Amazon Music has begun to implement synchronized transcripts generated automatically during the playback of some podcasts available on its platform. This new feature will hit the US market first, and will be fully available to users of Android and iOS operating systems.
This advancement also marks the first major podcast-focused update after Amazon Music began offering podcasts through its digital platform on the web. By offering synchronized and automatically generated transcripts, Amazon Music will make it easier for the hearing impaired to listen to podcasts offered by the online music streaming service. It is also a strategic business move to go up against and compete against Spotify and Google Podcasts, which offer a very fledgling podcast automatic transcription service on their platforms.
Oriented to people with a hearing disability
As we have mentioned, at the moment this service is being launched in test mode only in the United States. If you are there, you can start reading synced transcripts of selected podcasts on Amazon Music by going to the podcasts tab and selecting one of those that has been supported to include that transcript.
This will be available for viewing both in full screen and in the upper part of the album art, although Amazon Music has anticipated that it will include several customization options in this new function when it is implemented to all its podcasts.
At the moment, it is only available in the US.
Through a tweet, Amazon’s general manager for podcasts, Kintan Brahmbhatt, clarified that the transcription function was originally designed for the most popular podcasts in the country. However, Brahmbhatt also ensured that the synchronized transcripts will be available for other titles as the system is refined and implemented.
What will happen to the ads?
At the news of the implementation of transcripts, many users have asked a very logical question: Will the ads that appear in the application also be transcribed? Amazon Music has answered this question bluntly. Ads will not be transcribed on the platform , but when one appears, the system will only identify it indicating that it is “non-transcribed audio”.
During the last few months, Amazon has also shown a special interest in podcasts to expand the coverage of Amazon Music in the market. It acquired the Wondery podcast network, and earlier this year Amazon Prime Music has also launched a podcast service in India (the second most populous country on the planet, where the market is fully emerging).
Mind you, although Amazon Music is also planning to launch the automatic podcast transcription service in the Indian market, details on when and how it will take place have yet to be revealed. However, the feature is likely to arrive in India in the coming months, given the popularity and growth of podcast consumption in the country. Similar to Amazon, Spotify has also announced the beta launch of its synced transcripts.
