The Spotify you know and love is getting bigger with the addition of a catalog of content that users have been asking for for years. audio books.
Starting today, Spotify listeners in the US will be able to purchase and listen to over 300,000 audiobook titles, making our platform a truly one-stop destination for everyone’s listening needs. And we’re excited to launch Audiobooks with an all-new user interface designed specifically for listening to audiobooks and seamlessly integrating them with the music and podcasts you already listen to and love.
This is just the beginning of Spotify’s audiobook journey. We have strived to create a seamless audiobook experience and will continue to develop and innovate in the future. For memory: sit down with Nir ZichermanVice President of Spotify and Global Head of Audiobooks and Secure Content, to discuss today’s announcement and our vision for the future of audiobooks.
Today we announce that 300,000 audiobooks are available on Spotify in the US. Why are audiobooks the next frontier for us as a company?
We have always believed that the potential of audio was unlimited and we have long been saying that our ambition is to be the complete package for everyone’s listening needs. Audiobooks are next to enter the scene as we see a substantial untapped market. While audiobooks account for only 6-7% of the broader book market, the category is growing 20% year over year.
But what we’re really passionate about is delivering a fantastic new experience for listeners, bringing audiobooks to audiences of people who otherwise would never have tried them. By bringing audiobooks to Spotify, we have the opportunity to expand the space as a whole et: enrich the lives of listeners.
What can listeners expect? Today?
Starting today, users in the US can easily find Audiobooks on Spotify along with Music and Podcasts as a section in their Library, Search, and their organized recommendations on Home.
Audiobooks will appear with a lock icon on the play button, indicating that they must be purchased in order to listen to them. Users who discover audiobooks in the Spotify app will be able to purchase them on a web page. When he returns to Spotify, the book will automatically be saved in his library and will be available to be listened to whenever he wishes.
Once heard, there are a number of features that users have found essential for a smooth experience. Listeners can download content for offline listening, and our automatic bookmarking feature saves their location so they can easily pick up where they left off. Speed control is also included, with a variety of options to speed up or slow down the pace. And for listeners who want to share their opinion after listening to a book, we’ve also included a rating function, which will publicly display the overall rating of the book.
What makes Spotify ready and equipped to make a positive impact in the audiobook space?
Adding an entirely new content format to our service is no small feat. But we’ve already done this with podcasts, and we’re excited to do the same with audiobooks. We tested, researched and listened to find out how to create the smoothest experience on Spotify. Our hope is that users who find audiobooks in their apps starting today will feel that the user experience is obvious, that audiobooks are a perfect match for how they already use Spotify.
We also have the opportunity to apply our creator knowledge to elevate authors and publishers whose content is now on Spotify. Providing a great experience to the people behind the audiobooks we all love is important to us, and you can expect that we’ll start rolling out some cool creator features soon.
The offering available today in the US is just the first iteration of audiobooks on Spotify. We will learn a lot from this launch and build on that knowledge by enhancing the experience with new features, planning launches in additional markets, and innovating the format for the benefit of listeners, authors and publishers.
What are some of the opportunities for us as a company around this offering?
We run faster and are more focused than anyone else in the audio. And we think long-form audio and content is a much bigger deal than many would have thought. Our expansion into audiobooks is significant proof of this belief. And this is only the beginning.
Just like we did with the podcast, this will introduce a new format to an audience that has never consumed it before, unlocking a whole new segment of potential listeners. It also helps us support even more types of creators and connect them with fans who will love their art, which makes it even more exciting.
What were some of the challenges in creating and implementing this offering?
As I said earlier, audiobooks are a whole new format for us. While we’ve learned a lot about how people want to listen to music and podcasts, we wanted to offer a unique experience in book format. So it took a lot of research and tweaking to create this experience in a way that was also intuitive for what users expect from Spotify.
We also recognize that there are a lot of features on Spotify and our work has been stopped by adding a new type of content without making the platform cluttered. We think the solution we have achieved seems seamless, but we will still continue to repeat the product to meet user needs.
What is one audiobook you are most looking forward to listening to in particular?
The day of release: par: George Saunders. George is one of my all-time favorite writers and his new short story collection is expected to come out a few weeks after launch.
George usually narrates his own audio books, but this is particularly exciting because, in addition to his own voice, it will contain a variety of truly amazing storytellers. Tina Fey, Stefano Racine, Michel McKean, and other. Can’t wait to hear it!
Spotify is committed to being the world’s most popular audio streaming service, and the introduction of audiobooks marks another step in that commitment. Click here to visit our audiobook hub and discover the best titles and authors from our incredible catalog.
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