The Spotify streaming provider is no longer known only for music. The Swedish company also eagerly stages podcasts in its app. Of course, radio broadcasts and audio books are also available as part of the subscription. A significant change is now imminent in the United States: Spotify is now offering audiobooks for sale in the United States as well.
The expansion of this offer to the European and German market is probably only a matter of time. In the US, Spotify is rolling out the audiobook offering with over 300,000 audiobooks. In this context, a new interface has also been introduced, which is said to be specially designed for listening to audiobooks. According to Spotify, however, they have even bigger plans and are still in the early stages of taking their innovations forward. The entry into the audiobook market had already become evident not only with Spotify, but also with Apple.
Why did Spotify choose audiobooks as a new target? The company shares himselfthat there are currently 20% annual growth rates in that market. According to the Swedes, they have also set themselves the goal of exciting new target groups for audio books.
Here’s how buying an audiobook on Spotify works
A padlock as an icon in front of the title should indicate in the app whether specific audiobooks need to be purchased before listening. The actual purchase then takes place on a separate website, after which the books appear in the Spotify app in your library. In terms of price, audiobooks on Spotify probably match what they cost on other platforms. Incidentally, Spotify’s premium customers are also asked to pay for new audiobooks in the same way as users of the free offer.
Spotify: Buying audiobooks without an international launch date
Of course, interested parties can not only stream audiobooks, but also download them. If you stop listening, a bookmark is automatically set so you can continue from there into the next session. You can also increase or decrease the playback speed. Audiobooks can also be rated. Spotify says that with the US launch, they will now gather data and feedback to prepare for the international launch. It is planned exactly as well as new features for the Audiobook experience.
Unfortunately, the company cannot yet provide an exact start date. The complex licensing negotiations will likely have to precede the launch. Unfortunately, it’s also possible for Spotify to raise prices in the same breath, as it has already done abroad. Spotify’s biggest competitor in the audiobook market is obviously Amazon’s Audible, which already has a dominant position in Germany.
Are you interested in audiobooks or do you welcome them to Spotify? Or do you think Swedes should only focus on music?
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