The Amazon Echo is an exceptional cornerstone for converting your home into a smart house. Having a device that can update you with the latest news, adjust your thermostat, and dim your lights is lovely. Nevertheless, even when you do not own a smart gadget at home, the Echo will help to serve as a great music player.
Irrespective of the Echo device you are using, we have prepared a guide containing all you need on the several ways to play music using your amazon echo.
Method 1: Plex Media Server
If you want to use Plex play for your music files on an Amazon Echo, you will require a media server device that will always be on and capable of running a Plex Media Server. The device may be a desktop computer or an Nvidia Shield TV.
It is important to note that Plex does not support streaming to Alexa devices from any Plex cloud server. Follow the following steps to learn how to set up your Plex for Alexa music playback:
Step 1: Create a free Plex account
Step 2: Download and install Plex Media Server to the device you stored your music files.
Step 3: Access app.plex.tv to launch Plex from any tablet, computer, or phone.
Step 4: Select Settings in the left sidebar,
Step 5: Next, click Remote Access and then Enable Remote Access.
Step 6: Setup your music folder and then under the Libraries section, highlight music and choose the icon to edit and add folders.
Step 7: Once you finish, install the Plex skill for Alexa. It can be through the web or via searching for Plex under the Alexa app Skills section.
Step 8: Log in to your Plex account and tap Authorize.
Step 9: Say, “Alexa, Ask Plex to change my server.” Provided you have only one server. Otherwise, pay attention to the list of server numbers and then act accordingly.
Other voice commands in Plex include:
· ”Ask Plex to play music by [artist name]”
· “Ask Plex to play a song [song name]”
· ”Tell Plex to play the album [album name]”
· ”Tell Plex to play some music.”
· ”Ask Plex what I should listen to.”
· “Ask Plex to give some phat beats.”
Additionally, you can say” “Previous track,” “Next track, “Pause,” “Stop,” and “Play” directly.
Method 2: My Media for Alexa
Like Plex, My Media is another app that requires you to set up a media server device to stream your music files to the Echo. Even more, it has similar restrictions like Plex. Some of the restrictions are that it does not support whole-home streaming, and you will need to use a particular “Ask My Media” command.
Here are the instructions to follow if you want to make use of My Media:
Step 1: Download and install My Media for Alexa.
Step 2: Open your My Media for Alexa and click the green Next button. Next, sign in to your Amazon account and then click Allow.
Step 3: Click “No” once you are asked if you want to download sample media automatically.
Step 4: Select Watch Folders on the left sidebar and then tap Add Folder to choose the folders where you stored your songs.
Step 5: Install My Media skill for Alexa via the web or search for “My Media” under the Alexa app Skills section.
Step 6: If you want to share your iTunes playlists with My Media, open iTunes and navigate to the Preferences menu. Next, select the Advanced tab, then tap “Share iTunes Library XML with other applications.”
After the steps above, you can now play songs on the Echo or several other Alexa devices. Some voice commands to note:
· ”Ask My Media to play music by [artist].”
· ”Ask My Media to play the song [song] by [artist].”
· ”Ask My Media to play the album [album] by [artist].”
· ”Ask My Media to play my playlist.”
· “Ask My Media to turn to shuffle [on/off].”
· ”Ask My Media to play [genre] music.”
· ”Ask My Media to turn loop [on/off].”
Additionally, you can say” “Previous track,” “Next track, “Pause,” “Stop,” and “Play” directly.
Conclusion
In all, the Amazon Echo is an extraordinary cornerstone for converting your home into a smart house. If you are planning on buying an Amazon echo or already have one, we have provided you with ways to play music using your Amazon echo.