Amazon is planning to introduce a limited music streaming feature as early as today, according to several people briefed on the company’s plans.

The new feature, which has been rumored in the music industry for months, will give subscribers to Amazon’s Prime service access to thousands of songs free and without interruptions from advertising. But it will omit most new releases, and will not include the catalog of the Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, according to these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Amazon, already one of the biggest retailers of music downloads, is adding the streaming feature as a sweetener for its Prime customers, whose annual subscription fee was recently raised to $99 from $79. Prime subscribers get free shipping on orders as well as other perks like free access to some movies and television shows. The new music feature will offer a wide but limited selection of titles, and for the most part will not include current hits.

An Amazon spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

With a relatively small catalog, Amazon’s service is not seen as a major threat to companies like Spotify, Rhapsody and Beats, which offer millions of songs. But Amazon’s scale may help it reach casual music consumers who so far have remained hesitant to sign up for any streaming service.