Spotify Is Now Selling Audiobooks

Spotify launched a new audiobook catalog this week, making more than 300,000 titles available for purchase to US listeners. Browse books(opens in a new window) From authors like Stephen King, Malcolm Gladwell, Taylor Jenkins Reed, Michelle Obama, JRR Tolkien and more, search and home curated recommendations through your library.

Titles are locked until purchased, though people can take advantage of short audio samples before clicking buy. You can’t buy audiobooks through Spotify’s app, presumably so the company can avoid paying Apple and Google a cut of in-app purchases. But once you buy an audiobook on the web, it syncs to your account and you can listen from the Spotify app.

On the web and app, click an audiobook’s cover to see details such as publication date, length, narrator(s), and description; Scroll down to access individual chapters. Supported features include offline listening, automatic bookmarking and speed control. People are also invited to add a star rating between one and five that will be factored into the book’s total grade.

This audiobook debut comes almost a year after Spotify acquired(opens in a new window) A “complete platform where artists and creators can create, engage and monetize,” a few months after digital audiobook distributor Findaway, and Spotify CEO Daniel Eck.

“We’ve always believed that the possibilities of audio are limitless, and we’ve said for a while that our ambition is to be the complete package for everyone’s listening needs,” said Nir Zickerman, Spotify’s VP and Global Head of Audiobooks. said(opens in a new window) This week.

“Our hope is that users who find audiobooks in their apps starting today feel that the user experience is intuitive—the audiobooks they already use on Spotify are a perfect fit,” according to Zickerman, who suggested plans for additional markets, new features, and new features. More benefits for listeners, authors and publishers.

Not sure what to listen to? Spotify curated lists of “Great First Audiobooks,” “Readable Books,” “Quick Listens” and “Celebrity Titles” as well as a collection of Latinx, Black, AAPI and LGBTQIA+ voices. Alternatively, users can search for specific titles or authors, or hope for the best from the algorithm’s suggestions.

“This is just the beginning of Spotify’s audiobook journey,” the company says. “We’re working to create a seamless audiobook experience, and we’ll continue to build and innovate in the future.”

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