Imaged credit: lookstudio via Freepik
Last year, Spotify announced its plans to introduce audiobooks into its platform, aiming to become a comprehensive hub for audio content. Users in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand now have opportunity to explore audiobooks by their favorite authors and narrators.
150,000 Titles to Choose From
Spotify’s audiobook offering comes with more than 150,000 audiobooks being made available as part of Spotify Premium subscriptions. Premium individual users, as well as Family and Duo account managers, will initially receive 15 hours of monthly listening time, enabling them to enjoy a wide range of audiobook titles within this allocation.
In addition to this enhancement, Spotify Premium subscribers now have access to an extensive library that includes over 100 million songs, 5 million podcasts, and 150,000 audiobooks.
The feature was rolled out beginning of the week to Premium users in the U.K. and Australia, with plans to introduce it in the U.S. later this year.
One Platform for Everything Audio
Spotify believes that offering personalized music, podcasts, and audiobooks on a single platform creates a superior experience for users to connect with their favorite artists, podcasters, creators, and authors, all in one place. Users can easily transition between listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and music without leaving the app.
Finding audiobooks on Spotify Premium is straightforward. To listen to an audiobook, simply search for the title and start listening to the first chapter or preview. Users can also explore audiobook recommendations on the Home feed or visit the audiobooks hub for curated top titles.
Any audiobook marked as “Included in Premium” is part of the Premium catalog, one of the largest among subscription-based audiobook streaming platforms. This catalog covers approximately 70% of bestselling books and includes titles from major publishers such as Hachette, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and RB Media, as well as offerings from independent authors and publishers worldwide.
15 Included Hours, Plus Option to Top-up
Spotify Premium users can enjoy 15 monthly hours of audiobook listening, providing flexibility to explore multiple titles or delve deeply into a single audiobook. For users who exceed their monthly allocation, a 10-hour top-up can be purchased to finish a series. Users can easily check their remaining hours in their in-app settings.
This feature is available exclusively to Premium individual account holders and plan managers for Family or Duo accounts. Spotify plans to explore additional ways to offer access to Premium audiobooks in the future.
Spotify is accessible on over 2,000 devices from more than 200 brands, and Premium audiobook subscribers can download audiobooks for offline listening. The platform’s automatic bookmarking feature ensures that users can easily pick up where they left off, and the “end of chapter” feature within Spotify Sleep Timer allows for a seamless bedtime listening experience.
While Premium audiobooks are now available, Spotify’s full catalog, including titles available on Spotify Premium, remains open for a la carte purchases. Spotify Premium users can expect a diverse range of audiobooks, from beach-friendly bestsellers to captivating memoirs and the latest fantasy series, allowing them to immerse themselves in captivating stories and soundscapes while on the go or during daily tasks.
