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question

Crystal Ginn avatar image
Crystal Ginn asked

Ask Echo to play audio file

I've looked everywhere in the documentation, and I can't find the answer to my question — I'd like Echo to start playing an audio file from a specific URL when asked (MP3). I can't find a way to include this instruction in the response format. All I can do is send back a voice response. Anyone know if this is possible yet?
alexa skills kitdebugging
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Steve A avatar image
Steve A answered
It's not, I'm pretty sure. Steve
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jjaquinta avatar image
jjaquinta answered
I can confirm: it is not possible. Although this would give considerably breadth of functionality to Alexa, I don't think Amazon will do it. First off, they would then have no control over the content, and you could say rude things and stuff like that. The blowback would hit Amazon, not the skill maker, and isn't worth it for them. Second off, the first thing someone would do would be to create a music service. The RIAA ,and their ilk, are notoriously paranoid as it is. Whatever agreement Amazon have with the music providers that let them stream to Alexa is probably very tightly written. They aren't going to jeopardize all that revenue by opening up the chance of people subverting that. As with all my more depressing predictions, I would love to be proven wrong on this.
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