Amazon Cloud Player music streaming service launches in the US

Overnight, Amazon has lifted the lid on its new cloud streaming service called, imaginatively, the Amazon Cloud Player. The service, which is now live in the US, allows users to store up to 5GB of purchased (DRM-free) music from any source, which can then be played on any computer via WiFi, or any Android device over 3G.

That initial 5GB of free storage – which can be used for any type of file, not just music – gets bumped up to a more meaty 20GB for anyone who purchases an album from Amazon. Further increments of 20GB are then available for yearly subscriptions starting at $20. Think of it less as a rival to Spotify, and more like a kind of DropBox-meets-iTunes affair.

There’s currently no word on when Amazon will be bringing this service to the UK, but we’ll keep you posted. Should Apple’s iTunes be shaking in its boots? Let us know your thoughts on the Gadget Helpline Twitter feed.