MOVE TO STREAMING — OR ELSE: Amazon Music removes ability to upload MP3s, will shutter storage service.

Both free and paid customers of Amazon Music Storage will be affected by this recent decision: free users, who were able to upload up to 250 files, can play and download any of that music until January 2019. Free users should download their previously uploaded tracks before January 2019, because those will become inaccessible through Amazon Music at that time.

Paid users, who paid $25 annually to store up to 250,000 files, can also play and download any of that music until their subscription expires. Those who let their subscription expire won’t have the option to renew it, and all songs over 250 will be removed. Those remaining 250 songs will be available for one year after the subscription expires before they’re removed as well.

Those who stand to lose the most in this situation are paid Music Storage subscribers. Those customers should re-download any and all tracks they originally uploaded before their subscription expires to avoid the service erasing part of their library and leaving them with just 250 songs.

I don’t care for streaming.