The man who initiated the deadly chase that ended in the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery won’t plead guilty to a federal hate crime in the 2020 killing of the unarmed … Click to Continue »

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Thinking about joining Amazon Prime? It’s a one-stop-shopping destination for electronics, apparel, beauty and personal care products, groceries, pet supplies, travel gear, furniture, fitness essentials, pharmaceuticals, home improvement items, office supplies, movies, books, video games and free shipping on most items.

If you’re still not sure about pricing, exclusive perks and how to sign up, check below for everything you need to know before joining Amazon Prime.

How Much Does Amazon Prime Cost?

A membership to Amazon Prime currently costs $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year. The price will soon increase to $14.99 for the monthly membership and $139 for the yearly cost, Amazon announced Thursday (Feb. 2). Amazon attributed the price jump, which is scheduled for Feb. 18, to rising operational costs and their newly announced NFL deal to broadcast Thursday Night Football.

How to Get a Free Trial to Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime’s price hike is the company’s first increase in four years but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to save a few bucks. Right now, new members can enjoy a free 30-day trial to Amazon Prime. The membership will increase to the regular price after the free trial ends but there are a couple of clever ways to lock in your rate, according to CNBC.

What Do You Get with a Prime Membership?

With a Prime membership you’ll get exclusive deals and discounts, plus early access to Amazon’s Lightning Deals and Prime Day, free two-hour delivery on groceries and prescription drugs from Amazon Pharmacy, free video games and in-game items along with a free Twitch channel courtesy of Prime Gaming.

Aside from discounts and free delivery, one of the best things about Amazon Prime is that you get access to Prime Video where you can stream thousands of free movies and shows included in your membership along with in-theater rentals, hard-to-find shows and films, and Amazon Prime Originals such as Wheel of Time, Rooster, Harlem, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Phat Tuesdays, Good Omens, Book of Love, Being the Ricardos, Coming 2 America, The Boys, The Tender Bar and the upcoming Lord of the Rings series.

For music lovers, Prime members get free access to more than two million ad-free songs via Amazon Music. The streaming platform houses over 70 million songs and podcast episodes.

More Ways to Save

Having multiple subscriptions can get pricey so it’s always great to find more ways to save. Amazon Prime is just $6 a month for eligible EBT/Medicaid recipients (after a free 30-day trial). That means you’ll get all the benefits of Amazon Prime but at half the price. Amazon also accepts SNAP and EBT benefits for eligible groceries.

Another money-saving membership plan, Prime Student is $6.50 a month for everything in the regularly-price membership, plus special discounts on textbooks and e-textbook rentals. Prime Student offers Amazon Music and Prime Video Channels for $0.99 and a free two-month trial to Kindle Unlimited to read millions of titles on any device.

Now that you’re all caught up, the only thing left to do is join. Click here to start your Amazon Prime Membership.

Ed Sheeran had fans grooving in the fall when he dropped “Shivers,” the second single from his fourth studio album, =, which topped the Billboard 200 albums chart dated Nov. 13.

“Shivers” is also Sheeran’s seventh leader on Billboard‘s Adult Pop Airplay radio chart, which marks the singer surpassing Shawn Mendes for the most career No. 1s among solo males over the chart’s 25-year history.

If you need a guide to follow along with the infectious Ed Sheeran hit, find them all below:

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Dolly Parton as one of its Class of 2022 nominees on Wednesday (Feb. 2), surely the first thought for many was that Parton was an outlier. She’s a country music icon to be sure (and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame), and while she’s covered songs by Led Zeppelin,The Beatles and Neil Young, she’s hardly thought of in rock and roll circles.

Maybe Parton, who had never been nominated before despite being eligible since 1992 (or even earlier if you include her first indie single as a 13-year-old out in 1959), appears to be as shocked as everyone else, since she has yet to comment on the honor. However, there’s something that feels indelibly right about Parton, who has been a pioneer and an innovator across all music for decades, possibly joining the Rock Hall’s august ranks. The five artists who get the most votes will be announced in May as the Class of 2022. Should she be inducted, she follows in the footsteps of some of country’s most legendary names.

Here are the country acts who have preceded Parton. (We limited the list to artists primarily known as country artists, so did not include trailblazers like Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Brenda Lee, Wanda Jackson or Ray Charles, who, despite their undisputed and vital ties to country music, left their biggest legacies in pop, rock, rockabilly or R&B.)

Chet Atkins (inducted in 2002): Known as the architect of the Nashville sound, Atkins went in the Hall under the musical excellence category, but the simple fact is, Atkins could do it all: His finger-picking guitar style that featured the melody and the bass line became world-renowned, he sold more than 35 million albums as an artist, he played on the Everly Brothers’ early hits, produced Presley’s first records for RCA Records and worked with such artists as Parton and Waylon Jennings.

Johnny Cash (1992): With his sonorous baritone, the Man in Black sounded like the voice of America, sharing stories of saints and sinners first as part of Memphis’ Sun Records roster, and then much more famously for Columbia Records in Nashville with such hits as “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire” and “I’ve Been Everywhere.”

Floyd Cramer (2003): Nashville session pianist Cramer was inducted into the Rock Hall under the musical excellence category. His name is synonymous with the “slip note” technique of playing, which was an essential part of the Nashville sound starting in the 1950s. His playing can be heard on classic hits for Presley (“Heartbreak Hotel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight”), Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), Eddy Arnold and more. Cramer also had a major pop hit with the instrumental single “Last Date” in 1960. Cramer was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

Bill Monroe (1997): The Father of Bluegrass Music penned more than 500 compositions, including such bluegrass classics as “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and “Bluegrass Breakdown,” but he was as renowned for his Blue Grass Boys and their musical virtuosity on mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo and upright bass, as they brought the vibrant music of the Appalachian region to the world. 

Jimmie Rodgers (1986): Known as the Father of Country Music, Mississippi native Rodgers went into the Rock Hall under the early influences category in the same inaugural class of honorees as Chuck Berry, James Brown, the Everly Brothers and Ray Charles. In 1927, Ralph Peer recorded Rodgers (as well as the Carter Family) in Bristol, Tenn., and Rodgers’ blend of yodeling and acoustic songs became the musical template for numerous country artists who followed. Rodgers, known for such recordings as  “Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues),” “Waiting for a Train” and  “In the Jailhouse Now,” was also the first performer inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 1961. Nicknamed The Singing Brakeman, he influenced legions of artists who followed, including Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan. 

Hank Williams (1987): Williams was country’s first modern-day star. Though he died tragically at 29, his songs became classics thanks to his keen sense of melody and his piercing, expressive voice that felt like his heart could barely contain the pain. Among his 55 top 10 country songs were “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1999): Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were inducted into the Rock Hall in the early influences category. Wills and his bandmembers enjoyed their greatest successes in the 1930s and 1940s, and became known for standards including “Take Me Back to Texas,” “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” and “San Antonio Rose.” With ace musicianship, the group developed a unique sound that integrated elements of swing, fiddle music, blues, jazz and more.