build a following, too. As Engadget noted last year, if someone went live and no one tuned in for the first three songs, the live show was immediately terminated. Additionally, the platform was mobile-first and it was hard to build a playlist on a phone versus a desktop.

It's been tough going for audio apps. Clubhouse itself has pivoted to group messaging, while most of the Clubhouse clones that popped up amid its short-lived, meteoric rise have shut down, from Spotify Live to Reddit Talk. For now, Spaces on